Research progress in the relationship between gut microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles and liver diseases

Abstract:

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a type of lipid bilayer membrane vesicles, which can be secreted by a variety of cells. EVs as the key players of interkingdom crosstalk participate in the transmission of signals between prokaryotes and eukaryotes to regulate biological processes. In gut ecosystems, microbe-host communication usually does not involve direct cell contact. Microbiome-derived and host-derived EVs are key participants in such interkingdom crosstalk. The gut-liver axis plays a bridging role in the interaction between gut microbiota and the liver, that can modulate liver diseases including alcoholic fatty liver disease. Recent studies have demonstrated that gut microbiota-derived EVs play a key role in liver diseases. This article summarizes the research progress in gut microbiota-derived EVs, especially the mechanism of EVs production, the contents of EVs, bacteria-host interaction and its role in liver diseases.