Exosome and its role in liver diseases

Exosome is the membrane vesicle secreted by most cells. The contained proteins, miRNA and mRNA, which are involved in the transmission of information between cells, play a very important role. Liver parenchymal cells, hepatic stellate cells, adult liver stem cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells can release and accept exosomes. A number of studies have shown that after hepatitis virus (HBV, HCV, etc.) infection, exosomes can transfer certain nucleic acids and proteins in liver cells, and even some viral components between liver (non) parenchymal cells, so as to affect the disease progression. In addition, exosomes can also affect the development of hepatic fibrosis and liver tumors. Therefore, it is of great significance to study exosomes and their contents for searching biomarkers related to liver diseases, even molecularly targeted therapeutic sites and gene vaccines. Key words: Exosomes; Extracellular vesicles; microRNA