Fig. 3
From: The potential roles of cigarette smoke-induced extracellular vesicles in oral leukoplakia
Potential roles of CS-induced EVs in promoting oral leukoplakia. Exposure to cigarette smoke contributes to the production of EVs from different types of cells including epithelial cells, macrophages, T cells, and monocytes. The cargo of these EVs induced by CS stimulation are significantly changed. These bioactive cargo contain proteins, cytokines, RNAs, and DNAs, which exerts mediators for intra/inter-cellular communication. When these EVs are engulfed, they can change the biological behavior of the recipient/target cells and lead to the onset of pathogenesis. The series of changes ultimately might result in the initiation of oral leukoplakia or even carcinogenesis. EVs extracellular vesicles, CS cigarette smoke