Papers of the Week

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are 30-150 nm membranous particles released by a variety of cells and serve as a mediator in intercellular communication between adjacent and distal cells. sEVs carry biomolecular cargo including miRNAs, mRNAs, proteins, and lipids, which are selectively sorted and packaged and mirror the physiological state of the donor cells. Disease states can alter sEV composition affecting the message carried and thereby, its functional impact. Microglia, as the tissue-resident macrophages and primary innate immune cells of the central nervous system, play an important role in neuropathic pain. Here, we investigated alterations in the composition of serum sEVs from a mouse model of neuropathic pain and assessed the functional consequences of sEV uptake by primary cortical microglia.