Extracellular vesicles of immune cells; immunomodulatory impacts and therapeutic potentials

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a diverse collection of lipid bilayer-membrane-bound particles which are released from cells into the extracellular space and biologic fluids. In multicellular organisms, these vesicles facilitate the exchange of bioactive compounds such as RNA, DNA, proteins, various metabolites, and lipids between the cells. EVs are produced and released by almost all eukaryotic cells including immune cells and can have immuno-modulating effects by either stimulation or suppression of their activities. This immune-modulating feature may provide a promising strategy for treating immune-mediated diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders and graft-versus-host disease. Moreover, immune cell-derived EVs have received attention as potential biomarkers for being used as diagnostic tools and preventive strategies such as for developing vaccines. In this review, we focus on the EVs produced by different immune cell types, their effects on the immune system, and highlight their potential applications for immunotherapy.