Atherosclerosis is a major cardiovascular disease and in 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated 17.5 million global deaths, corresponding to 31% of all global deaths, were driven by inflammation and deposition of lipids into the arterial wall. This leads to the development of plaques which narrow the vessel lumen, particularly in the coronary and carotid arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques can become unstable and rupture, leading to myocardial infarction or stroke. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous population of vesicles secreted from cells with a wide range of biological functions. EVs participate in cell-cell communication and signalling via transport of cargo including enzymes, DNA, RNA and microRNA in both physiological and patholophysiological settings. EVs are present in atherosclerotic plaques and have been implicated in cellular signalling processes in atherosclerosis development, including immune responses, inflammation, cell proliferation and migration, cell death and vascular remodeling during progression of the disease. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge regarding EV signalling in atherosclerosis progression and the potential of utilising EV signatures as biomarkers of disease.

动脉粥样硬化是一种主要的心血管疾病，2016 年，世界卫生组织 (WHO) 估计全球有 1750 万人死亡，占全球死亡总数的 31%，是由炎症和脂质沉积到动脉壁引起的。这导致斑块的形成，使血管腔变窄，特别是在冠状动脉和颈动脉中。动脉粥样硬化斑块会变得不稳定并破裂，导致心肌梗塞或中风。细胞外囊泡 (EVs) 是由细胞分泌的异质性囊泡群，具有广泛的生物学功能。在生理和病理生理环境中，EVs 通过运输货物（包括酶、DNA、RNA 和 microRNA）参与细胞间通讯和信号传递。EV 存在于动脉粥样硬化斑块中，并与动脉粥样硬化发展中的细胞信号传导过程有关，包括免疫反应、炎症、细胞增殖和迁移、细胞死亡和疾病进展过程中的血管重塑。在这篇综述中，我们总结了有关动脉粥样硬化进展中 EV 信号传导的当前知识以及利用 EV 特征作为疾病生物标志物的潜力。