Abstract
Exosomes are small membrane-bound vesicles of endocytic origin that are actively secreted. The potential of exosomes as effective communicators of biological signaling in myocardial function has previously been investigated, and a recent explosion in exosome research not only underscores their significance in cardiac physiology and pathology, but also draws attention to methodological limitations of studying these extracellular vesicles. In this review, we discuss recent advances and challenges in exosome research with an emphasis on scientific innovations in isolation, identification, and characterization methodologies, and we provide a comprehensive summary of web-based resources available in the field. Importantly, we focus on the biology and function of exosomes, highlighting their fundamental role in cardiovascular pathophysiology to further support potential applications of exosomes as biomarkers and therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases.
Highlights
Exosomes are small membrane-bound vesicles of endocytic origin that are actively secreted
According to the minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles guidelines set by the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) for EV studies,[1] EV is a collective term that describes various subtypes of naturally released membranous structures from cells that are delimited by a lipid bilayer and cannot replicate
Despite our limited but growing knowledge of EV biology and technology, it is imperative to understand their fundamental role in cardiovascular pathophysiologies to engineer the complex mechanisms of EV cargo sorting in pursuit of designing generation EV-based therapeutic delivery systems
Summary
Small size and quantity, varying physicochemical properties, and complexity of the surrounding biological fluid make exosomes difficult to obtain in relatively pure preparations. Do Not Follow the Beaten Track: Considerations in Selecting an Isolation Method The choice of separation method should be guided by the type of exosome-containing matrix and required degree of exosome yield, purity, integrity, and concentration that is dictated by the downstream applications and scientific question to be addressed.[27]. Each exosomecontaining matrix presents specific biophysical and chemical characteristics, thereby requiring additional sample collection and processing considerations It is especially important for cellular studies to avoid contamination of cell-derived vesicles by serum exosomes, microbes (eg, mycoplasma), or dead cell– derived vesicles.[1,28] By contrast, for exosome isolation from biofluids, in most cases, dilution of biological fluids may be advisable and may enhance the recovery of Figure 1. We introduce several innovative exosome isolation methods (eg, asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation, acoustic-based microfluidics) that are currently being developed, some of which may become more prominent in the coming years if they achieve better recovery and purity
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