Fig. 2. Extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of fatty liver disease. During the process of lipotoxicity, hepatocytes release large quantities of extracellular vesicles (EVs) that may then act on various target cells in the local environment they are released contributing to key processes involved in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathogenesis including immune modulation, angiogenesis, and fibrosis. Additionally, EVs may be released to the systemic circulation and can be potentially used to non-invasively monitoring the extent of liver injury.