Table 2.

Common exosome characterization methods

Methods	Detecting	Advantages	Disadvantages
TEM	Morphology	Observing internal and external structure of exosomes	Complicated operation, time concuming
NTA	Size and concentration	Fast, high resolution	Complicated operation
DLS	Size	10 nm detection limit	Not suitable for complex samples
Western blot	Marker proteins	Qualitative and quantitative analyzing	Complicated operation
Flow cytometry	Marker proteins	Multi-channel and high-throughput analyszing, fast, low sample requirement	Time-consuming, 400 nm detection limit, low accuracy and resolution
ELISA	Marker proteins	High specificity, rapid detection, high-throughput analyzing	Complicated operation, low repeatability