International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Exosomes as Biomarkers for Female Reproductive Diseases Diagnosis and Therapy Sahar Esfandyari 1,2,†, Hoda Elkafas 1,3,† , Rishi Man Chugh 1,4, Hang-soo Park 5 , Antonia Navarro 5 and Ayman Al-Hendy 5,* 1 Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
[email protected] (S.E.);
[email protected] (H.E.);
[email protected] (R.M.C.) 2 Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA 3 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) Formally, (NODCAR), Cairo 35521, Egypt 4 Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA;
[email protected] (H.-s.P.);
[email protected] (A.N.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-773-832-0742 † These authors equally contributed in this work. Abstract: Cell–cell communication is an essential mechanism for the maintenance and development of various organs, including the female reproductive system. Today, it is well-known that the function of the female reproductive system and successful pregnancy are related to appropriate follicular growth, oogenesis, implantation, embryo development, and proper fertilization, dependent on the main regulators of cellular crosstalk, exosomes. During exosome synthesis, selective packaging of different factors into these vesicles happens within the originating cells. Therefore, exosomes Citation: Esfandyari, S.; Elkafas, H.; contain both genetic and proteomic data that could be applied as biomarkers or therapeutic targets Chugh, R.M.; Park, H.-s.; Navarro, A.; in pregnancy-associated disorders or placental functions.