Extracellular vesicles in health, aging and disease

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, microvesicles (MVs), and apoptotic bodies, are lipid-bound nanoparticles secreted by most cell types, playing fundamental roles in intercellular communication.These vesicles carry diverse cargo such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.Each subtype contributes to specific biological processes, with microvesicles involved in regeneration and paracrine signaling, and apoptotic bodies facilitating immune tolerance.EV release is significantly altered under physiological stress conditions such as oxidative stress, hypoxia, inflammation, and DNA damage, resulting in changes to vesicle composition and function.This review examines the characteristics, molecular contents, and functional roles of EVs in the context of cancer progression and the aging process, with a primary focus on exosomes.In aging tissues, exosomes influence tissue regeneration, inflammation, and cellular senescence(definition) by transporting regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) and senescence-associated secretory factors.In cancer tissues, tumour-derived exosomes actively remodel the tumour microenvironment, carrying oncogenic miRNAs and proteins that promote immune evasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance.A comparative analysis highlights both shared and distinct features of both senescence-associated and tumor-derived exosomes.This review will contribute to the knowledge on the mechanistic overlap in stress-response signaling between the two conditions.Through the current findings across aging and cancer biology, this review can inform studies wishing to better understand the secretory microenvironment.