Effects of Bioactive Glasses (BGs) on Exosome Production and Secretion: A Critical Review

Abstract

There is an increasing trend toward the application of bioactive glasses in different areas of biomedicine, including tissue engineering and oncology. The reason for this increase is mostly attributed to the inherent properties of BGs, such as excellent biocompatibility, and the ease of tailoring their properties by changing, for example, the chemical composition. Previous experiments have demonstrated that the interactions between BGs and their ionic dissolution products, and mammalian cells, can affect and change cellular behaviors, and thereby govern the performance of living tissues. However, limited research exists on their critical role in the production and secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as exosomes. Exosomes are nanosized membrane vesicles that carry various therapeutic cargoes such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and lipids, and thereby can govern cell–cell communication and subsequent tissue responses. The use of exosomes is currently considered a cell-free approach in tissue engineering strategies, due to their positive roles in accelerating wound healing. On the other hand, exosomes are known as key players in cancer biology (e.g., progression and metastasis), due to their capability to carry bioactive molecules between tumor cells and normal cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that the biological performance of BGs, including their proangiogenic activity, is accomplished with the help of exosomes. Indeed, therapeutic cargos (e.g., proteins) produced in BG-treated cells are transferred by a specific subset of exosomes toward target cells and tissues, and lead to a biological phenomenon. On the other hand, BGs are suitable delivery vehicles that can be utilized for the targeted delivery of exosomes to cells and tissues of interest. Therefore, it seems necessary to have a deeper understanding of the potential effects of BGs in the production of exosomes in cells that are involved in tissue repair and regeneration (mostly mesenchymal stem cells), as well as in those that play roles in cancer progression (e.g., cancer stem cells). This review aims to present an updated report on this critical issue, to provide a roadmap for future research in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.