Distinct molecular properties and functions of small EV subpopulations isolated from human umbilical cord MSCs using tangential flow filtration combined with size exclusion chromatography

Abstract As functional derivatives of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have garnered significant attention and application in regenerative medicine. However, the technical limitations for large‐scale isolation of sEVs and their heterogeneous nature have added complexity to their applications. It remains unclear if the heterogeneous sEVs represent different aspects of MSCs functions. Here, we provide a method for the large‐scale production of sEVs subpopulations derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HucMSCs), utilizing tangential flow filtration combined with size exclusion chromatography. The resulting subpopulations, S1‐sEVs and S2‐sEVs, exhibited stable variations in size, membrane‐marked proteins, and carrying cargos, thereby displaying distinct functions both in vitro and in animal disease models. S1‐sEVs, that highly expressed CD9, HRS and GPC1, demonstrated a greater immunomodulatory impact, while S2‐sEVs with enriched expression of CD63 and FLOT1/2 possessed enhanced capacities in promoting cell proliferation and angiogenesis. These discrepancies are attributed to the specific proteins and miRNAs they contain. Further investigation revealed that the two distinct sEVs subpopulations corresponded to different biological processes: the ESCRT pathway (S1‐sEVs) and the ESCRT‐independent pathway represented by lipid rafts (S2‐sEVs). Therefore, we propose the potential for large‐scale isolation and purification of sEVs subpopulations from HucMSCs with distinct functions. This approach may provide advantages for targeted therapeutic interventions in various MSC indications.