Unveiling molecular complexity of extracellular vesicles investigations by nanoscale infrared spectroscopy

As highlighted by the ‘Minimum Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles 2023’, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer membrane-delimited, nano- tomicrosized particles that appear to be released by all cell types. Blood-based EVs have the potential as minimally invasive diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive tools. EVs isolation from human plasma is a challenge due to the inherent complexity of blood. The high abundance of albumin and other soluble blood proteins present in plasma samples, contaminate EV pellets. In this way, it is important to address that different purification and complex methods directly impact the growth of knowledge about extracellular vesicles. Also, it is well-known that different EVs isolation methodologies impact their spectral fingerprints. The nanoscale infrared spectroscopy technique can contribute to elucidating the molecular signature of EVs, as well as the direct correlation of their topography, applying mid-IR spectroscopy for the advancement of understanding EV structure, composition, and function. Here we present results concerning EVs characterization obtained from blood from under renal ischemia/reperfusion-induced cardiac hypertrophy in animal model (Research Ethics Committee of UFABC # 3192040123). It was possible to observe the molecular complexity composition (proteins, phospholipids, fatty acids) along specific sites over EV surface correlating to its complex morphology.

This work was supported by Brazilian agencies Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Est. de S. Paulo (FAPESP), proc. 2022/00153-0, 2023/06583-0; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), procs. 311933/2021-1 and 406761/2022-1 – INCT INTERAS.