The Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are small vesicles that can be actively secreted by most cell types into the extracellular environment. Evidence indicates that EVs can carry microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), proteins, and lipids to target cells or tissue organizations. Latest studies show that EVs play a vital role in the immune modulation and may contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by abnormal T cell activation and sustained production of autoantibodies against self-antigens, resulting in inflammation and damage to multiple systems. Pathogenic mechanisms of SLE, however, are still not well understood. In this review, we summarize the latest research advances on the functions and mechanisms of EVs, and its role in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of SLE.

Recent advances on drug delivery nanoplatforms for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory diseases

“…Various evidence showed that the existence of EV-specific patterns and their products plays an important physiological and pathological role in SLE. 102 Thus, EV have great potential for the diagnosis, prediction, prognosis, and targeted treatment of SLE.…”

Urinary exosome tsRNAs as novel markers for diagnosis and prediction of lupus nephritis

“…Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by cells mainly consists of phospholipids bilayer structures, with a diameter range from 40 to 160 nm (average ~100 nm), existing in various body fluids including blood, urine and saliva, and plays important roles in remodeling extracellular matrix and transmitting signals and molecules to other cells (8,9). Endogenous microRNAs (miRNAs), long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and tRNA-derived small noncoding RNA (tsRNAs) can be frequently transferred through exosomes from donor cells to recipient cells, displaying important immunomodulatory function in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases, including SLE (10). Recently studies showed that abnormal expression of serum exosomal-miRNAs and lncRNAs was described in LN/SLE patients and both of them are associated with the activity of SLE, histological alterations, and the involvement of renal (11)(12)(13).…”

The state of the art of extracellular vesicle research in protozoan infection

“…Currently, exosomes are thought to be intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) mainly formed by multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and released into the extracellular environment (Dong et al, 2022). In contrast, MVs are formed by budding directly from the plasma membrane (Zheng et al, 2022). Due to the special role played by EVs in protozoan parasite infection, in this review, we analyze the correlation between EVs and parasitic infection and differences in EV formation induced by different protozoan parasites (Table 1).…”