Analysis of extracellular vesicles as emerging theranostic nanoplatforms

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale lipid membrane–bound vesicles that are secreted by cells of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and carry bioactive cargos including proteins, nucleic acid and lipids from source cells. Given their prominent ability in transporting bioactive components, EVs are regarded as promising biomarkers for disease diagnosis and emerging therapeutic nanoparticles. However, to exert their effect in clinical applications, effective isolation and sensitive analysis of EVs from complex biofluids is required. Recent advances in EV-related research has provided feasible approaches for developing emerging therapeutic nanoplatforms using EVs. With this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive and in-depth summary of recent advances in diverse assay methods for EVs including fluorescence, Raman/Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) analysis and other methods, as well as their clinical potential in constructing EV-based theranostic nanoplatforms towards various diseases. In particular, microfluidic-assisted analysis sytems, single EV detection and the main approaches of utilizing EVs for therapeutic purposes are highlighted. We anticipate this review will be inspirational for researchers in related fields and will provide a general introduction to scientists with various research backgrounds.

细胞外囊泡（EVs）是由原核和真核细胞分泌的纳米级脂质膜囊泡，携带来自母细胞的蛋白质、核酸和脂质等生物活性货物。由于能够运输多种生物活性成分，EVs 被视为疾病诊断中有前景的生物标志物，也可作为新兴的治疗性纳米颗粒。然而，要将其用于临床，还需要从复杂生物流体中实现高效分离和灵敏分析。近年来，EV 研究进展为利用 EV 构建新型诊疗一体化纳米平台提供了可行路径。本文全面总结了 EV 检测方法的最新进展，包括荧光、拉曼/表面增强拉曼散射（SERS）及其他分析技术，并讨论其构建面向多种疾病的 EV 诊疗平台的临床潜力。文章重点介绍了微流控辅助分析、单个 EV 检测以及利用 EV 开展治疗的主要策略。作者希望该综述能为相关领域研究者提供启发，也为不同研究背景的科学家提供概览。