Exosomes are a subgroup of extracellular vesicles containing a huge number of bioactive molecules. They represent an important means of cell communication, mostly between different cell populations, with the purpose of maintaining tissue homeostasis and coordinating the adaptive response to stress. This type of intercellular communication is important in the cardiovascular field, mainly due to the fact that the heart is a complex multicellular system. Given the growing interest in the role of exosomes in cardiovascular diseases and the numerous studies published in the last few decades, we focused on the most relevant results about exosomes in the cardiovascular filed starting from their characterization, passing through the study of their function, and ending with perspectives for their use in cardiovascular therapies.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease; exosomes; extracellular vesicle.