Extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative diseases: Insights and new perspectives

Qian Yuan; Xiao-Dong Li; Si-Miao Zhang; Hong-Wei Wang; Yun-Liang Wang

doi:10.1016/j.gendis.2019.12.001

Extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative diseases: Insights and new perspectives

Genes Dis. 2019 Dec 14;8(2):124-132. doi: 10.1016/j.gendis.2019.12.001. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

Qian Yuan¹, Xiao-Dong Li², Si-Miao Zhang¹, Hong-Wei Wang³, Yun-Liang Wang^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450014, PR China.
² Department of Neurology, Zhengzhou Central Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450014, PR China.
³ Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
⁴ Department of Neurology, The 960th Hospital of Chinese PLA, Zibo, Shandong Province, 255300, PR China.

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vesicle-like substances released by eukaryotic cells. Based on their origin and size, EVs are mainly divided into exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies, and they are secreted by eukaryotic cells under physiological and pathological conditions. EVs are enriched with nucleic acids, proteins and other factors. EVs can regulate the function of adjacent and distant cells, and they are even involved in the pathogenesis of diseases. They contain proteins associated with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as the α-synuclein (α-syn) and tau proteins, which suggest potential roles for EVs as biomarkers and carriers of drugs and other therapeutic molecules that can cross the blood-brain barrier to treat NDs. In this review, we summarized the function of EVs in the pathogenesis of different NDs and related advances in EVs as diagnostic biomarkers and treatments for diseases.

Keywords: Biomarker; Exosomes; Extracellular vesicles; Neurodegenerative diseases.

Publication types

Review