Cancer cell-derived exosomes as the delivery vehicle of paclitaxel to inhibit cancer cell growth

Abstract

Delivering water-insoluble drugs, such as paclitaxel (PTX), to the tumor site is a challenge. Exosomes are capable of delivering “cargo” to the target site without causing adverse effects, unlike synthetic nanoparticles. Here, we have prepared PTX-loaded exosomes from breast cancer cells. This formulation is further explored for its activity against breast cancer cell lines. Our data indicate that the exosomes are more efficient than free paclitaxel and liposomal paclitaxel in inhibiting the cancer cell growth. The primary reason for this superior activity is determined to be exosomes’ ability to deliver more amount of drug in the cytosol. However, the exact mechanism by which exosomes deliver the drug across the cell membrane still needs to be explored.