Identification of a specific marker panel for human mesenchymal stem cell-derived small extracellular vesicles

Abstract

Human mesenchymal stem cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEVs) have demonstrated significant immunomodulatory and pro-regenerative potentials. However, the lack of specific markers to define MSC-sEVs presents a major challenge for their clinical application. Here, the proteomic datasets of MSC-sEVs from three cell sources were synchronously analyzed, and several surface antigens commonly found on MSCs were selected as candidate markers due to their high abundances in MSC-sEVs. Next, MSC-sEVs from three cell sources (adipose tissue, umbilical cord, and induced pluripotent stem cells) were stained with fluorescein-conjugated antibodies and analyzed by NanoFCM at single-vesicle resolution. The positive rates of CD13, CD29, and CD90 all exceeded 60% across sEVs derived from three MSCs sources, whereas other candidates generally exhibited lower positive rates. The high positive rates of them were further verified in MSC-sEVs purified via other methods. Moreover, high-resolution microscopy, as an orthogonal method, visually validated their high presence in MSC-sEVs. Meanwhile, none of the non-MSC-sEVs showed concurrent positive rates for CD13, CD29, and CD90 exceeding 40%, suggesting that this marker panel (with a positive rate threshold of 50% for all three markers) could specifically distinguish MSC-sEVs from non-MSC-sEVs. Finally, the positive rates of this panel of markers were assessed in sEVs derived from MSCs at successive passages. The results revealed a progressive diminution of the positive rates of CD29 and CD90 in the sEVs secreted by MSCs with successive passages, accompanied by a reduction in the pro-proliferative activity of these sEVs. Taken together, we have identified a specific and quantifiable marker panel for MSC-sEVs characterization, which facilitates the development of standardized assays for defining MSC-sEVs and ultimately accelerates the clinical translation of MSC-sEVs.

Keywords

identification / marker / mesenchymal stem cells / proteomics / small extracellular vesicles

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2025 The Author(s). Interdisciplinary Medicine published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University.