[Research progress on extracellular vesicles in aortic aneurysms]

Aortic aneurysms, including thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), represent a group of severe vascular lesions with insidious onset and high mortality. Currently, effective diagnostic markers and pharmacological interventions remain lacking in clinical practice. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), as key mediators of intercellular communication, have attracted increasing attention in the research on aortic aneurysms due to their high content of bioactive molecules, favorable biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and inherent targeting capacity. This review systematically elaborated on the research progress on EVs in TAA and AAA, highlighting their significant role in the development and progression of aortic aneurysms. EVs play a crucial role by mediating core pathological processes, including endothelial dysfunction, phenotypic transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells, inflammatory immune responses, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Additionally, this review discussed the potential of disease-specific molecules carried by EVs as novel liquid biopsy markers for the early diagnosis of aortic aneurysms. Furthermore, this review evaluated the application prospects of EVs as natural drug delivery platforms and EV-based therapeutic strategies for aortic aneurysm through engineering modifications (such as targeting peptide modification and biomaterial integration). In particular, "cell-free" immunomodulatory therapies, which enhance targeting capacity to lesion sites through engineering modifications and focus strategically on regulating the phenotype and function of key immune cells (such as macrophages), are increasingly emerging as a cutting-edge direction with the greatest translational potential in this field. Despite challenges such as targeted delivery, the integration of engineering technologies with nanomedicine holds promise for opening new avenues for the precise prevention and treatment of aortic aneurysms through EV-based integrated diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.