Exosomes are nanometer- sized membranous vesicles, containing varied compositions of proteins, lipids and enzymes which are released from different types of cells. They have a significant physiological role in intercellular communication, signal transduction and immune regulation. Exosomes are isolated from various body fluids like blood, urine, plasma, amniotic fluid, breast milk, hydro thoracic fluid, saliva and ascitic fluid. Exosomes isolated from saliva are similar in composition to other body fluid exosomes except for Ig A, chemokines, CD26 and few others. Exosomes also have a pivotal role in autoimmune diseases, transmission of viral infectious agents and neoplastic conditions by promoting tumor growth, progression, angiogenesis and metastasis. Demonstration of salivary exosomes revealed the presence of mRNA transcripts which are believed to have a role in intercellular communication and alteration of genes in the target cells. The present review focuses on the exosomes in general and their role in tumor biology. This article also highlights the importance of salivary exosomes and its recent findings on physiological and pathological conditions like in head and neck cancers, viral diseases and autoimmune diseases.
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