Exercise Training and Circulating Small Extracellular Vesicles: Appraisal of Methodological Approaches and Current...

Area of Science:

• Exercise physiology
• Molecular biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Exercise induces changes in circulating metabolites, nucleic acids, and proteins, termed "exercise factors."
• These factors are implicated in acute exercise metabolism and long-term exercise training adaptations.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly small EVs, are proposed carriers of these exercise factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically appraise current knowledge and methodological approaches regarding exercise training-induced changes in resting small EVs.
• To evaluate the potential bioactivities of small EVs derived from exercise-trained individuals.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on exercise factors, small EVs, and exercise effects.
• Critical appraisal of methodologies for small EV identification and characterization.
• Analysis of studies examining resting small EV profiles after exercise training.

Main Results:

• Current research on exercise-trained small EVs is preliminary.
• Methodological limitations, including inadequate small EV identification and conflation of acute/chronic responses, hinder interpretation.
• Evidence for rigorous identification of small EVs and their bioactivity is limited.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed to rigorously identify small EVs and investigate their bioactivity.
• Improved methodologies are essential to accurately describe small EV responses to exercise training.
• Understanding these responses is crucial for elucidating exercise adaptation mechanisms.