Abstract
Lung diseases (LD) are one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Although it is known that chronic airway inflammation and excessive tissue repair are processes associated with LD such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), their specific pathways remain unclear. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous nanoscale membrane vesicles with an important role in cell-to-cell communication. EVs are present in general biofluids as plasma or urine but also in secretions of the airway as bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), induced sputum (IS), nasal lavage (NL) or pharyngeal lavage. Alterations of airway EV cargo could be crucial for understanding LD. Airway EVs have shown a role in the pathogenesis of some LD such as eosinophil increase in asthma, the promotion of lung cancer in vitro models in COPD and as biomarkers to distinguishing IPF in patients with diffuse lung diseases. In addition, they also have a promising future as therapeutics for LD. In this review, we focus on the importance of airway secretions in LD, the pivotal role of EVs from those secretions on their pathophysiology and their potential for biomarker discovery.
Highlights
Lung diseases (LD) are among the most common causes of death and disability worldwide [1]
Asthma is defined by the international Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) as a heterogeneous disease related to chronic airway inflammation and characterized by intermittent episodes of wheeze, cough, dyspnea and chest tightness, as well as reversible airway limitation [19]
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) could play a crucial role in LD pathogenesis and progression, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
Summary
Lung diseases (LD) are among the most common causes of death and disability worldwide [1]. According to the last updates of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), the high incidence of those pathologies is mainly due to global exposure to polluted air, particles, chemicals and infectious microorganisms [1] Repeated exposures to these agents induce cell damage and trigger immune responses in the airway. Asthma is defined by the international Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) as a heterogeneous disease related to chronic airway inflammation and characterized by intermittent episodes of wheeze, cough, dyspnea and chest tightness, as well as reversible airway limitation [19] This disease shows different phenotypes and endotypes, depending on its mechanisms and responses to therapy [20].
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