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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Jul 27, 2022; 14(7): 1307-1318
Published online Jul 27, 2022. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v14.i7.1307
Small extracellular vesicles and liver diseases: From diagnosis to therapy
Atsunori Tsuchiya, Kazuki Natsui, Yui Ishii, Yohei Koseki, Nobutaka Takeda, Kei Tomiyoshi, Fusako Yamazaki, Yuki Yoshida, Shuji Terai
Atsunori Tsuchiya, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, Niigata 951-8510, Japan
Kazuki Natsui, Yui Ishii, Yohei Koseki, Nobutaka Takeda, Kei Tomiyoshi, Fusako Yamazaki, Yuki Yoshida, Shuji Terai, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8510, Japan
Author contributions: Tsuchiya A collected and analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Natsui K, Ishii Y, Koseki Y, Takeda N, Tomiyoshi K, Yamazaki F, and Yoshida Y collected the data; Terai S supervised the manuscript; and All authors reviewed the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Atsunori Tsuchiya, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Doctor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata 951-8510, Japan. atsunori@med.niigata-u.ac.jp
Received: January 17, 2022
Peer-review started: January 17, 2022
First decision: March 8, 2022
Revised: April 20, 2022
Accepted: July 6, 2022
Article in press: July 6, 2022
Published online: July 27, 2022
Processing time: 191 Days and 1.2 Hours
Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), especially small EVs (sEVs) derived from liver cells, have been the focus of much attention in the normal physiology and pathogenesis of various diseases affecting the liver. sEVs are approximately 100 nm in size, enclosed within lipid bilayers, and are very stable. The lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, including miRNAs, contained within these vesicles are known to play important roles in intercellular communication. This mini-review summarizes the application of sEVs. First, liver diseases and the related diagnostic markers are described, and the current active status of miRNA research in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is reported. Second, the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of sEVs are described, and the liver is highlighted as the organ with the highest accumulation of sEVs. Third, the relationship between sEVs and the pathogenesis of liver disorders is described with emphesis on the current active status of miRNA research in HCC recurrence and survival. Finally, the possibility of future therapy using sEVs from mesenchymal stem (stromal) cells for cirrhosis and other diseases is described.

Keywords: Small extracellular vesicles; Liver; cirrhosis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Mesenchymal stem cells

Core Tip: Extracellular vesicles (EVs), especially small EVs (sEVs) derived from liver cells, have been the focus of much attention in the normal physiology and pathogenesis of various diseases affecting the liver. sEVs are approximately 100 nm in size, enclosed within lipid bilayers, and are very stable. The proteins and nucleic acids, including miRNAs, contained within these vesicles are known to play important roles in intercellular communication. This mini-review summarizes the application of sEVs in the diagnosis of liver diseases, along with their distribution post administration, their role in pathogenesis, and their potential therapeutic effects in hepatic disorders.