Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles Isolated From Human Milk Using a Precipitation-Based Method

Authors

Diana C. Bickmore, Chapman University
John Miklavcic, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-13-2020

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EV) function in intercellular communication, and those in human milk may confer immunologic benefits to infants. Methods of EV isolation such as ultracentrifugation (UC) may not be feasible for the study of EVs in human milk due to the need for large sample volume. A technique to isolate EVs from a small volume of human milk using a precipitation reagent is described herein. Electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and semi-quantitative antibody array were conducted to confirm isolation of human milk EVs. Count, size, protein content, and fatty acid quantification of EVs were determined. This isolation technique yielded 8.9 x 109 (± 1.1 × 109) EV particles/mL of human milk. The present method meets the Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (MISEV) guidelines. An established EV isolation method suitable for a low volume of human milk will facilitate further research in this growing area.

Comments

This article was originally published in Frontiers in Nutrition, volume 7, in 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.00022

Recommended Citation

Bickmore DC and Miklavcic JJ (2020) Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles Isolated From Human Milk Using a Precipitation-Based Method. Front. Nutr. 7:22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2020.00022

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.