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Exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Diseases: 4th Edition
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Exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Diseases: 4th Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 2251

Editors

Dr. Manuela Zavatti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
Interests: molecular mechanism in cancer; PI3K/Akt signaling; adaptive resistance to Akt inhibitors in prostate cancer; immunomodulatory properties of stem cells extracellular vesicle; neurodegenerative disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesca Beretti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
Interests: exosomes; extracellular vesicles; microrna; amnion fluid
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The rising interest in exosomes as well as extracellular vesicles and their applications is reflected by the increasing amount of research on these topics.

These vesicles are naturally produced by any type of cell and play multiple roles in cell-to-cell communication in both healthy and diseased states. Because they carry different donor-derived cargos, including DNA, RNA, proteins, and lipids, they induce network signals in recipient cells.

In particular, stem-cell-derived extracellular vesicles play roles in regenerative medicine and have the advantage of being a cell-free therapy; therefore, these vesicles are safer than those associated with the transplantation of live cells.

Furthermore, in recent years, exosomes and extracellular vesicles have emerged as promising biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of different diseases, but also as macromolecule delivery carriers in therapy to treat a wide spectrum of pathologies.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles that broaden our knowledge of extracellular vesicles and exosomes in different fields of application, starting from the healthy state in order to comprehend the mechanisms of individual production and moving onto pathological conditions, such as tumors, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, chronic and acute inflammatory states, etc.

Dr. Manuela Zavatti
Dr. Francesca Beretti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • exosome
  • extracellular vesicles
  • network signals
  • biomarkers
  • pathological conditions

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 4276 KB  
Article
Circulating Extracellular Vesicles Suggest Race-Associated Transcriptomic Differences in Preterm Birth: A Pilot Study
by Bruna Corradetti, Xiyu Ge, Kristina W. Whitworth and Elaine Symanski
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(11), 4739; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114739 - 25 May 2026
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Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB) remains a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality and disproportionately affects Black women in the United States. While racial disparities in PTB are well documented, the molecular pathways underlying these differences remain incompletely understood. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are circulating [...] Read more.
Preterm birth (PTB) remains a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality and disproportionately affects Black women in the United States. While racial disparities in PTB are well documented, the molecular pathways underlying these differences remain incompletely understood. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are circulating lipid-bound particles that carry coding and non-coding RNAs reflecting cellular stress states and may serve as integrative molecular indicators of pregnancy biology. In this hypothesis-generating pilot study, EVs were isolated from maternal plasma collected at delivery from non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White women with preterm and full-term births. EV concentration and size were assessed, and EV-associated mRNA and miRNA cargo were profiled by next-generation sequencing (n = 5 per group), enabling differential expression and pathway enrichment analyses stratified by gestational outcome. EV concentrations were significantly elevated in PTB compared with full-term deliveries (p < 0.0001), with a greater increase among Black participants. Analysis of EV-associated mRNA transcripts identified a shared signature enriched for platelet activation and coagulation pathways across racial groups. Race-stratified analyses revealed distinct EV miRNA profiles in PTB, with enrichment of cytokine-mediated signaling pathways among Black participants and apoptosis-related pathways among White participants, while a subset of miRNAs differed by race independent of gestational outcome. These findings support EV profiling as a framework to investigate biological pathways contributing to PTB disparities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Diseases: 4th Edition)
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16 pages, 3790 KB  
Article
ASC-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Suppress Macrophage-Driven Inflammatory Amplification and Contractile Activation of Uterine Smooth Muscle Cells
by Ji-Seon Lee, You-rin Kim, Dogeon Yoon, Ji Hye Park, Tae-Keun Kim, Eun-Kyoung Choi, Jun Hur and Ji-Eun Song
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(10), 4273; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104273 - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 331
Abstract
Preterm labor is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality and is frequently driven by infection-associated inflammation that promotes premature uterine activation. In this study, we investigated the effects of adipose stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (ASC-EVs) on macrophage-mediated inflammatory signaling in uterine [...] Read more.
Preterm labor is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality and is frequently driven by infection-associated inflammation that promotes premature uterine activation. In this study, we investigated the effects of adipose stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (ASC-EVs) on macrophage-mediated inflammatory signaling in uterine smooth muscle cells (HUtSMCs). An in vitro model was established by treating HUtSMCs with conditioned media derived from LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Activation of signaling pathways was assessed by Western blotting and immunofluorescence, and functional responses were evaluated using calcium flux and collagen gel contraction assays. Conditioned media from LPS-stimulated macrophages induced robust activation of MAPK (ERK1/2 and JNK) and NF-κB signaling, accompanied by IκB degradation and nuclear translocation of phosphorylated p65, whereas ASC-EVs pretreatment significantly attenuated these responses and reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1. Furthermore, macrophage-conditioned media enhanced intracellular calcium flux and contractile activity in HUtSMCs, both of which were suppressed by ASC-EVs. Inhibition of TLR4 signaling in macrophages reduced the inflammatory potency of conditioned media, indicating a key upstream role of macrophage TLR4 activation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that ASC-EVs suppress macrophage-mediated inflammatory activation and downstream contractile responses, suggesting their potential as a cell-free therapeutic strategy for preventing inflammation-associated preterm labor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Diseases: 4th Edition)
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27 pages, 3006 KB  
Article
Apple-Derived Vesicles Orchestrate Bone Regeneration: In Vitro Proof of Concept
by Giulia Brunello, Ilaria Vitali, Luna Ardondi, Maria Pia Cavaleri, Lucia Sileo, Marta Degasperi, Francesca Zalunardo, Kathrin Becker, Beryl Schwarz-Herzke, Stefano Sivolella, Luca Lovatti, Letizia Ferroni and Barbara Zavan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(6), 2719; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27062719 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1342
Abstract
The immune microenvironment critically influences bone healing, particularly in the oral cavity where inflammation and microbial biofilms can compromise regeneration. Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) offer a biocompatible means to modulate immune responses, and apple-derived extracellular vesicles (ADEVs) have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, [...] Read more.
The immune microenvironment critically influences bone healing, particularly in the oral cavity where inflammation and microbial biofilms can compromise regeneration. Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) offer a biocompatible means to modulate immune responses, and apple-derived extracellular vesicles (ADEVs) have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, although their osteoregenerative potential remains unclear. Here, we investigate the indirect effects of ADEVs on bone regeneration by assessing how their immunomodulatory action on macrophages influences the osteogenic commitment of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). ADEVs were isolated, characterized, and applied to THP-1-derived macrophages to evaluate polarization via morphology and immunofluorescence for M1 (iNOS) and M2 (ARG1) markers. Then, the extracellular vesicles (EVs) from untreated and ADEV-treated macrophages were isolated and applied to DPSCs. All EVs were efficiently internalized by both macrophages and DPSCs. Treated macrophages shifted toward an M2-like phenotype, and macrophage-derived EVs (MDEVs) promoted stem cell morphological features consistent with osteogenic activation. These findings suggest that ADEVs promote osteoregeneration indirectly by influencing macrophage polarization and modifying the osteoactive cargo of MDEVs, thereby supporting their potential in cell-free, immunomodulatory approaches for oral bone regeneration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Diseases: 4th Edition)
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