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World J Hepatol. Mar 27, 2023; 15(3): 386-392
Published online Mar 27, 2023. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i3.386
Emerging role of engineered exosomes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Jian Ding, Chen Xu, Ming Xu, Xiao-Yue He, Wei-Na Li, Fei He
Jian Ding, Chen Xu, Ming Xu, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China
Xiao-Yue He, The Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, Shandong Province, China
Wei-Na Li, School of Basic Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China
Fei He, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China
Author contributions: Ding J contributed to writing the original draft; Xu C contributed to picture making; Xu M, He XY, and Li WN contributed to data collection; He F contributed to designed the review and revised the final version.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81970535.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Fei He, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China. hefei_hefei@163.com
Received: December 26, 2022
Peer-review started: December 26, 2022
First decision: February 1, 2023
Revised: February 20, 2023
Accepted: March 15, 2023
Article in press: March 15, 2023
Published online: March 27, 2023
Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD comprises a continuum of liver abnormalities from nonalcoholic fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and can even lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. However, a well-established treatment for NAFLD has yet to be identified. Exosomes have become an ideal drug delivery tool because of their high transmissibility, low immunogenicity, easy accessibility and targeting. Exosomes with specific modifications, known as engineered exosomes, have the potential to treat a variety of diseases. Here, we review the treatment of NAFLD with engineered exosomes and the potential use of exosomes as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for NAFLD.

Keywords: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, Exosome, Engineered exosome, Targeted therapy

Core Tip: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the fastest growing chronic disease in the world. As the disease progresses, NAFLD can lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and even liver cancer. However, a well-established treatment for NAFLD has yet to be identified. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles secreted by cells. Owing to their high delivery efficiency and biocompatibility, exosomes are expected to become a new means of drug delivery and precise treatment for a variety of diseases, including NAFLD.