Exosomes are extracellular vesicle have information in the form of chemicals (cytokines) to snippets of messenger RNA (m-RNA).
You’ve probably seen that one of the hottest areas of regenerative medicine treatment right now is exosome therapy.
So what is exosome therapy? What are exosomes exactly? Do exosomes have something to do with stem cells? How are exosomes made? Let’s dive in.
What are exosomes exactly?
Exosomes are how cells talk to each other. They are also called extracellular vesicles. In the image shown here, note that cell A has a bunch of these vesicles (small circles) that eventually leave that cell and travel to cell B. These exosomes have information in the form of chemicals (cytokines) to snippets of messenger RNA (m-RNA).
Put more simply, exosomes are how cells communicate. For example, we can communicate by writing small notes to each other electronically, otherwise known as email. Exosomes are a way for one cell to email another. The message may be how to behave or what’s happening in the local area or it can even be something like a computer virus that hijacks the other cell (mRNA).
Do exosomes have something to do with stem cells?
All of the cells in your body can email each other through exosomes and this includes stem cells. The excitement behind exosomes and stem cells comes from research showing that the positive effects of stem cells on tissue repair could also be sometimes replicated if you just used the media in which the cells were growing and got rid of the cells.
It was believed that this happened through the cytokines (chemical messenger molecules) in the media as well as exosomes. Hence, the idea began that it may be possible to help patients heal without stem cells, but by using only the exosomes that the stem cells produce.
How are exosomes made?
Exosomes are commonly made by growing stem cells in culture and then taking the media (liquid) in which they grow and then getting rid of the stem cells. The media is then ultra-centrifuged since the exosomes are small. This can concentrate the exosomes.
What is exosome therapy?
The most common uses of exosomes currently are to treat orthopedic injuries and for anti-aging. The exosomes are usually injected into the area in need of treatment, like the knee, or given intravenously for anti-aging. The idea is that they will promote tissue repair.
Product Variability
Patients and doctors alike often place very different products into a single category. In this case, the idea of exosomes encompasses lots of different things. Exosomes can come from sources like the amniotic fluid that surrounds a baby or even from stem cells growing in culture.
For the latter, just varying the culture conditions a little bit can result in completely different exosome messages. Hence, one exosome product produced one way may be effective while another produced in a slightly different way may be ineffective.
Who will benefit from exosome therapy?
Exosomes help regulate processes within the body. Patients with Lyme disease, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, and other chronic degenerative diseases benefit from including exosomes in their treatment regimen.
Exosomes will also be beneficial as part of anti-aging therapy. Patients with the degenerative joint disease have also benefited from the use of exosomes. For more information, or to see if exosome therapy could help you, please contact us.
Exosomes and Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease is a very complex disease, caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which compromises the immune system. The tick-borne disease can also come with multiple co-infections. A combination of factors causes the onset of illness as immune system functions become disrupted leading to diminishing cellular health, immune function, metabolic function and dramatically increasing inflammation.
Many Lyme patients often have dysfunction of the mast cells, increasing their inflammatory response.
Inflammation is a central player in most neurodegenerative diseases as well. Incorporating exosomes into a multi-modality treatment regimen helps break the inflammatory cycle and provides the body with necessary cellular information to facilitate healing.
You can learn more about exosomes if you apply for a free consultation with one of our medical experts. Feel free to get in touch!