Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2025

Isolation And Dendritic Cell-Uptake of Small Extracellular Vesicles from Echinococcus granulosus
09:04

Isolation And Dendritic Cell-Uptake of Small Extracellular Vesicles from Echinococcus granulosus

Published on: March 28, 2025

223

Subcellular particles for characterization of host-parasite interactions

Ewa Kozela1, Paula Meneghetti2, Neta Regev-Rudzki1

  • 1Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Biochemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.

Microbes and Infection
|February 17, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Parasites release extracellular vesicles (EVs) to thrive within hosts. Nanotechnology aids in studying these EVs for diagnosing and treating parasitic diseases like malaria and Chagas disease.

Area of Science:

  • Parasitology
  • Nanotechnology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Parasitic diseases pose significant global health challenges.
  • Parasites utilize complex strategies to evade host defenses and ensure survival.
  • Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are implicated in parasite-host interactions and pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in parasitic infections.
  • To highlight the application of nanotechnology and advanced imaging in studying parasite-derived EVs.
  • To discuss the implications of EV research for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on EVs in parasitic infections.
  • Discussion of nanotechnologies for EV quantitation, visualization, and characterization.
  • Case examples focusing on malaria, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis.

Main Results:

  • Parasite-released EVs facilitate host invasion, survival, and adaptation.
  • Nanotechnology and high-resolution imaging enable detailed characterization of parasite EVs.
  • EVs play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of NTDs like malaria, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the role of EVs in parasitic infections is critical for advancing diagnostics and therapeutics.
  • Nanotechnology-based approaches offer powerful tools for investigating parasite EVs.
  • Targeting EVs could lead to novel strategies for preventing and treating NTDs.
Keywords:
Extracellular vesiclesFlow cytometryImaging flow cytometryNeglected Tropical diseasesParasitesPlasmodium falciparum

More Related Videos

A Comparative Approach to Characterize the Landscape of Host-Pathogen Protein-Protein Interactions13:56

A Comparative Approach to Characterize the Landscape of Host-Pathogen Protein-Protein Interactions

Published on: July 18, 2013

11.2K
Author Spotlight: Advanced Enteroid Model for Studying Host-Pathogen Interactions07:56

Author Spotlight: Advanced Enteroid Model for Studying Host-Pathogen Interactions

Published on: April 5, 2024

1.9K

Related Concept Videos

Subcellular Fractionation01:32

Subcellular Fractionation

The homogenate obtained after cell lysis contains various membrane-bound organelles that can be further separated into pure fractions by subcellular fractionation. These isolates are used to study specific cellular components, analyze localized protein activity, and are even employed in diagnostics. Fractionation is typically achieved using centrifugation methods, the most common being density-gradient and differential centrifugation.
Differential Centrifugation
Differential centrifugation is...
7.0K
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a...
2.8K
Immunogold Electron Microscopy01:20

Immunogold Electron Microscopy

Immunoelectron microscopy utilizes immunogold labeling of endogenous proteins with specific antibodies to detect and localize these proteins in cells and tissues. The procedure provides insights into the distribution and quantification of protein under different stimulation conditions offering clues about their functions. Conjugating highly electron-dense gold particles with primary or secondary antibodies allow antigen detection on and within cells, with high resolution and specificity.
4.0K
Eukaryotic Compartmentalization01:37

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal...
11.0K