Extracellular Vesicles as Markers of Liver Function: Optimized Workflow for Biomarker Identification in Liver Disease

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 24, pp. 9631

Abstract

Liver diseases represent a significant global health burden, necessitating the development of reliable biomarkers for early detection, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising candidates for liver disease biomarkers due to their unique cargo composition, stability, and accessibility in various biological fluids. In this study, we present an optimized workflow for the identification of EVs-based biomarkers in liver disease, encompassing EVs isolation, characterization, cargo analysis, and biomarker validation. Here we show that the levels of microRNAs miR-10a, miR-21, miR-142-3p, miR-150, and miR-223 were different among EVs isolated from patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and autoimmune hepatitis. In addition, IL2, IL8, and interferon-gamma were found to be increased in EVs isolated from patients with cholangiocarcinoma compared with healthy controls. By implementing this optimized workflow, researchers and clinicians can improve the identification and utilization of EVs-based biomarkers, ultimately enhancing liver disease diagnosis, prognosis, and personalized treatment strategies.

Authors 10

1. Martha Paluschinski

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

2. Sven Heiko Loosen

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

3. Claus Kordes

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

4. Verena Keitel

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

5. Anne Kuebart

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

6. Timo Brandenburger

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

7. David Schöler

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

8. Marianne Wammers

   Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

9. Ulf P. Neumann Aachen Visceral and Transplant Surgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany

10. Tom Luedde

    Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany