Overview of extracellular microvesicles in drug metabolism

Importance of the field: Liver is the major body reservoir for enzymes involved in the metabolism of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds. Recently, it has been shown that hepatocytes release exosome-like vesicles to the extracellular medium, and the proteomic characterization of these hepatocyte-secreted exosomes has revealed the presence of several of these enzymes on them.Areas covered in this review: A systematic bibliographic search focused on two related aspects: i) xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes that have been detected in microvesicles (MVs); and ii) MVs that are in the blood stream or secreted by cell types with clear interactions with this fluid.What the reader will gain: A discussion of these hepatocyte-secreted vesicles along with other MVs as enzymatic carriers in the context of extrahepatic drug-metabolizing systems.Take home message: The contribution of many tissues including the liver to the MV plasma population is supported by several reports. On the other hand, many enzymes involved in th...