NRP-1 targeted and cargo-loaded exosomes facilitate simultaneous imaging and therapy of glioma in vitro and in vivo

Currently, glioma treatment is limited by two main factors: timely detection at onset or relapse and restriction of drugs by the blood–brain barrier (BBB) from entering the brain and influencing tumor growth. However, a safe BBB-traversing drug delivery system has brought new hope to glioma treatment. Exosomes have strong cargo-loading capacity and have the ability to cross the BBB. They can also be conferred with the ability for targeted delivery. Therefore, exosomes have great promise to be a targeted drug delivery vehicles. In this study, we firstly loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and curcumin (Cur) into exosomes and then conjugated the exosome membrane with neuropilin-1-targeted peptide (RGERPPR, RGE) by click chemistry to obtain glioma-targeting exosomes with imaging and therapeutic functions. When administered to glioma cells and orthotopic glioma models, we found that these engineered exosomes could cross the BBB smoothly and provided good results for targeted imaging and therapy of glioma. Furthermore, SPION-mediated magnetic flow hyperthermia (MFH) and Cur-mediated therapy also showed a potent synergistic antitumor effect. Therefore, the diagnostic and therapeutic effects on glioma were significantly improved, while reducing the side effects. We have designed a new type of glioma-targeting exosomes, which can carry nanomaterials and chemical agents for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of glioma, thus providing a potential approach for improving the diagnosis and treatment effects of intracranial tumors.