Exosomes for diabetes syndrome: ongoing applications and perspective

Diabetes mellitus, the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, is a type of metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia. Without timely and effective treatment, many ensuing complications involving the heart, kidney, nerves, blood vessels and others follow. Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles, which are excreted by nearly all types of cells and have attracted increasing attention due to their emerging roles in intercellular communication or use as biomarkers for disease diagnosis and their potential for alternative cell therapy. Especially, by engineering exosomes with a specific function or augmenting their efficacy with the assistance of other biomaterials, more effective treatment and targeted therapy for diabetes and its complications can be achieved. Thus, to deepen the understanding on exosomes, the current knowledge with regard to the potential use of exosomes in the therapy of diabetes syndrome is summarized in this review. Moreover, the prospect for future research is also discussed.