Figure 1.

Schematic summary of EV isolation, RNA extraction and downstream analyses. EVs were isolated from human serum using five (healthy donors) or four (sepsis patients) different methods. After extracting total RNA from EV isolates, small RNA species were profiled by NGS. Differential expression of miRNAs between volunteers and patients was assessed to identify potential biomarker candidates. Sera from a subset of volunteers and patients were used to additionally characterize isolates from each method by Western blot (WB), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).