Issue 7, 2024

Tonicity-induced cargo loading into extracellular vesicles

Abstract

The current challenge in using extracellular vesicles (EVs) as drug delivery vehicles is to precisely control their membrane permeability, specifically in the ability to switch between permeable and impermeable states without compromising their integrity and functionality. Here, we introduce a rapid, efficient, and gentle loading method for EVs based on tonicity control (TC) using a lab-on-a-disc platform. In this technique, a hypotonic solution was used for temporarily permeabilizing a membrane (“on” state), allowing the influx of molecules into EVs. The subsequent isotonic washing led to an impermeable membrane (“off” state). This loading cycle enables the loading of different cargos into EVs, such as doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox), ssDNA, and miRNA. The TC approach was shown to be more effective than traditional methods such as sonication or extrusion, with loading yields that were 4.3-fold and 7.2-fold greater, respectively. Finally, the intracellular assessments of miRNA-497-loaded EVs and doxorubicin-loaded EVs confirmed the superior performance of TC-prepared formulations and demonstrated the impact of encapsulation heterogeneity on the therapeutic outcome, signifying potential opportunities for developing novel exosome-based therapeutic systems for clinical applications.

Graphical abstract: Tonicity-induced cargo loading into extracellular vesicles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
01 Oct 2023
Accepted
17 Jan 2024
First published
28 Feb 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Lab Chip, 2024,24, 2069-2079

Tonicity-induced cargo loading into extracellular vesicles

C. Lee, S. Kumar, J. Park, Y. Choi, E. M. Clarissa and Y. Cho, Lab Chip, 2024, 24, 2069 DOI: 10.1039/D3LC00830D

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