[This corrects the article DOI: 10.20517/evcna.2023.26.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.20517/evcna.2023.26.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.20517/evcna.2021.02.].
Mesenchymal stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have noticeably attracted clinicians' attention in treating ocular diseases. As the paracrine factor of MSCs and an alternative for cell-free therapies, MSC-EVs can be conveniently dropped over the ocular surface or diffused through the retina upon intravitreal injection, without increasing the risks of cellular rejection and tumor formation. For clinical translation, a standardized and scalable production, as well as reprogramming the MSC-EVs, are highly encouraged. This review aims to assess the potential approaches for EV production and functional modification, in addition to summarizing the worldwide clinical trials initiated for various physiological systems and the specific biochemical effects of MSC-EVs on the therapy of eye diseases. Recent advances in the therapy of ocular diseases based on MSC-EVs are reviewed, and the associated challenges and prospects are discussed as well.
Aim: Mammary gland extracellular vesicles (EVs) are found in both human and livestock milk. Our knowledge of the role of EVs in the mammary gland development, breast cancer and mastitis derives mainly from in vitro cell culture models. However, a commonly shared limitation is the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) as a supplement, which naturally contains EVs. For this reason, the purpose of the study was to evaluate novel tools to investigate mammary gland EVs in vitro and in a FBS-free system.
Methods: Primary bovine mammary epithelial cells (pbMECs) and a mammary gland alveolar epithelial cell line (MAC-T) were cultured in a chemically defined EV-free medium. To find a reliable EV isolation protocol from a starting cell conditioned medium (10 mL), we compared eight different methodologies by combining ultracentrifugation (UC), chemical precipitation (CP), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and ultrafiltration (UF).
Results: The medium formula sustained both pbMECs and MAC-T cell growth. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that we obtained EV-like particles in five out of eight protocols. The cleanest samples with the highest number of particles and detectable amounts of RNA were obtained by using UF-SEC-UC.
Conclusion: Our chemically defined, FBS-free medium sustains the growth of both pbMECs and MAC-T and allows the isolation of EVs that are free from any contamination by UF-SEC-UC. In conclusion, we propose a new culture system and EVs isolation protocols for further research on mammary epithelial EVs.