Low-power sonication can alter extracellular vesicle size and properties

Abstract

Low-power sonication is widely used to disaggregate extracellular vesicles (EVs) after isolation, however, the effects of sonication on EV samples beyond dispersion are unclear. The present study analysed the characteristics of EVs collected from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after sonication, using a combination of transmission electron microscopy, direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, and flow cytometry techniques. Results showed that beyond the intended disaggregation effect, sonication using the lowest power setting available was enough to alter the size distribution, membrane integrity, and uptake of EVs in cultured cells. These results point to the need for a more systematic analysis of sonication procedures to improve reproducibility in EV-based cellular experiments.