Microvesicles: novel biomarkers for neurological disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cell Biology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Microvesicles (MVs) are released by cells and increase during activation or neoplastic transformation.
• Increased MV release is linked to acute phases of several neurological disorders.
• MV detection offers potential insights into activated cell types and disease pathology, especially in inaccessible tissues like the CNS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current human studies on microvesicle detection in neurological diseases.
• To explore the potential of MVs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
• To identify therapeutic targets based on MV analysis.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of human studies focusing on microvesicle detection in neurological disorders.
• Analysis of MV origin (endothelial, platelet, oligodendroglial, microglial, neural) and their association with specific diseases.
• Evaluation of the clinical relevance and potential applications of MV detection.

Main Results:

• Endothelial/platelet MVs correlate with vascular/ischemic pathologies (e.g., stroke), supporting therapeutic decisions.
• Oligodendroglial/microglial MVs are found in neuroinflammatory disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis), potentially indicating cellular alterations.
• Promising, though limited, data exists for brain tumors, suggesting clinical translation potential. Data for neurodegenerative diseases, neuroinfections, and brain trauma are scarce.

Conclusions:

• Microvesicle detection is a promising strategy for gaining pathogenic information in neurological disorders.
• MVs can serve as valuable biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic target identification.
• Further investigation, particularly into MVs of neural origin, is warranted across various neurological conditions.