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Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing the Analysis of Plasma Extracellular Vesicle Proteome for Cardiovascular Biomarker Studies
Published on: January 31, 2025
Circulating Extracellular Vesicles Are Strongly Associated With Cardiovascular Risk Markers
Ruihan Zhou1, Esra Bozbas1, Keith Allen-Redpath1
1Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom.
Insights
Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) are linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and clotting markers. Higher EV levels correlate with increased CVD risk, suggesting EVs may play a key role in disease development.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Biomarker Discovery
- Hemostasis and Thrombosis
Background:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived vesicles with procoagulatory and prothrombotic properties.
- EVs show potential as novel biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
- Limited data exists on the relationship between circulating EVs and established CVD risk markers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between circulating EVs and conventional/thrombogenic CVD risk markers.
- To explore the role of EVs in individuals at moderate risk of CVD.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 40 subjects (aged 40-70) with moderate CVD risk.
- Assessed BMI, blood pressure, lipid profile, platelet aggregation, clot formation, thrombin generation, and fibrinolysis.
- Quantified circulating EV numbers using Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis and flow cytometry.
Main Results:
- Circulating EV numbers positively correlated with BMI, blood pressure, triacylglycerol, and overall CVD risk.
- Higher EV counts were linked to increased thrombin generation and clot formation.
- EVs from subjects promoted thrombin generation ex vivo; endothelial-derived EVs correlated with clot lysis tendency.
Conclusions:
- Circulating EVs are strongly associated with conventional and thrombogenic CVD risk markers.
- EVs demonstrate a significant association with overall CVD risk.
- These findings highlight the potential importance of EVs in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases.
Background:
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are submicron membrane-bound vesicles released from various cells, which are emerging as a potential novel biomarker in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) due to their procoagulatory and prothrombotic properties. However, there is little information about the relationships between circulating EVs and conventional and thrombogenic risk markers of CVDs.
Objective:
To investigate the relationships between circulating EVs, conventional cardiovascular risk markers and thrombogenic markers in subjects with moderate risk of CVDs.
Design:
Subjects (n = 40) aged 40-70 years with moderate risk of CVDs were recruited and assessed for body mass index, blood pressure and plasma lipid profile, as well as platelet aggregation, clot formation, thrombin generation and fibrinolysis. Numbers of circulating EVs were assessed by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis and flow cytometry. A range of assays were used to assess the procoagulatory activity of plasma and circulating EVs.
Results:
Circulating EV numbers were positively associated with body mass index, blood pressure, plasma triacylglycerol concentration and overall CVD risk. Higher circulating EV numbers were also associated with increased thrombin generation and enhanced clot formation, and EVs isolated from subjects with moderate CVD risk promoted thrombin generation ex vivo. Higher numbers of endothelial-derived EVs were associated with a greater tendency for clot lysis. Plasma triacylglycerol concentration and diastolic blood pressure independently predicted circulating EV numbers, and EV numbers independently predicted aspects of thrombin generation and clot formation and 10-year CVD risk.
Conclusion:
Circulating EVs were strongly associated with both conventional and thrombogenic risk markers of CVDs, and also with overall CVD risk, highlighting a potentially important role for EVs in CVDs.
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