Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of cancerous cells with aggressive phenotypes. Exosomes are small vesicles derived from cancer cells and CSCs containing non-coding RNAs, exhibiting tumor-promoting activity. Non-coding RNAs play a crucial role in tumor progression and metastasis, offering new insights into the complex mechanisms of cancer development. By transferring non-coding RNAs between cells, exosomes modulate gene expression and signaling pathways, ultimately affecting cancer cell behaviors such as proliferation, migration, invasion and therapy resistance. This review summarizes the tumor-promoting activity of CSCs-derived exosomal non-coding RNAs (miRNA/lncRNAs/circRNAs) in different types of cancer cells. Elucidating the intricate cross-talk between exosomal non-coding RNAs, CSCs and tumor cells has the potential to develop a new approach to target these types of cancer cells. This review highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting CSC-derived exosomal ncRNAs to develop more effective strategies for aggressive cancers. Cancer stem cells represent a critical tumor subpopulation responsible for malignant tumor characteristics, therapy resistance, and tumor relapse, making them a significant obstacle to effective cancer treatment. Also, they are able to create a complicated cross-talk with differentiated cancer cells that regulate the behavioral properties of cancer cells and make tumors more aggressive. Recently, it has been verified that exosomes released by cancer stem cells containing non-coding RNAs (miRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs) have been implicated in cross-talk between cancer stem cells and tumor cells, promoting malignant features of cancer cells. Elucidating the intricate cross-talk between exosomal non-coding RNAs, CSCs and tumor cells has the potential to develop a new approach to target these types of cancer cells and develop more effective therapies for aggressive tumors.
Saghar Yousefnia (Wed,) studied this question.