Matrix-Bound Nanovesicles: What Are They and What Do They Do?

Abstract

Over the past 50 years, several different types of extracellular vesicles have been discovered including: exosomes, microvesicles, and matrix vesicles. These vesicles are secreted by cells for specific purposes and contain cargo such as micro-RNA, cytokines, and lipids. A novel extracellular vesicle, the matrix bound nanovesicle (MBV), has been recently discovered. The MBV is similar to the microvesicle however, it is attached to the extracellular matrix, instead of being secreted. This review compares MBVs to other types of extracellular vesicles to try and better understand their origin and function. Further, this review will explain various extracellular vesicles isolation methods and how these can be used for MBVs and summarize characterization of MBV cargo such as micro-RNA, proteins, and lipids. Lastly, we will summarize the effects of MBVs on cells. MBVs are a novel class of extracellular vesicles that hold great promise as a platform for delivery of targeted gene and drug therapeutics.

Characterisation of Matrix-Bound Nanovesicles (MBVs) Isolated from Decellularised Bovine Pericardium: New Frontiers in Regenerative Medicine

“…MBVs are a subclass of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which range in size from 20 to 400 nm. They are distinguished from other EVs because they are found tightly adhering to the collagen network of ECM and because they have tissue-specific surface markers and cargo content, which includes lipids, proteins, signalling cytokines and chemokines, and nucleic acids [23][24][25][26]. These contents seem to greatly contribute to the immunomodulatory potential of dECM biomaterials.…”

“…In different studies, MBVs, even when isolated from different tissue sources, have shown the ability to recapitulate the immunomodulatory and regenerative potential of dECM, and have been successfully used both in vitro and in vivo for different regenerative medicine applications, suggesting their vast potential for biomedical applications [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Even though MBVs seem to be a ubiquitous component of the ECM, maintained even after the tissue decellularisation process, to date, they have only been isolated from small intestine submucosa, urinary bladder matrix, dermis, brain, oesophagus, heart, muscle, liver, ovary, pancreas, and tendons [23][24][25]35]. The research characterising these MBVs has shown that there are slight differences in the cargo, surface markers, and, thus, biological potential, of each tissue-specific MBV.…”

“…Moreover, because MBVs are found adhering to the ECM, unlike other EVs which are found in body fluids, their isolation also becomes more challenging and needs to be standardised with respect to each tissue. In fact, while for other EVs, standard extraction methods have been well described, and include size exclusion chromatography, density gradient centrifugation, and differential centrifugation, MBVs need tougher methods to be harvested [24,36]. First off, because MBVs are attached to the ECM, the ECM-derived material first needs to undergo a decellularisation process to obtain dECM, which can include detergent-based and enzymatic-based decellularisation methods.…”

“…Once these steps are performed, the MBVs can be isolated from the solubilised dECM by the protocols previously reported for EVs. This implies that MBVs experience several mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic processes before they can be harvested, each step possibly altering the properties, quality, and yield of the obtained MBVs [24,37]. It is therefore important to understand the presence, optimal harvesting method, and role of MBVs in different dECM biomaterials to be able to fully exploit the potential of these materials and properly apply them in a regenerative context.…”

Regulation of Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Immune Responses against Antigen-Specific Presentation

“…Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer structures secreted by living cells and are classified into either exosomes, microvesicles (MVs), or apoptotic bodies, based on the intracellular production mechanism and size ( Figure 1 ) [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , …”