Abstract: Extracellular vesicles are small vesicles released from various cells, playing an important role in cell to cell communication via transmitting proteins and genetic materials including DNA and microRNA (miRNA) from original cell to target cell. Recent studies have demonstrated that EVs played an important role in tissue regeneration, biological marker and disease diagnosis through participating diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes including intercellular communication, antigen presentation, and transfer of oncogenic proteins etc. The common protocols for EVs isolation/purification based on the technology of differential centrifugation, ultrafiltration and immunoaffinity isolation. Differential centrifugation has been regarded as the fundamental method due to the simple operation program and reusability of substrates, while it still had some disadvantages, such as super abundant time consumption. Currently, the frequently-used methods by researchers for EVs isolation were the technology of differential centrifugation combined with other methods, which may increase the purity of isolated EVs, stabilize their activities and reduce isolation time. Therefore, the research progress on the isolation methods of EVs, and the advantage and disadvantage of each method were summarized in the present review, based on the recently published articles, in order to provide a conference for selection a suitable isolation protocol according to the purpose of study.

Key words: Extracellular vesicles, Biological characteristics, Isolation and Extraction