Abstract Background: Ovarian cancer, among the most lethal gynecologic malignancies globally, features a tumor microenvironment crucial to disease progression. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) function as key intercellular communication mediators, though their role in ovarian cancer advancement via macrophage regulation remains inadequately characterized. Methods: EVs isolated from ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3, HO8910, ID8) underwent characterization through transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and western blotting. Macrophage polarization was evaluated following co-culture with cancer cells or their derived EVs. HUVEC angiogenic activity was assessed through tube formation, proliferation, and VEGFR expression analyses. In vivo studies examined tumor growth, macrophage infiltration, and angiogenesis in nude mice bearing SKOV3 tumors treated with cancer-derived EVs. Results: Ovarian cancer patients demonstrated significantly elevated M2 macrophage proportions in peripheral blood and tumor tissues compared to controls (pConclusions: This study demonstrates that ovarian cancer-derived EVs enhance tumor progression by inducing M2 macrophage polarization and stimulating angiogenesis, elucidating a novel tumor-microenvironment interaction mechanism and suggesting EV-targeted therapeutic approaches for ovarian cancer.
Zhang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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