Electron microscopy visualization of cell-free mitochondrial DNA-containing extracellular vesicles in human plasma, serum, and saliva.

ABSTRACT: Human biofluids contain cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) and extracellular mitochondria (ex-Mito), creating the challenge of defining their origins, destinations, mechanisms of regulation, and purposes. To expand our understanding of cf-mtDNA biology, we present a descriptive electron microscopy analysis of circulating particles from cf-mtDNA-enriched plasma (citrate, heparin, and EDTA), serum (red and gold top), and saliva collected from ten healthy people (5 females, 5 males, mean age 44.9 years). Ex-mito and extracellular vesicles (EVs) were isolated by centrifugation followed by size-exclusion chromatography, imaged by transmission electron microscopy, and morphometrically analyzed. In parallel, cf-mtDNA was quantified in each biofluid. The resulting catalog of the most common ci

SUBMITTER: Volos A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12633081 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature