Microparticles: An Introduction

Abstract

The notion that cells shed small membrane vesicles from their plasma membrane was reported some 40 years ago, and for many years this process was described as the release of “cell dust.” However, the past decade has seen an unprecedented interest in membrane vesicles in many fields of biology, including vascular biology and thrombosis. Consequently, the term cell dust has been replaced by the term microparticles to describe submicron membrane vesicles shed from activated or apoptotic cells. Exciting findings have further demonstrated the unexpected biological impact of these microparticles on cellular cross-talk and their contribution to inflammation, thrombosis, and angiogenesis. A thorough investigation of the mechanisms governing their release and their interaction with target cells is now required for a proper understanding of their contribution to disease progression or repair mechanisms. The review series begins with …