Exosome-biomimetic nanocarriers for oral drug delivery

Exosomes as authigenous nanovesicles secreted by living cells represent a significant class of biomaterials. By virtue of their unique roles in intercellular communication, exosomes can mediate intercellular information/cargoes exchange as messenger and facilitate drug delivery as smart vehicles. Oral medication is the most clinically relied upon route of administration and can achieve both topical and systemic therapeutic effects after absorption. Exosomes and exosome-derived vectors have shown to be of high value in oral drug delivery, since they enable efficient oral delivery of therapeutic molecules by targeting intestinal epithelial cells. In recent years, exosome-biomimetic nanocarriers have emerged as an important catalyzer in innovating oral drug delivery systems. In this work, we roundly reviewed the biogenesis and functions of exosomes, their extraction and characterization methods, resources available for exosomes harvest, and design philosophy of exosome-derived vehicles, particularly highlighting the oral delivery application of exosome-biomimetic nanocarriers for diverse medicines. Accumulating evidence suggests that exosome-biomimetic nanocarriers hold great promise for oral delivery of intractable drugs with potential biopharmaceutic issues.