Extracellular vesicles as drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Small particles with big impact

David Højland Ipsen, Pernille Tveden-Nyborg*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReviewResearchpeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)
35 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number93
JournalBiomedicines
Volume9
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
ISSN2227-9059
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Extracellular vesicles
  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

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