EVs include exomeres, microvesicles, exosomes, apoptotic bodies, blebs and argosomes, and are classified by size, content, origin and function [
23], as shown in
Table 1. Exomeres are a recently discovered extracellular nanoparticles with unknown biological function, rich in argonaute and amyloid precursor protein [
24,
25]. Exosomes were first proposed by Trams
et al. in the 1980s. They were first discovered in the supernatant obtained from sheep red blood cells, cultured
in vitro, with vesicle structures from 40 nm to 200 nm. The exosomes are composed of a phospholipid bilayer that encapsulates the cytoplasm and contains various components of the parental cells, including proteins, DNA, RNA, and variety of other small molecules. There are differences in the composition of exosomes from different cell sources, but they have evolutionarily conserved protein components, including integrins, transmembrane proteins, and membrane transport and fusion proteins, which are able to reflect their biological origin to some extent [
26-
29]. Argosomes are exosome-like vesicles containing morphogens that form a concentration gradient in the tissue, and communicate cell position by participating in signal transduction during the development of multicellular organisms. They are released from the basolateral membrane of discoid cells of drosophila, which promotes development through proliferation of epithelial cells and can participate in the direct transfer of substances between donor and recipient cells [
23]. Apoptotic blebs are developed by an increase in hydrostatic pressure after cell contraction. The breakup of cell cytoskeleton results in outward bulging of the cytoplasmic membrane, which upon separation forms apoptotic blebs. Apoptotic blebs are packed with cellular organelles and chromatin to form the basis of fragmentary membrane-clad apoptotic bodies. Microvesicles are EVs between 100 nm and 1000 nm in size, formed by the regulated release of outward bulging of the plasma membrane. Currently, the best characterized EVs are exosomes and microvesicles.
Table 1 summarizes the differences between exomeres, exosomes, microvesicles, argosomes, apoptotic blebs and apoptotic bodies [
23-
25,
30,
31]. The term exosomes is often used to refer to a mixed population of small EVs (sEV) without further proof of their intracellular origin, however, published data cannot be used to determine their precise specificity [
32]. Therefore, we choose here to use the generic term EV.