Roles of Exosomes in Cardiac Fibroblast Activation and Fibrosis

Abstract

Alterations in the accumulation and composition of the extracellular matrix are part of the normal tissue repair process. During fibrosis, this process becomes dysregulated and excessive extracellular matrix alters the biomechanical properties and function of tissues involved. Historically fibrosis was thought to be progressive and irreversible; however, studies suggest that fibrosis is a dynamic process whose progression can be stopped and even reversed. This realization has led to an enhanced pursuit of therapeutic agents targeting fibrosis and extracellular matrix-producing cells. In many organs, fibroblasts are the primary cells that produce the extracellular matrix. In response to diverse mechanical and biochemical stimuli, these cells are activated or transdifferentiate into specialized cells termed myofibroblasts that have an enhanced capacity to produce extracellular matrix. It is clear that interactions between diverse cells of the heart are able to modulate fibroblast activation and fibrosis. Exosomes are a form of extracellular vesicle that play an important role in intercellular communication via the cargo that they deliver to target cells. While relatively recently discovered, exosomes have been demonstrated to play important positive and negative roles in the regulation of fibroblast activation and tissue fibrosis. These roles as well as efforts to engineer exosomes as therapeutic tools will be discussed.

Extracellular Vesicles and Acute Kidney Injury: Potential Therapeutic Avenue for Renal Repair and Regeneration

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Fibroblast-derived extracellular vesicles as trackable efficient transporters of an experimental nanodrug with fibrotic heart and lung targeting

“…Based on the ability of fibroblasts to secrete and capture EVs 29 , our hypothesis advocates that EVs can be used as effective biological nanocarriers to reach target fibrotic fibroblasts in vitro . A well-established method for the activation of the synthesis of profibrotic molecules in fibroblasts is the administration of TGFβ, the main cytokine responsible for triggering profibrotic signaling pathways 30 .…”

Modelling and Quantifying The Impact of Photobiomodulation (PBM) on Biological Processes Relevant to Lymphangiogenesis, Anti-Inflammation, and Tissue Regeneration Processes: Results from a Meta-Analysis and a Neural Network Modelling

“…Volume 3| Issue 1 | 08 Dearma J Cosmetic Laser Therapy, 2024 fresh perspective to the existing body of literature, promoting a deeper understanding of PBM's intrinsic mechanisms that align with pathways implicated in lymphoedema onset [1,2,10,11]. Building on this foundation, we refined our focus by narrowing the scope of the studies we analysed.…”