The Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Epstein-Barr Virus Immunology and Pathogenesis for Possible Diagnostic and Therapeutic Direction.

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a member of the herpesvirus family, is extremely prevalent worldwide. EBV is a double-stranded DNA virus associated with various malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and lymphomas. Transmission occurs through different means, including saliva and organ transplantation. EBV can produce and secrete vesicles that are critical in intracellular communication and valuable biomarkers in body fluids to diagnose potential diseases. They can also be utilized in targeted therapy. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) that play a significant role in several biological processes. Some important components in EBV-related EVs can be valuable biomarkers, including proteins such as latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and LMP2A, microRNAs (miRNAs), and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). This review explores the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of EBV-derived exosomes. It also highlights their challenges due to the lack of standardization and difficulties in exosome isolation and improving exosome-based therapy efficiencies.