Abstract
As the largest vital solid organ in the body, liver is consisting of multiple types of cells including hepatocytes, Kupffer cell, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), and other immune cells. The communication between these cells is critical in maintaining liver function homeostasis, and dysregulation of such communication contributes to the pathogenesis of various liver diseases. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes and ectosomes, act as important mediators of cell-to-cell communication. EVs can be produced and uptaken by a wide range of cells including all types of cells in the liver. Growing evidences show that EVs are involved in the development of liver diseases, especially non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). In this review, we will summarize recent advance in how EVs production are altered in NAFLD and ALD and how the changes of EVs quantity and cargos influence the progression of these diseases. The therapeutic and diagnostic potential of EVs in NAFLD and ALD will be also discussed in this review.
Highlights
The term extracellular vesicles (EVs) refers to a highly heterogeneous population of cell-derived membrane-enclosed structures
EVs are emerging as key players in the pathogenesis and progression of metabolic liver diseases including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD; Eguchi and Feldstein, 2018)
NAFLD and ALD are serious health issues around the world. They can progress to hepatocyte injury, steatohepatitis, or cirrhosis, an entity designated as alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH; Mitra et al, 2020)
Summary
The term extracellular vesicles (EVs) refers to a highly heterogeneous population of cell-derived membrane-enclosed structures (van Niel et al, 2018). They can progress to hepatocyte injury, steatohepatitis, or cirrhosis, an entity designated as alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH; Mitra et al, 2020) In these diseases, a large number of EVs are released by stressed/damaged hepatocytes and. As an effective way to deliver protein or nuclear acid to target cells, EVs have been considered as a potential tool for the therapy of liver diseases including NAFLD and ALD. They have been suggested as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for liver diseases (Szabo and Momen-Heravi, 2017; Urban et al, 2019; Wiklander et al, 2019; Thietart and Rautou, 2020). We will discuss possible therapeutic and diagnostic applications of EVs in NAFLD and ALD
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
