Selecting Administration Routes for Therapeutic Extracellular Vesicles to Achieve Optimal Drug Delivery
- 1Department of Biopharmaceutical Engineering, College of Life Science and Nanotechnology, Hannam University, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea
- 2Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
- 3Environmental Disease Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising therapeutic carriers owing to their biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and ability to transport diverse biological cargo. However, successful EV-based therapy depends not only on carrier engineering but also on selecting an administration route appropriate for the target disease. This review examines major administration routes for therapeutic EVs, with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as a comparative platform, and discusses how anatomical barriers, biodistribution, clearance, inflammatory microenvironments, and target-cell localization influence delivery efficiency. Systemic administration provides broad accessibility but often results in substantial off-target distribution, whereas localized or barrier-bypassing routes can enhance exposure at specific pathological sites. Importantly, anatomical proximity does not necessarily guarantee efficient delivery, highlighting the need for quantitative assessment of target-tissue bioavailability. We propose a shift from a carrier-centered toward a disease- and route-centered paradigm integrating disease pathology, anatomical accessibility, biodistribution, and carrier engineering.
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BibTeX
@article{lee2026selecting,
title = {{Selecting Administration Routes for Therapeutic Extracellular Vesicles to Achieve Optimal Drug Delivery}},
author = {Minah Lee and Yeseul Choi and Sung-Jin Yoon and Minseong Kim},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31203725},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/20/3725},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Selecting Administration Routes for Therapeutic Extracellular Vesicles to Achieve Optimal Drug Delivery
AU - Minah Lee
AU - Yeseul Choi
AU - Sung-Jin Yoon
AU - Minseong Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31203725
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/20/3725
AB - Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising therapeutic carriers owing to their biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and ability to transport diverse biological cargo. However, successful EV-based therapy depends not only on carrier engineering but also on selecting an administration route appropriate for the target disease. This review examines major administration routes for therapeutic EVs, with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as a comparative platform, and discusses how anatomical barriers, biodistribution, clearance, inflammatory microenvironments, and target-cell localization influence delivery efficiency. Systemic administration provides broad accessibility but often results in substantial off-target distribution, whereas localized or barrier-bypassing routes can enhance exposure at specific pathological sites. Importantly, anatomical proximity does not necessarily guarantee efficient delivery, highlighting the need for quantitative assessment of target-tissue bioavailability. We propose a shift from a carrier-centered toward a disease- and route-centered paradigm integrating disease pathology, anatomical accessibility, biodistribution, and carrier engineering.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -