Overview of extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia

Abstract

Preeclampsia (PE) is a leading cause of maternal and fetal-neonatal deaths, and its pathogenesis has been linked to the involvement of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are a heterogeneous group of cell-originated membranous vesicles including exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies. EVs transport various bioactive cargos such as lipids, proteins or nucleic acids, and thus mediate cellular communication and contribute to the proper functioning of cells, organs and processes, including normal pregnancy. Numerous studies have reported that EVs are associated with abnormal levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), soluble endoglin (sEng) and placental growth factor (PlGF) in PE. EVs isolated from preeclamptic women have been implicated in trophoblast dysfunction and have been reported to activate endothelium, monocytes, and platelets, and to be involved in defective placentation, imbalanced angiogenesis, and intravascular inflammation. When injected into pregnant rodents, these EVs induced hypertension, proteinuria and adverse fetal outcomes. Deciphering the contribution of EVs to PE will advance our current understanding of this disorder and may lead to more clinical strategies for the management of PE. Of note, the composition of EV cargos may be characteristic of the status and stages of gestation, providing researchers the possibility of one day using EVs as novel, non-invasive, biomarkers for early screening of PE. Herein, we reviewed the latest research into EVs with emphasis on their role in the pathogenesis of PE and their applications as biomarkers in the early screening of this pregnancy-specific disorder.

Environmental Nanoparticles Reach Human Fetal Brains

“…Remarkably, the identification in preeclamptic placentas’ fetal vasculature of extracellular vesicles (EV) loaded with NPs could result in a negative impact at the fetal-maternal interface and act as a bio-signaling paradigm [ 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 ]. The EV capacity to impact neurodevelopmental pathologies is an important issue, particularly because we detected them in preeclamptic placentas from petrochemical pollution-exposed women.…”

“…This information is relevant to the strong association between air pollution and preeclampsia, prematurity, fetal growth restriction, uterine inflammation, and abnormal placenta vascularization [ 88 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 ]. Moreover, EVs have been associated with preeclampsia pathophysiology, CNS developmental disorders, and regarded as potential early biomarkers for adverse NP exposure [ 88 , 89 , 94 ].…”

Exosomes in the f ield of reproduction: A scientometric study and visualization analysis

“…Preeclampsia is a hypertensive condition of pregnancy characterized by proteinuria and/or organ failure and new-onset hypertension, and it is the primary cause of maternal morbidity and mortality (Schuster et al, 2021).Multiple differently expressed lncRNAs were discovered in exosomes produced by placental tissues of preeclampsia patients, implying that they may be involved in the incidence and progression of preeclampsia (Gong et al, 2021). Exosomes in preeclampsia are connected to aberrant amounts of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), soluble endoglin (sEng), placental growth factor (PlGF) (Wang et al, 2021b), hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) (Verma et al, 2018), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 1 (HMGCS1) (Ying et al, 2021), miR-486-5p (Taga et al, 2022) and placental protein 13 (PP13) (Sammar et al, 2018). Exosomes generated from mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to have anticancer properties.…”

Large Platelet and Endothelial Extracellular Vesicles in Cord Blood of Preterm Newborns: Correlation with the Presence of Hemolysis

“…Thus far, flow cytometry studies on EVs in cord blood have mostly focused on preeclampsia patients where their analysis seems to provide information about the ongoing placenta damage and platelet activation [10]. Spontaneous delivery is likely associated with increased levels of cord blood EVs in comparison with cesarean section, probably due to cellular stress during the labor [11,12].…”