Skip to main content
. 2023 Jun 1;15(6):1639. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15061639

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Sketch of biogenesis and characteristics of EVs. The EVs differ in size and biogenesis. Exosomes or small EVs (50–200 nm) derive from the inward budding endosomal multivesicular bodies. Microvesicles or medium EVs (200–1000 nm) are formed and secreted directly from the plasma membrane’s outward budding. A new mechanism has been now identified in endothelial cells that leads to the release of multi-compartmented microvesicles from the protrusion of cell membrane. Apoptotic bodies are an additional type of microvesicle formed when a cell undergoes programmed cell death. ESCRT: endosomal sorting complex required for tran; GTPase: guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins); Hsp: heat shock proteins; MCH: major histocompatibility complex; MVBs: endosomal multivesicular bodies; TSG101: tumor susceptibility gene 101.