Viscosity of Plasma as a Key Factor in Assessment of Extracellular Vesicles by Light Scattering

Božič, Darja; Sitar, Simona; Junkar, Ita; Štukelj, Roman; Pajnič, Manca; Žagar, Ema; Kralj-Iglič, Veronika; Kogej, Ksenija

doi:10.3390/cells8091046

Open AccessArticle

Viscosity of Plasma as a Key Factor in Assessment of Extracellular Vesicles by Light Scattering

by

Darja Božič

^1,†,

Simona Sitar

²,

Ita Junkar

³,

Roman Štukelj

⁴,

Manca Pajnič

⁴

,

Ema Žagar

²,

Veronika Kralj-Iglič

⁴ and

Ksenija Kogej

^1,*

¹

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

²

Department of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, National Institute of Chemistry, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia

³

Department of Surface Engineering and Optoelectronics, Josef Stefan Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

⁴

Biomedical Research Group, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Current address: Biomedical Research Group, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences, Zdravstvena pot 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia and Laboratory of Physics, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Tržaška cesta 25, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Cells 2019, 8(9), 1046; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8091046

Submission received: 15 July 2019 / Revised: 19 August 2019 / Accepted: 4 September 2019 / Published: 6 September 2019

(This article belongs to the Section Intracellular and Plasma Membranes)

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Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from biological samples are a promising material for use in medicine and technology. However, the assessment methods that would yield repeatable concentrations, sizes and compositions of the harvested material are missing. A plausible model for the description of EV isolates has not been developed. Furthermore, the identity and genesis of EVs are still obscure and the relevant parameters have not yet been identified. The purpose of this work is to better understand the mechanisms taking place during harvesting of EVs, in particular the role of viscosity of EV suspension. The EVs were harvested from blood plasma by repeated centrifugation and washing of samples. Their size and shape were assessed by using a combination of static and dynamic light scattering. The average shape parameter of the assessed particles was found to be ρ ~ 1 (0.94–1.1 in exosome standards and 0.7–1.2 in blood plasma and EV isolates), pertaining to spherical shells (spherical vesicles). This study has estimated the value of the viscosity coefficient of the medium in blood plasma to be 1.2 mPa/s. It can be concluded that light scattering could be a plausible method for the assessment of EVs upon considering that EVs are a dynamic material with a transient identity.

Keywords: extracellular vesicles; exosomes; blood plasma; dynamic light scattering; static light scattering; shape characterization; viscosity of blood plasma

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MDPI and ACS Style

Božič, D.; Sitar, S.; Junkar, I.; Štukelj, R.; Pajnič, M.; Žagar, E.; Kralj-Iglič, V.; Kogej, K. Viscosity of Plasma as a Key Factor in Assessment of Extracellular Vesicles by Light Scattering. Cells 2019, 8, 1046. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8091046

AMA Style

Božič D, Sitar S, Junkar I, Štukelj R, Pajnič M, Žagar E, Kralj-Iglič V, Kogej K. Viscosity of Plasma as a Key Factor in Assessment of Extracellular Vesicles by Light Scattering. Cells. 2019; 8(9):1046. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8091046

Chicago/Turabian Style

Božič, Darja, Simona Sitar, Ita Junkar, Roman Štukelj, Manca Pajnič, Ema Žagar, Veronika Kralj-Iglič, and Ksenija Kogej. 2019. "Viscosity of Plasma as a Key Factor in Assessment of Extracellular Vesicles by Light Scattering" Cells 8, no. 9: 1046. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8091046

APA Style

Božič, D., Sitar, S., Junkar, I., Štukelj, R., Pajnič, M., Žagar, E., Kralj-Iglič, V., & Kogej, K. (2019). Viscosity of Plasma as a Key Factor in Assessment of Extracellular Vesicles by Light Scattering. Cells, 8(9), 1046. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8091046

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Viscosity of Plasma as a Key Factor in Assessment of Extracellular Vesicles by Light Scattering

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