Exosomal MicroRNA: Diagnostic Marker and Therapeutic Tool for Lung Diseases

Abstract

Lung diseases are common clinical illnesses with high morbidity and mortality, which seriously threaten human health. In recent years, increasing evidence suggests that exosomes play a pivotal role in intercellular communication by delivering their cargo to pulmonary target cells, such as microRNAs. Physiologically, exosomes have been shown to be a critical mediator in maintaining homeostasis function in the complex thin-walled lung tissue and airway structure. Apart from being a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, exosomes also participate in the progression of some lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, acute lung injury, lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, and tuberculosis. Here, we summarize the recent findings on the involvement of exosomes and exosomal microRNAs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy of lung diseases, aiming to provide more information to discover novel diagnostic methods and treatment strategies for these disorders.