Fig. 1
From: Extracellular vesicles: emerging roles, biomarkers and therapeutic strategies in fibrotic diseases
EV classification, biogenesis, and uptake. Apoptotic bodies and microvesicles are generated by directly budding from the plasma membrane, while exosomes are formed by endosomal pathway. Coasted by phospholipid bilayer, EVs are good carriers for bioactive cargos, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. EVs can be internalized by receptor cells through membrane fusion, phagocytosis, micropinocytosis, clathrin-dependent endocytosis, caveolin-mediated endocytosis, or lipid raft-mediated endocytosis