Research projects

Exosomes are stable vesicles released by cells and are present in all biological fluids. They act as transporters for a wide variety of molecules with potential bioactivity (including non-coding RNAs). Because of their role in intercellular communication, exosomes have a high diagnostic and therapeutic potential.

In 2020 the research tasks of this project have been completed. The biology underlying the effect of diet on the concentration and size of exosomes has been studied in depth. We have seen that certain components of diet induce the secretion of exosomes into the bloodstream. On the other hand, it has been seen that dietary supplementation with walnuts for 1 year produces modulation of non-coding RNAs (miRNAs and lncRNAs) transported in exosomes. But it does not influence their lipid content. We have also encapsulated miRNAs of interest into isolated milk exosomes and we have identified, through in vitro studies, that these exosomes are taken up by cells from the intestinal epithelium.

The results obtained within this project indicate that dietary habits modulate exosome secretion as well as their circulating miRNA profile. Therefore, through diet (or its bioactive components) the secretion of exosomes and their transported miRNAs, could be modulated. This open up new therapeutic alternatives. However, further studies are needed, in order to identify the tissue of origin and destination of the secreted exosomes that contain miRNAs. Moreover, whether the changes in miRNAs correspond to changes in the transcriptome of specific pathways that connect the outcome of the disease need to be studied. Our results provide novel evidence on the potential mechanism for the beneficial effects of walnut consumption.