Association between extracellular vesicles, microRNA and chronic lung disease: Narrative review.

Chronic lung disease (CLD) is a common and significant lung disease of prematurity with a high risk of neonatal mortality and lifelong effects on cardiopulmonary function. Recently, an increase in incidence has been observed and-despite advances in understanding this condition-challenges exist in relation to its detection and treatment. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which can carry noncoding RNA species such as microRNA (miRNA), play roles in several pathological conditions, including lung disease. EVs are involved in many physiological roles, including inflammation inhibition, immune regulation, cell differentiation, apoptosis, and the carrying of genetic information. Changes in levels of multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with abnormal lung development, including miRNA-21 and miRNA-34a, which have been shown to play important roles in the pathogenesis of lung disease. As such, miRNAs may contribute to the management of CLD, including as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers, and/or therapeutic interventions. This review aims to summarize clinical and animal studies suggesting the relationship between EVs, miRNA, and CLD and provides further ideas for exploring the role of EVs and miRNA in the pathogenesis of CLD.