Head-to-Head Comparison of Tissue Factor-Dependent Procoagulant Potential of Small and Large Extracellular Vesicles in Healthy Subjects and in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

• Published in: Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-09, Vol.12 (9), p.1233
• Main Authors: Brambilla, Marta, Frigerio, Roberto, Becchetti, Alessia, Gori, Alessandro, Cretich, Marina, Conti, Maria, Mazza, Antonella, Pengo, Martino, Camera, Marina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibodies; Biomarkers; Blood coagulation factors; Care and treatment; CD63 antigen; CD9 antigen; COVID-19; Disease; Enumeration; Extracellular vesicles; factor Xa generation; Flow cytometry; Health aspects; Immunofluorescence; Infection; Infections; large extracellular vesicles; Localization; Medical prognosis; Nanoparticles; Peptides; Physiology; Plasma; Remission; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; small extracellular vesicles; Software; Tissue factor; Viral infections
• ISSN: 2079-7737; 2079-7737
• DOI: 10.3390/biology12091233

The relative contribution of small (sEVs) and large extracellular vesicles (lEVs) to the total plasma procoagulant potential is not yet well defined. Thus, we compared total and TF -sEVs and -lEVs isolated from healthy subjects and COVID-19 patients during the acute phase of the infection and after symptom remission in terms of (1) vesicle enumeration using nanoparticle tracking assay, imaging flow cytometry, and TF immunofluorescence localization in a single-vesicle analysis using microarrays; (2) cellular origin; and (3) TF-dependent Xa generation capacity, as well as assessing the contribution of the TF inhibitor, TFPI. In healthy subjects, the plasma concentration of CD9/CD63/CD81 sEVs was 30 times greater than that of calcein lEVs, and both were mainly released by platelets. Compared to lEVs, the levels of TF -sEVs were 2-fold higher. The TF-dependent Xa generation capacity of lEVs was three times greater than that of sEVs, with the latter being hindered by TFPI. Compared to HSs, the amounts of total and TF -sEVs and -lEVs were significantly greater in acute COVID-19 patients, which reverted to the physiological values at the 6-month follow-up. Interestingly, the FXa generation of lEVs only significantly increased during acute infection, with that of sEV being similar to that of HSs. Thus, in both healthy subjects and COVID-19 patients, the TF-dependent procoagulant potential is mostly sustained by large vesicles.