Abstract
Microvesicle (MVs) are submicron-sized membranous vesicles that are either actively released from cells via secretory compartments or shed from cell surface membranes. MVs are generated by many cell types and serve as vehicles that transfer biological information (e.g., protein, mRNA, and miRNA) to distant cells, thereby affecting their gene expression, proliferation, differentiation, and function. Although their physiological functions are not clearly defined, recent studies have shown their therapeutic potential for tissue repair and regeneration. While MVs can be isolated readily from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and other cell types from various sources, the yield of MVs under conventional culture condition in vitro is one of the limiting factors for both the in vivo functional study as well as in vitro molecular analysis. Here, we provide a protocol to increase the yield of microvesicles by preconditioning MSCs with rat brain extract.