Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized, membranous structures secreted into the extracellular space. They exhibit diverse sizes, contents, and surface markers and are ubiquitously released from cells under normal and pathological conditions. Human serum is a rich source of these EVs, though their isolation from serum proteins and non-EV lipid particles poses challenges. These vesicles transport various cellular components such as proteins, mRNAs, miRNAs, DNA, and lipids across distances, influencing numerous physiological and pathological events, including those within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Their pivotal roles in cellular communication make EVs promising candidates for therapeutic agents, drug delivery systems, and disease biomarkers. Especially in cancer diagnostics, EV detection can pave the way for early identification and offers potential as diagnostic biomarkers. Moreover, various EV subtypes are emerging as targeted drug delivery tools, highlighting their potential clinical significance. The need for non-invasive biomarkers to monitor biological processes for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes remains unfulfilled. Tapping into the unique composition of EVs could unlock advanced diagnostic and therapeutic avenues in the future. In this review, we discuss in detail the roles of EVs across various conditions, including cancers (encompassing head and neck, lung, gastric, breast, and hepatocellular carcinoma), neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, viral infections, autoimmune and renal diseases, emphasizing the potential advancements in molecular diagnostics and drug delivery.

细胞外囊泡 (EV) 是分泌到细胞外空间的纳米大小的膜结构。它们表现出不同的大小、内容和表面标记，并且在正常和病理条件下从细胞中普遍释放。人血清是这些 EV 的丰富来源，但从血清蛋白和非 EV 脂质颗粒中分离它们提出了挑战。这些囊泡远距离运输各种细胞成分，如蛋白质、mRNA、miRNA、DNA 和脂质，影响许多生理和病理事件，包括肿瘤微环境 (TME) 内的事件。它们在细胞通信中的关键作用使得电动汽车成为治疗剂、药物输送系统和疾病生物标志物的有希望的候选者。特别是在癌症诊断中，EV 检测可以为早期识别铺平道路，并提供作为诊断生物标志物的潜力。此外，各种 EV 亚型正在成为靶向药物输送工具，凸显了它们潜在的临床意义。为了诊断和治疗目的而对非侵入性生物标志物监测生物过程的需求仍未得到满足。利用电动汽车的独特组成可以在未来开启先进的诊断和治疗途径。在这篇综述中，我们详细讨论了 EV 在各种疾病中的作用，包括癌症（包括头颈癌、肺癌、胃癌、乳腺癌和肝细胞癌）、神经退行性疾病、糖尿病、病毒感染、自身免疫性和肾脏疾病，并强调分子诊断和药物输送方面的潜在进步。