# Overview of extracellular vesicles as biomarkers and therapeutic tools in pediatric diseases: focus on the gut-lung axis

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how extracellular vesicles connect gut and lung health in children, offering new ways to diagnose and treat diseases.

## Contribution

The paper highlights extracellular vesicles as a novel biomarker and therapeutic tool in the gut-lung axis for pediatric diseases.

## Key findings

- Extracellular vesicles are secreted by all cell types and are involved in gut-lung communication.
- EVs show potential as biomarkers and therapeutic agents for pediatric gut and lung diseases.
- The gut-lung axis is supported by microbiota interactions and EV-mediated signaling.

## Abstract

Although anatomically separate, the gut and lungs are interconnected through intricate pathways involving their respective microbiota, supporting the concept of a gut-lung axis. In the pediatric field, devastating intestinal pathologies such as necrotizing enterocolitis and inflammatory bowel diseases mostly affect preterm infants. In parallel, in the lung, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease represent pediatric unmet clinical needs. In this review, we discuss how the extracellular vesicles (EVs), nanoparticles secreted by all cell types, represent a common element in the gut-lung axis. Specifically, EVs play a dual role, serving both as novel disease biomarkers and as promising therapeutic agents.