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REVIEW article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Striated Muscle Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1501957

Muscle-derived Extracellular Vesicles Mediate Crosstalk between Skeletal Muscle and Other Organs

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, China
  • 2 Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
  • 3 National Key Laboratory of Space Medicine, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Skeletal muscle (SKM) has crucial roles in locomotor activity and posture within the body and also functions have been recognized as an actively secretory organ. Numerous bioactive molecules are secreted by SKM and transported by extracellular vesicles (EVs), a novel class of mediators of communication between cells and organs that contain various types of cargo molecules including lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. SKM-derived EVs (SKM-EVs) are intercellular communicators with significant roles in the crosstalk between SKM and other organs. In this review, we briefly describe the biological characteristics, composition, and uptake mechanisms of EVs, particularly exosomes, comprehensively summarize the regulatory effects of SKM-EVs on the function of, which include myogenesis, muscle repair and regeneration, as well as metabolic regulation. Furthermore, we explore the impact of SKM-EVs on various organs including bone, the cardiovascular system, adipose tissue, and nervous system. As emerging evidence suggests that SKM-EVs are involved in the development and regulation of type 2 diabetes (T2D), systemic inflammation, and other chronic diseases, we also highlight the potential of SKM-EVs as therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers, emphasizing the need for further research to elucidate the complex mechanisms underlying intercellular communication in physiological and pathological contexts.

    Keywords: extracellular vesicles, skeletal muscle, MicroRNAs, crosstalk, cargo

    Received: 26 Sep 2024; Accepted: 18 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Jia, Wang, Zhou, Zhang and Chen. 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:
    Peng Zhang, National Key Laboratory of Space Medicine, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, China
    Xiaoping Chen, National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, 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.