International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Extracellular Vesicles and Thrombosis: Update on the Clinical and Experimental Evidence Konstantinos Zifkos 1, Christophe Dubois 2 and Katrin Schäfer 3,* 1 Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis, University Medical Center Mainz, D-55131 Mainz, Germany;
[email protected] 2 Aix Marseille University, INSERM 1263, Institut National de la Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) 1260, Center for CardioVascular and Nutrition Research (C2VN), F-13380 Marseille, France;
[email protected] 3 Department of Cardiology, Cardiology I, University Medical Center Mainz, D-55131 Mainz, Germany * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) compose a heterogenous group of membrane-derived particles, including exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies, which are released into the extracellular environment in response to proinflammatory or proapoptotic stimuli. From earlier studies suggesting that EV shedding constitutes a cellular clearance mechanism, it has become evident that EV formation, secretion and uptake represent important mechanisms of intercellular communication and exchange of a wide variety of molecules, with relevance in both physiological and pathological situations. The putative role of EVs in hemostasis and thrombosis is supported by clinical and experimental studies unraveling how these cell-derived structures affect clot formation (and resolution). From those studies, it has become clear that the prothrombotic effects of EVs are not restricted to the exposure of tissue factor (TF) and phosphatidylserines (PS), but also involve multiplication of procoagulant surfaces, cross-linking of different cellular players at the site of injury and transfer of activation Citation: Zifkos, K.; Dubois, C.; signals to other cell types.