Determination of Cholesterol and Triglyceride Concentrations in Serum Extracellular Vesicles Using Commercial Kits

Exosomes and microvesicles, collectively referred to as small extracellular vesicles (sEV) are vesicles with an average size of about 100-150 nm. Currently, the role of sEV in various aspects of signaling in the body is being actively investigated; in addition, sEV can often serve as markers of various pathologies. The active study of the sEV composition is continuing. In this study we have demonstrated that in sEV it is possible to determine cholesterol and triglycerides concentration by using commercial kits designed for serum. The technique was tested on sEV from the blood of patients diagnosed with depression and on healthy volunteers. No differences were found in the concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides in mEV from the blood serum of depressed patients and the control group. The concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides in the samples is several times higher than the sensitivity threshold of the methods set by the manufacturer of the kits.