Characterization of extracellular vesicles derived from peptide-enriched bone marrow stromal stem cells

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are gaining increasing importance in regenerative medicine, are defined as nanosized vesicles that regulate intercellular communication. Released from nearly every cell type, EVs are notable for their biotherapeutic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties. This thesis examines the characterization and peptide enrichment of EVs derived from rat bone marrow stromal stem cells. In the study, bone marrow stromal stem cells (BMSCs) were first isolated from the rat bone marrow, and then EVs from these stem cells were obtained and their characterization was done. Surface markers of BMSCs were analyzed using flow cytometry. Chondroblast and osteoblast differentiation capacities were examined on days 7th, 14th, and 2th characterized BMSCs were cultured, and EVs were isolated from their supernatants using ultrafiltration. EVs were characterized using Bicinchoninic Acid (BCA) protein assay, Video Drop, Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Subsequently, EVs were enriched with BMP-2 peptide and then examined for protein content and morphological characteristics. The results confirm the analyses and demonstrate that isolated BMSCs and EVs derived from these cells possess molecular components that can influence numerous biological processes such as osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Peptide enrichment reveals that the EVs exert differentiation-enhancing effects. These results suggest that BMSC-EVs could be used as an extracellular therapeutic agent in future applications.