Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

Exosomes are small, membrane-bound vesicles secreted by most cell types into the extracellular environment. They play a crucial role in intercellular communication by transporting bioactive molecules, including proteins, lipids, and RNAs, thereby influencing the phenotype and potentially the genotyp...

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Main Authors: Claudia Palazzo, Ilaria Asci, Silvia Russo, Cinzia Buccoliero, Vincenzo Mangialardi, Pasqua Abbrescia, Onofrio Valente, Maddalena Ruggieri, Damiano Paolicelli, Simona Lobasso, Antonio Frigeri
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Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2025.1613618/full
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author Claudia Palazzo
Ilaria Asci
Silvia Russo
Cinzia Buccoliero
Vincenzo Mangialardi
Pasqua Abbrescia
Onofrio Valente
Maddalena Ruggieri
Damiano Paolicelli
Simona Lobasso
Antonio Frigeri
author_facet Claudia Palazzo
Ilaria Asci
Silvia Russo
Cinzia Buccoliero
Vincenzo Mangialardi
Pasqua Abbrescia
Onofrio Valente
Maddalena Ruggieri
Damiano Paolicelli
Simona Lobasso
Antonio Frigeri
author_sort Claudia Palazzo
collection DOAJ
description Exosomes are small, membrane-bound vesicles secreted by most cell types into the extracellular environment. They play a crucial role in intercellular communication by transporting bioactive molecules, including proteins, lipids, and RNAs, thereby influencing the phenotype and potentially the genotype in recipient cells. In recent years, exosomes have gained increasing attention in the study of pathophysiological conditions and numerous diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disorder with myelin sheath and neuroaxonal damage in the central nervous system. In this study, we isolated and purified serum-derived exosomes from patients with relapsing remitting MS (RR-MS) and characterized their lipid profiles using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Lipid analysis was performed in both negative and positive ion modes on intact exosomes, bypassing lipid extraction steps and significantly reducing sample-processing time. The lipid profiles of RR-MS exosomes were compared to those of exosomes isolated from the serum of healthy subjects (HS), and statistical analysis was applied to mass spectra to identify potential lipid biomarkers. The specific phospholipid marker of exosomal membranes, bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP), was clearly detected in both MALDI lipid profiles, with no significant differences in its content between the two sample groups. However, RR-MS exosomes exhibited significantly lower levels of phosphatidic acid (PA) compared to HS exosomes, despite PA being a key structural component of extracellular vesicles. Notably, comparative analysis revealed an enrichment of several lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) species in RR-MS exosome membranes, aligning with their known proinflammatory role in MS pathology. Our most significant finding was a markedly lower phosphatidylcholine (PC) to LPC ratio in the pathological group indicating potential alterations in membrane lipid homeostasis. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report a distinct lipid signature in serum-derived exosomes from RR-MS patients using direct MALDI-TOF/MS analysis.
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spelling doaj-art-a72e5f6bbf5644b49d665688774ad9522025-08-20T03:24:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience1662-51022025-06-011910.3389/fncel.2025.16136181613618Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosisClaudia Palazzo0Ilaria Asci1Silvia Russo2Cinzia Buccoliero3Vincenzo Mangialardi4Pasqua Abbrescia5Onofrio Valente6Maddalena Ruggieri7Damiano Paolicelli8Simona Lobasso9Antonio Frigeri10Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, ItalyExosomes are small, membrane-bound vesicles secreted by most cell types into the extracellular environment. They play a crucial role in intercellular communication by transporting bioactive molecules, including proteins, lipids, and RNAs, thereby influencing the phenotype and potentially the genotype in recipient cells. In recent years, exosomes have gained increasing attention in the study of pathophysiological conditions and numerous diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disorder with myelin sheath and neuroaxonal damage in the central nervous system. In this study, we isolated and purified serum-derived exosomes from patients with relapsing remitting MS (RR-MS) and characterized their lipid profiles using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Lipid analysis was performed in both negative and positive ion modes on intact exosomes, bypassing lipid extraction steps and significantly reducing sample-processing time. The lipid profiles of RR-MS exosomes were compared to those of exosomes isolated from the serum of healthy subjects (HS), and statistical analysis was applied to mass spectra to identify potential lipid biomarkers. The specific phospholipid marker of exosomal membranes, bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP), was clearly detected in both MALDI lipid profiles, with no significant differences in its content between the two sample groups. However, RR-MS exosomes exhibited significantly lower levels of phosphatidic acid (PA) compared to HS exosomes, despite PA being a key structural component of extracellular vesicles. Notably, comparative analysis revealed an enrichment of several lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) species in RR-MS exosome membranes, aligning with their known proinflammatory role in MS pathology. Our most significant finding was a markedly lower phosphatidylcholine (PC) to LPC ratio in the pathological group indicating potential alterations in membrane lipid homeostasis. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report a distinct lipid signature in serum-derived exosomes from RR-MS patients using direct MALDI-TOF/MS analysis.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2025.1613618/fullextracellular vesiclesserumlipid biomarkersautoimmune disordersMALDI-TOF/MS
spellingShingle Claudia Palazzo
Ilaria Asci
Silvia Russo
Cinzia Buccoliero
Vincenzo Mangialardi
Pasqua Abbrescia
Onofrio Valente
Maddalena Ruggieri
Damiano Paolicelli
Simona Lobasso
Antonio Frigeri
Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
extracellular vesicles
serum
lipid biomarkers
autoimmune disorders
MALDI-TOF/MS
title Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
title_full Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
title_fullStr Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
title_full_unstemmed Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
title_short Circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
title_sort circulating exosomes with unique lipid signature in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
topic extracellular vesicles
serum
lipid biomarkers
autoimmune disorders
MALDI-TOF/MS
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2025.1613618/full
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