Biological effects of radiation-induced exosomes

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles released from normal and tumor cells. These vesicles contain proteins, lipids, and noncoding RNAs, and can mediate intercellular communication among different cell types in the body, thus affecting physiological and pathological processes. Emerging evidence indicates that radiation-induced exosomes facilitates the interaction between a tumor and its microenvironment. This article reviewed the biological effects of radiation-induced exosomes on tumor radiotherapy and discussed the role of such exosomes in tumor angiogenesis.