Exosomes: From Potential Culprits to New Therapeutic Promise in the Setting of Cardiac Fibrosis
Roman Tikhomirov,
Benedict Reilly-O’ Donnell,
Francesco Catapano,
Giuseppe Faggian,
Julia Gorelik,
Fabio Martelli,
Costanza Emanueli
Affiliations
Roman Tikhomirov
National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
Benedict Reilly-O’ Donnell
National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
Francesco Catapano
National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
Giuseppe Faggian
Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatrics and Gynecology, Cardiovascular Science, The University of Verona, Policlinico G.B. Rossi, P.le. La Scuro 10, 37134 Verona, Italy
Julia Gorelik
National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
Fabio Martelli
Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatrics and Gynecology, Cardiovascular Science, The University of Verona, Policlinico G.B. Rossi, P.le. La Scuro 10, 37134 Verona, Italy
Costanza Emanueli
National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
Fibrosis is a significant global health problem associated with many inflammatory and degenerative diseases affecting multiple organs, individually or simultaneously. Fibrosis develops when extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling becomes excessive or uncontrolled and is associated with nearly all forms of heart disease. Cardiac fibroblasts and myofibroblasts are the main effectors of ECM deposition and scar formation. The heart is a complex multicellular organ, where the various resident cell types communicate between themselves and with cells of the blood and immune systems. Exosomes, which are small extracellular vesicles, (EVs), contribute to cell-to-cell communication and their pathophysiological relevance and therapeutic potential is emerging. Here, we will critically review the role of endogenous exosomes as possible fibrosis mediators and discuss the possibility of using stem cell-derived and/or engineered exosomes as anti-fibrotic agents.
