Extracellular Vesicles (EVs); Basic Science, Clinical Relevance and Applications

Abstract

All types of cells of eukaryotic organisms produce and release small Nano-vesicles into their extracellular environment. Early studies have described these vesicles as “garbage bags” only to remove obsolete cellular molecules. Valadi and coworkers, in 2007, was the first who discovered the capability of circulating EVs to horizontally transfer functioning gene information between cells. These extra cellular vesicles express components responsible for angiogenesis promotion, stromal remodeling, chemo-resistance, genetic exchange and signaling pathway activation through growth factor/receptor transfer. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent an important mode of intercellular communication by serving as vehicles for transfer between cells of membrane and cytosolic proteins, lipids, signaling proteins and RNAs. They contribute to physiology and pathology, and they have a myriad of potential clinical applications in health and disease. Moreover, vesicles can pass the blood-brain barrier and may perhaps even be considered as naturally occurring liposomes. These cell-derived extracellular vesicles not only to represent a central mediator of the disease microenvironment, but their presence in the peripheral circulation may serve as a surrogate for disease biopsies, enabling real-time diagnosis and disease monitoring. In this review, we’ll be addressing the characteristics of different types and the clinical relevance of these extracellular EVs and their potentials as diagnostic markers as well as defining therapeutic options.