Circulating extracellular vesicles in healthy and pathological pregnancies: A scoping review of methodology, rigour and results
Author(s)
Barnes, Megan VC
Pantazi, Paschalia
Holder, Beth
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a crucial role in pregnancy, revealed by the presence of placental-derived EVs in maternal blood, their in vitro functionality, and their altered cargo in pregnancy pathologies. These EVs are thought to be involved in the development of pregnancy pathologies, such as pre-eclampsia, pre-term birth, and fetal growth restriction, and have been suggested as a source of biomarkers for gestational diseases. However, to accurately interpret their function and biomarker potential, it is necessary to critically evaluate the EV isolation and characterization methodologies used in pregnant cohorts. In this systematic scoping review, we collated the results from 152 studies that have investigated EVs in the blood of pregnant women, and provide a detailed analysis of the EV isolation and characterization methodologies used. Our findings indicate an overall increase in EV concentrations in pregnant compared to non-pregnant individuals, an increased EV count as gestation progresses, and an increased EV count in some pregnancy pathologies. We highlight the need for improved standardization of methodology, greater focus on gestational changes in EV concentrations, and further investigations into the functionality of EVs. Our review suggests that EVs hold great promise as diagnostic and translational tools for gestational diseases. However, to fully realize their potential, it is crucial to improve the standardization and reliability of EV isolation and characterization methodologies, and to gain a better understanding of their functional roles in pregnancy pathologies.
Date Issued
2023-11-01
Date Acceptance
2023-10-16
Citation
Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 2023, 12 (11)
ISSN
2001-3078
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Extracellular Vesicles
Volume
12
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Extracellular Vesicles. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37974377
Subjects
Extracellular Vesicles
Female
Humans
Placenta
Pre-Eclampsia
Pregnancy
Reproducibility of Results
biomarkers
blood
exosomes
extracellular vesicles
microvesicles
placenta
plasma
pre-eclampsia
pregnancy
serum
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
ARTN e12377
Date Publish Online
2023-11-16