Open Access

REVIEW

Exosomes in viral infection: Effects for pathogenesis and treatment strategies

by FATEMEH HEIDARI^1,2, REIHANEH SEYEDEBRAHIMI^1,2, PIAO YANG³, MOHSEN ESLAMI FARSANI^1,2, SHIMA ABABZADEH^2,4, NASER KALHOR⁵, HAMED MANOOCHEHRI⁶, MOHSEN SHEYKHHASAN^7,*, MARYAM AZIMZADEH^8,9,*

1 Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
2 Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
3 Department of Molecular Genetics, College of Arts and Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
4 Tissue Engineering Department, Faculty of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
5 Department of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research (ACECR), Qom Branch, Qom, Iran
6 The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
7 Department of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
8 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran
9 Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran

* Corresponding Authors: MOHSEN SHEYKHHASAN. Email: ; MARYAM AZIMZADEH. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Perspectives on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine)

BIOCELL 2023, 47(12), 2597-2608. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2023.043351

Received 29 June 2023; Accepted 11 October 2023; Issue published 27 December 2023

Abstract

Exosomes are small vesicles that carry molecules from one cell to another. They have many features that make them interesting for research, such as their stability, low immunogenicity, size of the nanoscale, toxicity, and selective delivery. Exosomes can also interact with viruses in diverse ways. Emerging research highlights the significant role of exosomes in viral infections, particularly in the context of diseases like COVID-19, HIV, HBV and HCV. Understanding the intricate interplay between exosomes and the human immune system holds great promise for the development of effective antiviral therapies. An important aspect is gaining clarity on how exosomes influence the immune system and enhance viral infectivity through their inherent characteristics. By leveraging the innate properties of exosomes, viruses exploit the machinery involved in exosome biogenesis to set replication, facilitate the spread of infection, and eliminate immune responses. They can either help or hinder viral infection by modulating the immune system. This review summarizes the recent findings on how exosomes mediate viral infection and how they can be used for diagnosis or therapy. This could lead to new clinical applications of exosomes in disease management.

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