Signal transduction mechanism of exosomes in diabetic complications (Review)

Exosomes are vesicles with a particle size of 30-120 nm that are secreted by cells through exocytosis. The composition of an exosome includes a lipid bilayer and its internal package of biological molecules, such as proteins, ribonucleotides and deoxyribonucleotides. Diabetes is a chronic and refractory disease. The complications induced by high blood glucose have become a major problem in global public health and the pathogenesis of diabetic complications remains to be fully elucidated. In recent years, it has been gradually recognized that exosomes from different cell sources and their related molecules, particularly exosomal proteins and microRNAs, have an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, allowing for the exploration of the pathogenesis of diabetic complications from a molecular perspective. The present review summarizes the latest studies on exosomes from different cell sources in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, which may provide novel targets for the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications.