Optimizing Conditions of Polyethylene Glycol Precipitation for Exosomes
Isolation from MSCs Culture Media for Regenerative Treatment
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived exosomes, as a cell-free therapy
to replace MSCs, have higher safety and great potential in regenerative
medicine. The isolation of exosomes is a challenge that complicates
their application. The commonly used ultracentrifugation and tangential
flow filtration methods are inconvenient due to the need for expensive
instruments and ultrafilter membranes. The cost of commercial kits
limits their application in handling large samples. PEG precipitation is
convenient and cost-effective. However, there is a need for optimized
and standardized isolation methods based on PEG precipitation in
different cell types or liquids to ensure consistent quality and yield.
In this work, we optimized the PEG precipitation method for exosomes
isolation and compared its effectiveness to two commonly used methods:
ultracentrifugation (UC) and commercial exosome isolation kits
(ExoQuick). The recovery rate of the optimized PEG method ( about
61.74%) was comparable to that of the commercial ExoQuick kit (about
62.19%), which was significantly higher than UC (about 45.80%).
Exosome cargo analysis validated no significant differences in miRNA and
protein profiles associated with the proliferation and migration of
exosomes isolated by UC and PEG precipitation, which was confirmed by
gap closure and CCK8 assays. These findings suggest that PEG-based
exosomes isolation could be a highly efficient and high-quality method
and may facilitate the development of exosome-based therapies for
regenerative medicine.