The Emerging Roles of Extracellular Vesicles in Osteosarcoma

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous nanosized vesicles that are constitutively released by virtually all types of cells. They have been isolated in almost all body fluids. EVs cargo consists of various molecules (nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and metabolites), that can be found on EVs surface and/or in their lumen. EVs structure confer stability and allow the transfer of their cargo to specific cell types over a distance. EVs play a critical role in intercellular communication in physiological and pathological settings. The broadening of knowledge on EVs improved our comprehension of cancer biology as far as tumor development, growth, metastasis, chemoresistance, and treatment are concerned. Increasing evidences suggest that EVs have a significant role in osteosarcoma (OS) development, progression, and metastatic process. The modulation of inflammatory communication pathways by EVs plays a critical role in OS and in other bone-related pathological conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In this review we describe the emerging data on the role of extracellular vesicles in osteosarcoma and discuss the effects and function of OS-derived EVs focusing on their future applicability in clinical practice.