AUTHOR=Dickhout Annemiek , Koenen Rory R. 

TITLE=Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Disease; Chances and Risks

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2018.00113

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2018.00113

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<p>The field of extracellular vesicles (EV) is rapidly expanding, also within cardiovascular diseases. Besides their exciting roles in cell-to-cell communication, EV have the potential to serve as excellent biomarkers, since their counts, content, and origin might provide useful information about the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disorders. Various studies have already indicated associations of EV counts and content with cardiovascular diseases. However, EV research is complicated by several factors, most notably the small size of EV. In this review, the advantages and drawbacks of EV-related methods and applications as biomarkers are highlighted.</p>