FIGURE 4.

Endothelial exosomes in vascular health and disease: Under physiological conditions, endothelial cells release exosomes at low concentrations which facilitate the protection and vascular homeostasis. When exposed to pathological vascular stimuli, the content of these exosomes changes, resulting in a loss of vascular homeostasis, apoptosis, monocyte infiltration, and subsequent facilitation of the development of CVD.