Table 1.
Summary of extracellular vesicles properties.
| Property | Exosomes | Membrane Vesicles | Apoptotic Bodies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 30–120 nm | 100–1000 nm | 50–4000 nm |
| Morphology | Homogenous cup-shape | Heterogeneous irregular | Heterogeneous irregular |
| Buoyant density | 1.13–1.19 g/cm3 | Not well defined | 1.16–1.28 g/cm3 |
| Origin | Endosomal | Plasma membrane | Apoptotic cells |
| Proteins | CD63, CD81, CD9, annexins, heat-shock proteins, Alix, Tsg101, clathrin, caveolins, integrins, TfRs | Integrins, flotillins, selectins, CD40, metalloproteinases | Histones |
| Lipids | Lysobisphosphatidic acid, cholesterol, ceramide, sphingomyelin and low concentration of phosphatidylserine | High amount of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, ceramide, high concentration of phosphatidylserine | High concentration of phosphatidylserine |
| Nucleic Acids | mRNA, lncRNAs and miRNAs | mRNA, lncRNAs and miRNAs | mRNA, miRNA, fragments of DNA |