Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Isolation of Extracellular Vesicles from Murine Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Using an Ultrafiltration Centrifugation Technique
Published on: November 9, 2018
Emerging role of extracellular vesicles in the respiratory system
1Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA.
Abstract:
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) present numerous biomedical ways of studying disease and pathology. They function as protective packaging for the delivery of controlled concentrations of miRNAs and effector molecules, including cytokines, chemokines, genetic material, and small signaling molecules. Previous studies of EVs have yielded valuable insights into pathways of intercellular communication that affect a variety of biological processes and disease responses. The roles of EVs, specifically microRNA-containing EVs (EV-miRNAs), in either mitigating or exacerbating pulmonary disease symptoms are numerous and show promise in helping us understand pulmonary disease pathology. Because of their well-documented involvement in pulmonary diseases, EVs show promise both as possible diagnostic biomarkers and as therapeutic agents. This review surveys the physiological functions of EVs in the respiratory system and outlines the pulmonary disease states in which EVs are involved in intercellular crosstalk. This review also discusses the potential clinical applications of EV-miRNAs in pulmonary diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Exosomes
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
The Respiratory System
Overview of Secretory Vesicles
Various proteins regulate the aggregation of molecules inside the secretory vesicles. Chromogranins...
Overview of Respiratory System
What is the Respiratory System?
The respiratory system consists of a series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. The primary function of the respiratory system is to...
Alveoli and Alveolar Ducts
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies

