Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2025

Characterization of Immune Cell-derived Extracellular Vesicles and Studying Functional Impact on Cell Environment
Published on: June 2, 2020
Extracellular vesicles: Critical bilateral communicators in periphery-brain crosstalk in central nervous system
Danning Wang1, Shaodi Guan1, Pei Lu1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, and Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Abstract:
Growing evidence shows that there is a comorbid mechanism between the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral organs. The bilateral transmission of signal molecules in periphery-brain crosstalk plays an important role in the underlying mechanism, which result from complex networks of neurohumoral circuits. Secreted by almost all cells and considered innovative information transport systems, extracellular vesicles (EVs) encapsulate and deliver nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and various other bioactive regulators. Moreover, EVs can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), they are also identified primarily as essential communicators between the periphery and the CNS. In addition to transporting molecules under physiological or pathological conditions, EVs also show novel potential in targeted drug delivery. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms implicated in the transport of EVs in crosstalk between the peripheral and the central immune systems as well as in crosstalk between the peripheral organs and the brain in CNS disorders, especially in neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, and trauma. This work will help in elucidating the contributions of EVs to brain health and disorders, and promote the development of new strategies for minimally invasive treatment.
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 Blood-brain Barrier
Neurotransmitters
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies
Neurons as Communicators of the Brain
Cell Body
The cell body, also known...
Neuronal Communication

