The Hatter Cardiovascular Institute, University College London, WC1E 6HX London, UK.
Université Paris Cité, Paris-Cardiovascular Research Center, INSERM, Paris, France.
Cardiovasc Res. 2023 Mar 17;119(1):45-63. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvac031.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized vesicles with a lipid bilayer that are released from cells of the cardiovascular system, and are considered important mediators of intercellular and extracellular communications. Two types of EVs of particular interest are exosomes and microvesicles, which have been identified in all tissue and body fluids and carry a variety of molecules including RNAs, proteins, and lipids. EVs have potential for use in the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases and as new therapeutic agents, particularly in the setting of myocardial infarction and heart failure. Despite their promise, technical challenges related to their small size make it challenging to accurately identify and characterize them, and to study EV-mediated processes. Here, we aim to provide the reader with an overview of the techniques and technologies available for the separation and characterization of EVs from different sources. Methods for determining the protein, RNA, and lipid content of EVs are discussed. The aim of this document is to provide guidance on critical methodological issues and highlight key points for consideration for the investigation of EVs in cardiovascular studies.
细胞外囊泡 (EVs) 是由心血管系统细胞释放的具有脂质双层的纳米大小的囊泡，被认为是细胞间和细胞外通讯的重要介质。两种特别引人关注的 EV 是外泌体和微囊泡，它们已在所有组织和体液中被发现，并携带多种分子，包括 RNA、蛋白质和脂质。EVs 有可能用于心血管疾病的诊断和预后，以及作为新的治疗剂，特别是在心肌梗死和心力衰竭的情况下。尽管它们具有很大的潜力，但与它们的小尺寸相关的技术挑战使得准确识别和表征它们以及研究 EV 介导的过程变得具有挑战性。在这里，我们旨在为读者提供有关可用于从不同来源分离和表征 EV 的技术和技术的概述。讨论了用于确定 EV 中蛋白质、RNA 和脂质含量的方法。本文的目的是提供有关关键方法学问题的指导，并强调在心血管研究中研究 EV 时需要考虑的要点。
