Exosomes offer diverse opportunities for research and treatment in endocrine and metabolic disorders due to their tendency to crosstalk between cells and organs. Studies have demonstrated the role of exosomes in osteogenesis and adipogenesis mediated by miRNAs. In addition, exosomes of skeletal muscles regulate the metabolic and physiological control of lifestyle disorders, physical fitness, and endocrine abnormalities. Similarly, exosomes have been claimed to exhibit biomarker and regulator characteristics in metabolic syndrome.

Because these membrane vesicles are rich in biomolecules such as proteins, peptides, lipids, and nucleic acids, they can be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in endocrine and metabolic diseases. For example, adiponectin-stimulated exosomes promote cell homeostasis and maintain the health of endothelial cells, while exosomes derived from mesenchymal stromal cells exhibit the potential for immunomodulation and therefore can be effectively used for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) due to their tolerogenic potential. These vesicles have the tendency to alter using widely available approaches including freeze-thaw, electroporation, genetic engineering, and many more that further help in the targeted delivery of important drugs/molecules within the endocrine organs as therapeutic approaches.

Because of their non-toxic behavior as well as increased bioavailability and bio-distribution, exosomes are a preferred choice of drug delivery agent. Because of their non-immunogenicity and rapid extraction, exosomes associated with miRNAs can now be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents for metabolic disorders. A metabolomics approach using exosome-derived biomolecules can also be helpful in the diagnosis of endocrine and metabolic diseases.

This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, and commentaries. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Exosome isolation, purification, and scaling-up methods for investigating their clinical potential

• Biotechnology-based approaches for the modification of exosomes

• Imaging and screening modalities of exosomes in endocrine and metabolic diseases

• Molecular mechanisms, key signaling pathways, and novel therapeutics of exosome mediated approaches in the treatment of endocrine and metabolic diseases

• Targeted drug delivery using exosomes for the treatment of endocrine and metabolic diseases

• Clinical trials concerning endocrine and metabolic outcomes with exosomes

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Frontiers in Endocrinology

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