Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released from almost all cells and tissues. They are able to transport substances (e.g. proteins, RNA or DNA) at higher concentrations than in their environment and may adhere in a receptor-controlled manner to specific cells or tissues in order to release their content into the respective target structure. Blood contains high concentrations of EVs mainly derived from platelets, and, at a smaller amount, from erythrocytes. The female and male reproductive tracts produce EVs which may be associated with fertility or infertility and are released into body fluids and mucosas of the urogenital organs. In this review, the currently relevant detection methods are presented and critically compared. During pregnancy, placenta-derived EVs are dynamically detectable in peripheral blood with changing profiles depending upon progress of pregnancy and different pregnancy-associated pathologies, such as preeclampsia. EVs offer novel non-invasive diagnostic tools which may reflect the situation of the placenta and the foetus. EVs in urine have the potential of reflecting urogenital diseases including cancers of the neighbouring organs. Several methods for detection, quantification and phenotyping of EVs have been established, which include electron microscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA-like methods, Western blotting and analyses based on Brownian motion. This review article summarises the current knowledge about EVs in blood and cord blood, in the different compartments of the male and female reproductive tracts, in trophoblast cells from normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies, in placenta ex vivo perfusate, in the amniotic fluid, and in breast milk, as well as their potential effects on natural killer cells as possible targets.

b Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology Medical School University of Pécs Pécs Hungary

c Microtrac GmbH Krefeld Germany

Department of Physiology and Immunology Medical Faculty University of Rijeka Rijeka Croatia

e Repro Inova Immunology Laboratory Sofia Bulgaria

f Department of Obstetrics Gynecology and Perinatology 1st Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia

g Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology GIGA R University of Liège Liège Belgium

h Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics General University Hospital and 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

i Institute of Biophysics and Informatics 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

ISGlobal Barcelona Centre for International Health Research Hospital Clínic Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona Spain

j Centro di Ricerca E Menni Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero Brescia Italy

k Department of Immunoneuroendocrinology Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction Sofia Bulgaria

l Department of Biology University of Crete Crete Greece

m Repro Inova Immunology Laboratory Sofia Bulgaria

Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre School of Biomedicine University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre University Research Manchester UK

o Department of Obstetrics Placenta Lab University Hospital Jena Jena Germany

p Institute of Anatomy University Hospital University Duisburg Essen Essen Germany

q Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Fertility Disorders Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg Heidelberg Germany

Citace poskytuje Crossref.org

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