外泌体(exosome)是一种直径为30~150 nm的囊泡状物质, 其通过携载脂质、蛋白质、mRNA和非编码RNA等多种生物活性物质在机体的免疫调节过程以及细胞间的信息传递发挥至关重要的作用。近年来, 越来越多的研究发现外泌体积极地参与了结核分枝杆菌感染的发生与发展。外泌体成分作为结核病感染的潜在标志物, 拥有特异性强、稳定性好等特点, 在结核病的诊断、疗效评估、预后监测中发挥重要的作用。本文针对外泌体作为结核病诊断标志物的价值, 及在结核病中的潜在作用进行综述, 为其作为诊断标志物提供理论基础。

Exosomes are vesicular structures with a diameter of 30~150 nm, and play critical roles in im-mune regulation and intercellular communication by carrying various bioactive substances such as lipids, proteins, mRNAs, and non-coding RNAs. In recent years, accumulating studies have revealed that exosomes actively participate in the occurrence and development of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Moreover, exosomal components, as potential biomarkers of M. tuberculosis infection, have the characteristics of strong specificity and good stability, and play an important role in diagnosis, therapeutic efficacy evaluation, and prognosis of tuberculosis. Herein, the values of exosomes as diagnostic markers and their potential roles in tuberculosis are reviewed, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for their application as diagnostic biomarkers.