Microvésicules : biomarqueurs non invasifs de l’endothélium

Abstract

The endothelium is recognized today as a tissue of great plasticity, able to remodel itself in response to cellular activation or injury. The identification of circulating endothelial cells and microvesicles (MVE) in the peripheral blood has open the way to new non-invasive explorative methods that fall under the concept of “liquid biopsy of the endothelium”. MV are subcellular elements resulting from the remodeling of membrane phospholipids in response to cellular activation or apoptosis. They are known as vectors of biological information participating in intercellular communication and involved in many physiopathological processes. The progress made in recent years on the control of preanalytical conditions and the development of sensitive techniques measuring the number and the functional activity of MV have accelerated their transfer to the clinic. The increase of their plasma levels is correlated to cardiovascular risk factors and endothelial dysfunction. These increase has been reported in vascular pathologies in which they represent promising biomarkers to predict the vascular risk. Large-scale multicenter studies and the integration of EMV into clinic-biological scores remain necessary in order to better define their relevance in clinical practice.