Exosomes in chronic respiratory diseases

ABSTR A C T Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles released by almost all cell types, with a central role as mediators of intercellular communication. In addition to physiological conditions, these extracellular vesicles seem to play a pivotal role in inflammatory processes. This assumption offers the opportunity to study exosomes as promising biomarkers and therapeutic tools for chronic respiratory disorders. Indeed, although it is well-known that at the basis of con-ditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and idiopathic pul-monary fibrosis there is a dysregulated inflammatory process, an unequivocal correlation between different phenotypes and their pathophysiological mechanisms has not been established yet. In this review, we report and discuss some of the most significant studies on exosomes from body fluids of subjects affected by airway diseases. Furthermore, the most widespread techniques for exosome isolation and characterization are described. Further studies are needed to answer the unresolved questions about the functional link between exosomes and chronic respiratory diseases.

Automated summary

Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles released by cells, playing a central role in intercellular communication and potentially serving as biomarkers and therapeutic tools for chronic respiratory disorders. However, the exact relationship between different phenotypes and pathophysiological mechanisms of these diseases remains unclear, requiring further studies.