Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jan 15, 2025; 17(1): 100713
Published online Jan 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i1.100713
Exosomes as promising frontier approaches in future cancer therapy
Fatt-Yang Chew, Chin-Hung Tsai, Kuang-Hsi Chang, Yu-Kang Chang, Ruey-Hwang Chou, Yi-Jui Liu
Fatt-Yang Chew, Department of Medical Imaging, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Fatt-Yang Chew, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Chin-Hung Tsai, Department of Cancer Center, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital, Taichung 435, Taiwan
Chin-Hung Tsai, Department of Chest Medicine, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital, Taichung 435, Taiwan
Chin-Hung Tsai, Yu-Kang Chang, Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Kuang-Hsi Chang, Yu-Kang Chang, Department of Medical Research, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital, Taichung 435, Taiwan
Kuang-Hsi Chang, Center for General Education, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Kuang-Hsi Chang, General Education Center, Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Miaoli 356, Taiwan
Yu-Kang Chang, Department of Nursing, Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Miaoli 356, Taiwan
Ruey-Hwang Chou, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Ruey-Hwang Chou, Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Ruey-Hwang Chou, Department of Medical Laboratory and Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung 413, Taiwan
Yi-Jui Liu, Department of Automatic Control Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung 407, Taiwan
Co-first authors: Fatt-Yang Chew and Chin-Hung Tsai.
Co-corresponding authors: Ruey-Hwang Chou and Yi-Jui Liu.
Author contributions: Chew FY and Tsai CH contributed to writing, editing the manuscript, and review of literature; Chang KH, and Chang YK contributed to the discussion and review of the manuscript; Liu YJ and Chou RH contributed to the review, discussion, and design the overall concept of the manuscript.
Supported by the grants of China Medical University Hospital, No. DMR-112-173 and No. DMR-113-089; and the grant from Tungs’ Taichung Metro Harbor Hospital, No. TTMHH-R1120013.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yi-Jui Liu, PhD, Professor, Department of Automatic Control Engineering, Feng Chia University, No. 100 Wenhwa Road, Seatwen, Taichung 407, Taiwan. erliu@fcu.edu.tw
Received: August 24, 2024
Revised: October 9, 2024
Accepted: October 29, 2024
Published online: January 15, 2025
Processing time: 110 Days and 2.9 Hours
Abstract

In this editorial, we will discuss the article by Tang et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. They explored an innovative approach to enhancing gemcitabine (GEM) delivery and efficacy using human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (HU-BMSCs)-derived exosomes. The manufacture of GEM-loaded HU-BMSCs-derived exosomes (Exo-GEM) has been optimized. The Tang et al’s study demonstrated that Exo-GEM exhibits enhanced cytotoxicity and apoptosis-inducing effects compared to free GEM, highlighting the potential of exosome-based drug delivery systems as a more effective and targeted approach to chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer. Additional in vivo studies are required to confirm the safety and effectiveness of Exo-GEM before it can be considered for clinical use.

Keywords: Mesenchymal stem cells; Exosomes; Gemcitabine; Pancreatic cancer; Apoptosis

Core Tip: The method of loading gemcitabine into exosomes is crucial for the effectiveness of the delivery system. The study ascertained that electroporation and sonication were more efficient than incubation in delivering gemcitabine into the human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes. Exosomes gemcitabine (Exo-GEM) demonstrated potent cytotoxicity against pancreatic cancer cells by enhancing GEM-induced apoptosis. Exo-GEM offers a promising strategy for targeted therapy in pancreatic cancer by harnessing the natural advantages of exosomes, such as high biocompatibility and the ability to navigate tumor microenvironments. Exo-GEM could deliver chemotherapy more precisely to cancer cells, reducing side effects in healthy cells.