Cell-Derived Exosome-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications

Exosomes are tiny membrane-bound vesicles of various compositions produced in the endosomal compartment of eukaryotic cells. These are secreted as extracellular vesicles and participate in a variety of biological and pathological processes. Exosomes are generally non-immunogenic by nature due to their identical makeup to the cell from which they originate. It gives exosomes substantial advantages over other nanoparticulate drug delivery systems like polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes. This chapter begins with the origin and structure of extracellular vesicles (both exosome and ectosome) and their biological functions. The attention then focuses on specialized uses of exosomes as drug delivery methods in pharmaceutical medication development. The benefits and drawbacks of employing exosomes as pharmaceutical medication delivery vehicles has been discussed. A comprehensive discussion on both the native as well as engineered extracellular vesicles in the application of targeted drug delivery is provided.