Table 1 Exosomes loading methods
From: Mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes: novel carriers for nanoparticle to combat cancer
Example | Advantage | Disadvantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
Direct methods | |||
Passive | Electroporation: creating an electric field in the microvesicles membrane to increase membrane permeability | Loading↑ | Complications in changing cellular gene expression |
Safer↑ | |||
Extrusion: a combination of two membranes | Fast transfer ↑ | Change the membrane proteins in EVs cytotoxicity↑ | |
Freeze–thaw: combination of drug with extracellular vesicle in liquid nitrogen at -80 temperature | Simple and loading↑ | Loading ↓ increase the size of EVs and accumulation of exosomes | |
Sonication: creating a mechanical cut using an ultrasound probe | Loading ↑ | Damage the EVs structure | |
Active | Hybridization: Combining extracellular vesicles with nanovesicles | Loading↑ | Potential toxicity |
EVs surface modifying: making connections between the ligand of the extracellular vesicle and the membrane of the target molecule | Loading↑ | Potential toxicity↑ | |
Biomimetic EVs production: combination of metallic or inorganic nanoparticles with extracellular vesicles | Loading↑ | Potential toxicity↑ | |
Indirect methods | |||
Co-incubation: modifying parent cells with drugs and transferring and encapsulating them in cells | Loading↑ | Aggregation therapeutic drugs↑ | |
Safer↑ | |||
Simple and cheap | |||
Gene editing (transfection): plasmid or vector transfer for protein production | Loading↑ | Sensitivity and biocompatibility problem | |
Safer↑ | |||