116 | Exosomes and miRNA content engagement in inflammatory processes let's take stock in the veterinary field

Francesca Arfuso¹, Jessica M. Abbate², Claudia Giannetto¹, Marilena Briglia³, Elisabetta Giudice¹, Giovanni Lanteri², Giuseppe Piccione¹ | ¹Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario Annunziata, Messina, Italy; ²Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, Polo Universitario Papardo, Messina, Italy; ³Department of Medicine and Surgery “Kore”, University of Enna, Italy.

The inflammatory response is a complex, finely regulated defense mechanism. A number of external and internal factors negatively disturb the homeostatic equilibrium of organisms, causing the so-called state of stress. The events starting from the disturbance of homeostasis initiate a series of reaction cascades involving oxidative, inflammatory and proteomic reactions. These stress-induced reactions are organized in a tightly regulated cascade, in which the generation of one compound triggers and modulates the formation of subsequent mediators. One example is represented by the generation of pro-inflammatory interleukins that influence the production of anti-inflammatory counterparts. To date, the central role of extracellular microvesicles (EVs) in regulating the body's inflammatory response is well recognized. The EVs, including microvesicles (MVs) and exosomes or exosome-like vesicles (ELVs), are considered potential mechanisms for the delivery of biological messages within the organism. The EVs, which play a key role in cell-to-cell communication, are thought to contribute to the organism’s adaptive response to both pathological and physiological conditions which cause the homeostasis perturbation and the trigger the inflammatory cascade. Among pathological conditions, many studies have highlighted how EVs and, in particular, their content in microRNAs (miRNAs) can be crucial in the progression of the disease, including neoplastic pathologies, in which the inflammatory microenvironment assumes notable importance [1-3]. Among physiological conditions, particular phases in the life of an organism such as growth or pregnancy/lactation as well as common practices such as physical exercise, representing physiological stressors, are able to activate the body’s inflammatory response [4]. Research is setting new goals to provide new insights into the role of EVs and miRNAs, as well as their role in the pathological and/or physiological activation of inflammatory response both in the human and veterinary fields. The current study aimed to bring out the current knowledge on the role played by EVs and miRNAs during the inflammatory reactions of animals in response to both physiological and pathological conditions.