Although exosomes they have gone unnoticed in the world of science since their discovery, it has recently been discovered that they are actually very important in the functions of the organism, the improvement of defenses and the spread of diseases. Find out more here!
What are Exosomes?
First of all, we must explain that the vesicles are small divisions that can collect the waste generated by the cells when carrying out their functions, and these same wastes move or absorb them. Now, we can consider the exosomes They are vesicles located outside the cell.
These small balloons are formed by a plasma membrane that surrounds them and are made up of the DNA structure, RNA, miRNA, proteins, lipids and other components in smaller amounts, these can be found in substances produced and secreted by the body, such as blood, urine or tissue.
Although in cells there are other organelles that are part of them, they all have different occupations and yet exosomes are often confused with other components, or it is unknown that they actually fulfill very different and equally important functions. That the others.
Discovery
The exosomes they were evidenced in the middle of a study that focuses on red blood cells that have not matured, or are very young and therefore do not fulfill the function that they should really perform. This took place more than 50 years ago, but despite this, their appearance did not take on real importance at that time since they were easily confused with other waste generated by cells.
It was not until 1987 that scientists were able to name these particles as exosomes and proceeded to give them a correct definition, however, they were again overlooked and that was until approximately 10 years ago, when the information obtained and disclosed about exosomes increased considerably.
Formation and Characteristics
It is the intraluminal vesicles that manage to create the exosomes, however, these do not result from all the vesicles and even today the selective process that determines which vesicles manage to generate these small divisions is unknown.
Despite this, there are many hypotheses about its formation, which are based on the belief that the membrane divides with the intention of enclosing the cytoplasms (which come from the prokaryotic cell parts and eukaryote). The process is described as follows; right in the middle of vesicle formation, the membrane detaches from its location and integrates into the cell that makes up the cytoplasm.
Exosomes are smaller compared to other extracellular compounds, measuring between 40 and 100 nanometers. These possess a section of DNA that is identifiable and comparable to that of their predecessor, which gives them the ability to fulfill certain functions in favor of the organism.
This is the reason that exosomes have gained so much recognition lately, since science has studied the possibilities of having them to use them as an intervention in some biological process that deteriorates or harms the organic system.
Functions and Importance of Exosomes
It is important to note that a large percentage of the information obtained regarding these vesicles comes from studies carried out to prove their participation and contribution to the improvement of the defenses that the body produces naturally to stop and eliminate any disease or virus that alters and harm the body.
Mainly, exosomes are a common means to transfer communication between different cells, so they are very involved in the processes and mechanisms that develop in the body from cells and each of their tasks.
Although at first, the functions of these were underestimated and were overshadowed by other particles, recent studies have been able to verify that their contributions to the body are not insignificant and have a great value in many processes of the organic system.
On the other hand, we have that many studies have revealed that exosomes can be very useful for supporting the immune system, since an evolutionary change or process could make them the perfect transfer to retain and transfer medicine to different concentrations of cells, in a way that these regenerate and reproduce more quickly, being able to fight infectious agents more easily.
However, not everything can be good with these organelles, since it has also been proven that they are involved in the evolutionary process of many diseases within the body, since they are not only capable of transporting waste and proteins, they can also serve as a means of communication between infectious bacteria and viruses.
Influence of Exosomes on Cancer
The cells of the body must fulfill a life cycle in which they multiply, develop their functions and when they begin to deteriorate they die, and cancer is a disease that arises when they begin to reproduce very quickly and their size increases exaggeratedly, which does not allow them to fulfill their functions and in addition to that, they interfere with the functions of the other cells.
This disease can be generated in any part of the body, since the cells are scattered throughout the body and this occurs in the specific area where this alteration in the formation of cells is generated.
A really damaging factor is that these cells are not kept in one place, if they have the opportunity to disperse and spread to other areas of our body, they will do so, making the disease a really difficult situation to control, since there is no to take care of counteracting the disease in a single part of the body.
An also important factor in these cases is the area to which the cells spread, because the more vital organs are involved, the more dangerous the situation is for the carrier.
Now, you may be wondering, what do exosomes have to do with all this? Well, it's very simple; These organelles can facilitate the spread of harmful cells throughout the body and anticipate their arrival somewhere, preparing the area for their arrival and determining if it is suitable for receiving the tumor.
On the other hand, experts are evaluating and developing the properties of exosomes to use them in a test called liquid biopsy, which is used to more easily detect cancer cells that the body may have through a blood sample, in this way the disease can be attacked early and recovery is more likely to be successful.