Exploring placental dysfunction: models of extracellular vesicle action in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a life-threatening pregnancy complication, resulting in >70,000 maternal deaths and >500,000 fetal and neonatal deaths worldwide each year. Despite its prevalence and devastating consequences, there is still no medical therapy to halt disease progression and thus a vital need for novel treatments remains. The urgent demand for effective therapies for preeclampsia first necessitates a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis that underpins the condition. Understanding the coordinated interactions between the maternal vasculature and circulating pathogenic factors released from the placenta is a key focus in preeclampsia research. Extracellular vesicles are membrane-bound vesicles that act as essential mediators of cell-cell signalling. Extracellular vesicles are proposed to play a crucial role as regulators in placental-maternal vascular communication. This -review explores contemporary literature investigating the role of placental-derived extracellular vesicles and their contribution to preeclampsia. Importantly, we provide a summary of key literature that should assist decision making for selection of models to study the role of extracellular vesicles in preeclampsia progression and their potential as therapeutic targets.