小さな運び屋エクソソームを介した脳腸相関

Exosome, a Nano-Sized Carrier, and the Brain-Gut Correlation

細胞から放出されるエクソソームは多様な細胞情報を遠隔臓器に伝えることができる。近年脳の監視網である血液脳関門をエクソソームが通り抜けることが報告され，がんの脳転移や精神神経疾患との関わりが注目を集めている。また，腸内細菌が放出しているエクソソーム（BEVs）も神経変性疾患への影響がある可能性が示唆された。本論ではBEVsを含む，エクソソームと精神神経疾患との関係性を最新の知見を含めて議論する。

Abstract

Exosomes, small bilayer vesicles secreted by all cells, are recognized as a novel communication tool among distant organs. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and be taken up by specific brain cells, altering the brain microenvironment and possibly playing a role in pathological conditions such as brain metastasis and neurodegenerative diseases. Intestinal bacteria also release small membrane vesicles called “bacterial extracellular vesicles” (BEVs), which can invade blood vessels and affect distant tissues in a manner similar to exosomes, suggesting that BEVs also play a role in disease progression in the brain-gut axis. Here, we will discuss the latest findings of the relationship between exosomes, including BEVs, and multiple brain pathologies.