MINI REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.

Sec. Inflammation

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1625958

This article is part of the Research TopicRole of bioinformatics and AI in understanding inflammation and immune microenvironment dynamicsView all 9 articles

Harnessing Extracellular Vesicles to Tame Inflammation: A New Strategy for Atherosclerosis Therapy

Provisionally accepted
Jiawei LiJiawei Li1Tianliang WenTianliang Wen1Xiaoran LiXiaoran Li1Ruoyao ChengRuoyao Cheng1Junyi ShenJunyi Shen1Xin WangXin Wang2Zhaoqi GuoZhaoqi Guo1Zhengjie TengZhengjie Teng3Lin YiLin Yi1,4*Fan ZhangFan Zhang5*
  • 1Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China, Lanzhou, China
  • 2Department of Anesthesiology and Surgery,Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China, Lanzhou, China
  • 3Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China, Lanzhou, China
  • 4Chronic disease Laboratory, Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China, Lanzhou, China
  • 5Geriatrics Department, Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China, Lanzhou, China

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Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease driven by immune dysregulation and vascular inflammation. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play pivotal roles in intercellular communication, modulating immune responses and inflammatory cascades during AS progression. EVs derived from endothelial cells, macrophages, vascular smooth muscle cells, and platelets transport bioactive molecules (e.g., miRNAs, cytokines) that regulate endothelial dysfunction, macrophage polarization, and plaque instability. Pro-inflammatory EVs exacerbate oxidative stress, foam cell formation, and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) release, while anti-inflammatory EVs from mesenchymal stem cells or engineered sources attenuate disease by promoting M2 macrophage polarization and suppressing NF-κB signaling. This review highlights the dual roles of EVs in AS immunopathology and their therapeutic potential as biomarkers or nanocarriers for targeted anti-inflammatory interventions.Understanding EV-mediated immune crosstalk may unveil novel strategies for atherosclerosis management.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis, extracellular vesicles, Exosomes, Microvesicles, intercellular communication, biomarkers, Nanotherapy

Received: 09 May 2025; Accepted: 03 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Li, Wen, Li, Cheng, Shen, Wang, Guo, Teng, Yi and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Lin Yi, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China, Lanzhou, China
Fan Zhang, Geriatrics Department, Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China, Lanzhou, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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