Extracellular Vesicles as Innovative Tools for Assessing Adverse Effects of Immunosuppressant Drugs

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous family of small vesicles released by donor cells and absorbed by recipient cells, which represent important mediators with fundamental roles in both physiological and pathological conditions. EVs are present in a large variety of biological fluids and have a great diagnostic and prognostic value. They have gained the interest of the scientific community due to their extreme versatility. In fact, they allow us to hypothesize new therapeutic strategies since, in addition to being cell signal mediators, they play an important role as biomarkers, drug vehicles, and potential new therapeutic agents. They are also involved in immunoregulation, have the ability to transmit resistance to a drug from one cell to a more sensitive one, and can act as drug delivery systems.

The main reciprocal interactions between EVs and immunosuppressive drugs will be presented.

The known interactions between EVs and immunosuppressive drugs, in particular cyclosporin, glucocorticoids, rapamycin, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, eculizumab, infliximab, certolizumab, etanercept, glatiramer acetate, and fingolimod are presented.

This review provides relevant information on the links between EVs and immunosuppressive drugs with a focus on EVs' role as tools to assess the effects of immunosuppressants, suggesting innovative properties and new possible therapeutic uses.