Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesNarrative ReviewEurope PMCOpen access

MiRNA delivery systems in cancer stem cell therapy: exosomes versus chitosan nanoparticles

Valizadeh-Otaghsara M., Haji Molla Hoseini M., Karima S., Zali H., Khoshnevisan K., Mohammadi-Yeganeh S.

Narrative Review, published in Stem Cell Res Ther (2025) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

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Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesEvidence level of this study

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

  • Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
  • Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
  • Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
  • Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
  • Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
Read the A–D evidence level guide

This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Narrative Review
Journal
Stem Cell Res Ther (2025)
Reported sample size
—
Source database
Europe PMC
PMID
41126279
PMCID
PMC12542416
DOI
10.1186/s13287-025-04667-x
Citations
2

Abstract (original English)

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), refer to small subpopulations of cancer cells within a tumor mass representing stemness properties such as high self-renewal capacities, differentiation potential, metastasis, therapy resistance, and tumor recurrence. These cells are the main reason for cancer treatment failure and the inefficacy of traditional therapeutic approaches. Accordingly, focusing on molecular mechanisms underlying CSCs and targeting them is the new era in the field of cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that play an important role in the formation and progression of CSCs by regulating the expression of stemness markers and critical genes implicated in CSC signaling pathways. Many studies have reported that some miRNAs have aberrant expression in CSCs. Dysregulated miRNAs can be a promising candidate as a therapeutic target for eradicating CSCs, but their delivery into CSCs could be challenging. Notably, numerous studies have shown that natural nanoparticles such as exosomes and chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) are among the most extensively exploited nano vehicles for miRNA delivery. In the present review, we focus specifically on CSNPs- and exosome-based CSC-targeted therapies and provide the key advantages and shortcomings of these systems as miRNA delivery systems for targeting CSCs.

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
  • • This is a narrative review: it collects no new patient data and does not systematically appraise evidence quality.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

How we grade evidence
AnimalsHumansNeoplasmsChitosanMicroRNAsNanoparticlesNeoplastic Stem CellsExosomes

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