The Roles of Exosomes Related to Some Oral Diseases

Exosomes are nanometer-sized, membranous vesicles secreted by many cell types into surrounding extracellular space and body fluids. In recent years, studies have shown that exosomes play important role in many physiological and pathological processes such as immune regulation, cell differentiation, infection and cancer. As an efficient mediator of intercellular communication, exosomes have been demonstrated to widely exist in oral fluid and supernatants. Meanwhile, the important roles of exosomes in some oral diseases have also been revealed. This review aims to introducing characteristics of exosomes in oral cavity, summarizing their functions in different physiological and pathological conditions and provides the further insight into potential application of exosomes to disease diagnosis and treatment.