Extracellular vesicles in cardiovascular diseases

Yao Yao,Yali Zhao,Shihui Fu,Yujie Zhang,Yulong Li,Leiming Luo

doi:10.1038/s41420-020-00305-y

Abstract

Due to the continued high incidence and mortality rate worldwide, there is still a need to develop new strategies for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Proper cardiovascular function depends on the coordinated interplay and communication between cardiomyocytes and noncardiomyocytes. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are enclosed in a lipid bilayer and represent a significant mechanism for intracellular communication. By containing and transporting various bioactive molecules, such as micro-ribonucleic acids (miRs) and proteins, to target cells, EVs impart favourable, neutral or detrimental effects on recipient cells, such as modulating gene expression, influencing cell phenotype, affecting molecular pathways and mediating biological behaviours. EVs can be released by cardiovascular system-related cells, such as cardiomyocytes, endotheliocytes, fibroblasts, platelets, smooth muscle cells, leucocytes, monocytes and macrophages. EVs containing miRs and proteins regulate a multitude of diverse functions in target cells, maintaining cardiovascular balance and health or inducing pathological changes in CVDs. On the one hand, miRs and proteins transferred by EVs play biological roles in maintaining normal cardiac structure and function under physiological conditions. On the other hand, EVs change the composition of their miR and protein cargoes under pathological conditions, which gives rise to the development of CVDs. Therefore, EVs hold tremendous potential to prevent, diagnose and treat CVDs. The current article reviews the specific functions of EVs in different CVDs.

Highlights

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death, accounting for almost a third of deaths worldwide[1]
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released from diabetic cardiomyocytes inhibit the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endotheliocytes through a mechanism involving the transfer of EVs containing micro-ribonucleic acids (miRs)-32033
An engineered hydrogel patch capable of slowly releasing and providing sustained delivery of EVs secreted from induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes has been developed to promote ejection fraction recovery, reduce arrhythmic burden, prevent cardiomyocyte apoptosis, reduce infarct size and inhibit cell hypertrophy when implanted onto rat hearts after MI55

Summary

Introduction

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death, accounting for almost a third of deaths worldwide[1]. ● Extracellular vesicles play significant roles in maintaining normal cardiac structure and function under physiological conditions and change their composition under pathological conditions to promote the development of cardiovascular diseases. Depending on the condition of the source cells, EVs containing miRs and proteins have been shown to regulate a multitude of diverse functions in target cells, maintaining cardiovascular balance and health or inducing pathological changes in CVDs (Table 1).

Results

Conclusion