Abstract

Exosomes, as natural occurring vesicles, play highly important roles in the behavior and fate of ischemic diseases and different tumors. Secretion, composition, and function of exosomes are remarkably influenced by hypoxia in ischemic diseases and tumor microenvironment. Exosomes secreted from hypoxic cells affect development, growth, angiogenesis, and progression in ischemic diseases and tumors through a variety of signaling pathways. In this review article, we discuss how hypoxia affects the quantity and quality of exosomes, and review the mechanisms by which hypoxic cell-derived exosomes regulate ischemic cell behaviors in both cancerous and noncancerous cells.