TY - JOUR

T1 - Extracellular vesicles as drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

T2 - Small particles with big impact

AU - Ipsen, David Højland

AU - Tveden-Nyborg, Pernille

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the leading chronic liver disease, negatively affecting the lives of millions of patients worldwide. The complex pathogenesis involves crosstalk between multiple cellular networks, but how the intricate communication between these cells drives disease progression remains to be further elucidated. Furthermore, the disease is not limited to the liver and includes the reprogramming of distant cell populations in different organs. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained increased attention as mediators of cellular communication. EVs carry specific cargos that can act as disease-specific signals both locally and systemically. Focusing on NAFLD advancing to steatohepatitis (NASH), this review provides an update on current experimental and clinical findings of the potential role of EVs in hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, the main contributors to progressive NASH. Particular attention is placed on the characteristics of EV cargos and potential specificity to disease stages, with putative value as disease markers and treatment targets for future investigations.

AB - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the leading chronic liver disease, negatively affecting the lives of millions of patients worldwide. The complex pathogenesis involves crosstalk between multiple cellular networks, but how the intricate communication between these cells drives disease progression remains to be further elucidated. Furthermore, the disease is not limited to the liver and includes the reprogramming of distant cell populations in different organs. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained increased attention as mediators of cellular communication. EVs carry specific cargos that can act as disease-specific signals both locally and systemically. Focusing on NAFLD advancing to steatohepatitis (NASH), this review provides an update on current experimental and clinical findings of the potential role of EVs in hepatic inflammation and fibrosis, the main contributors to progressive NASH. Particular attention is placed on the characteristics of EV cargos and potential specificity to disease stages, with putative value as disease markers and treatment targets for future investigations.

KW - Extracellular vesicles

KW - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

KW - Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

U2 - 10.3390/biomedicines9010093

DO - 10.3390/biomedicines9010093

M3 - Review

C2 - 33477873

AN - SCOPUS:85099794650

VL - 9

SP - 1

EP - 13

JO - Biomedicines

JF - Biomedicines

SN - 2227-9059

IS - 1

M1 - 93

ER -