Procoagulant Properties of Extracellular Vesicles in Normal and Pathological Pregnancy

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles are lipid bilayer membrane structures without nuclei that are released from various cells as a result of physiological and metabolic changes. They play an important role in intercellular communication through the transfer of a wide range of bioactive molecules, contributing to the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes. Extracellular vesicles may have procoagulant properties due to the presence of phosphatidylserine, which accelerates coagulation reactions, on the outer layer of the membrane, as well as the expression of tissue factor, which activates coagulation along the external pathway, on the surface of some vesicles. A large number of clinical and experimental studies have shown that in various pathologies and specific physiological conditions, including pregnancy, the concentration of extracellular vesicles significantly exceeds that in healthy volunteers, which could theoretically be a factor in the development of hypercoagulable states This review focuses on describing the procoagulant properties of extracellular vesicles of various origins in normal and pathological pregnancy.