Abstract

Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Thrombosis: Therapeutic Target and Biomarker Potential

Romaric Lacroix, Associate Professor, Aix-Marseille University

Among Extracellular Vesicles, Microparticles (MPs) represent a heterogeneous population of submicronic vesicles that are released in response to cell activation or apoptosis. MPs harbor a large repertoire of cell surface receptors, mRNA and biological activities representative of their parent cells and related to their involvement in many biological functions. Although MP generation is a physiological response, a dramatic increase in circulating MPs is detectable in a variety of thrombosis-associated disorders compared with healthy individuals. During the past decade, MPs have mainly been described as procoagulant entities; however, we will discuss a new vision of MPs as complex and ambivalent structures that express both activators and inhibitors of coagulation but also convey fibrinolytic properties. After summarizing our current knowledge on the role of MPs in venous and arterial thrombosis, this we will explore how this new vision of MPs influences their definition as therapeutic targets and emergent biomarkers in thrombotic diseases.