Role of extracellular vesicles in rheumatoid arthritis

Cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), playing important roles in antigen presentation, inflammation, angiogenesis, cell-cell signal communication, thrombosis, and articular cartilage extracellular matrix degradation. Understanding the pathogenic mechanism of RA is important for developing therapies. The pathogenic indicators of RA, such as submicron-sized EVs, represent promising biomarkers for evaluating RA activity. This review summarizes the recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of RA, and sheds light on the pathogenic as well as anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive roles of EVs. We suggest that EVs could be harnessed as tools for drug delivery or targets for RA therapies.