Table 1.
Exosomes involved intercellular communications in DKD
| Origin | Recipient | Involved molecules | Functions | Relevant mechanism | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GECs | Podocytes | TGF-β1 | Fibrosis and EMT | Stimulates the EMT and dysfunction of podocytes by releasing exosomes containing TGF-β1 | 28839221 |
| GMCs | circRNF169, circSTRN3 | Inhibited proliferation and promoted EMT | Promoted α-SMA expression | 31497190 | |
| GMCs | TGF-β1 | Promote renal fibrosis | TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway | 27010029, 28659030 | |
| GMCs | GMCs | circ-DLGAP4 | Proliferation and fibrosis | Sponging miR-143 and modulating ERBB3/NF-κB/MMP-2 | 33230102 |
| HMCs | Angiotensinogen, renin | Fibrosis, proliferation | RAS activity | 31000742 | |
| Podocytes | TGF-β1 | Adhesion capacity, apoptosis | TGF-β1/PI3K-Akt signaling pathway | 29378192 | |
| GMCs | circ_0125310 | Promoted cell proliferation and fibrosis | Sponging miR‐422a and targeting the IGF1R/p38 axis | 34854210 | |
| PTECs | Fibroblast | – | Fibrosis, proliferation | – | 32715764 |
| PTECs | FBLN1 | EMT and ECM accumulation | Modulated by miR-1269b | 34977033 | |
| PTECs | miR-483-5p | Promoted fibrosis, ECM deposition | TIMP2 and MAPK1 | 33692334 | |
| Podocytes | – | Elf3 | – | TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway | 31150422 |
| Macrophages | GMCs | TGF-β1 mRNA | Proliferation, fibrosis, inflammation | TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway | 31162940 |
| Macrophages | iNOS and IL-1β | Proliferation, inflammation | NF-κB/p65 signaling pathway | 32388490 | |
| Podocytes | miR-25-3p | Autophagy | Inhibit DUSP | 33107695 | |
| BM-MSCs | Rat TECs | Inflammation, fibrosis, EMT, apoptosis, degeneration | Regulates TGF-β, c-Src/p38-MAPK, ZO-1, TNF-α, ICAM-1, etc. | 27721418 | |
| Human TECs | miR-125b | Autophagy, apoptosis | TRAF6, Akt pathway | 34024846 | |
| Rats | - | Ameliorated fibrosis, autophagy | mTOR pathway | 30467302 | |
| Rats | miR-let-7a | Apoptosis | Downregulation of USP22 | 33347877 | |
| Rats | - | Lower the blood glucose, improve renal function | Inhibits JAK2/STAT3 | 34306382 | |
| adMSCs | Podocytes | miR-215-5p | Metastasis, EMT | Inhibit ZEB2 | 32149094 |
| GMCs | miR-125a | Suppressed fibrosis | Directly bound to HDAC1 and downregulated ET-1 | 33790607 | |
| hUSCs | Podocytes | VEGF, TGF-β1, angiogenin, BMP-7 | Apoptosis, proliferation | Reduces podocytic apoptosis and promotes vascular regeneration and cell survival | 26852014 |
| Podocytes | miR-16-5p | Apoptosis | Suppresses VEGFA expression and podocytic apoptosis | 31568645 | |
| Rats | – | Inflammation, fibrosis | Inhibits inflammation and fibrosis | 32746936 | |
| Muscle | Kidney | miR-23a/27a | Muscle atrophy and renal fibrosis | Akt, FoxO1, PTEN | 29582582 |
| Serum of DKD patients | - | miR-4449 | Regulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, ROS levels, and pyroptosis | Pyroptosis and oxidative stress | 34732690 |
DKD, diabetic kidney disease; GECs, glomerular endothelial cells; TGF-β1, transforming growth factor beta 1; EMT, epithelial-mesenchymal transition; GMCs, glomerular mesangial cells; RNF169, ring finger protein 169; STRN3, striatin 3; α-SMA, alpha smooth muscle actin; Smad3, SMAD family member 3; DLGAP4, DLG-associated protein 4; ERBB3, Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 3; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa-B; MMP-2, matrix metallopeptidase 2; HMCs, human mesangial cells; RAS, reticular activating system; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase; IGF1R, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor; PTECs, proximal tubular epithelial cells; FBLN1, fibulin 1; ECM, extracellular matrix; TIMP2, TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 2; MAPK1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 1; Elf3, E74-like ETS transcription factor 3; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; IL-1β, interleukin-1β; DUSP, dual-specificity phosphatase; BM-MSCs, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; ZO-1, zonula occludens-1; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor α; ICAM-1, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1; TRAF6, TNF receptor-associated factor 6; USP22, ubiquitin specific peptidase 22; JAK2/STAT3, Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; adMCS, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells; ZEB2, zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2; HDAC1, histone deacetylase 1; ET-1, endothelin-1; hUSCs, human urine-derived stem cells; BMP-7, bone morphogenetic protein 7; VEGFA, vascular endothelial growth factor A; FoxO1, forkhead box O1; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homologue; ROS, reactive oxygen species.