Atomic force microscopy analysis of extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small vesicles ensuring transport of molecules between cells and throughout the body. EVs contain cell type-specific signatures and have been proposed as biomarkers in a variety of diseases. Their small size (<1 µm) and biological and physical functions make them obvious candidates for therapeutic agents in immune therapy, vaccination, regenerative medicine and drug delivery. However, due to the complexity and heterogeneity of their origin and composition, the actual mechanism through which these vesicles exert their functions is still unknown and represents a great biomedical challenge. Moreover, because of their small dimensions, the quantification, size distribution and biophysical characterization of these particles are challenging and still subject to controversy. Here, we address the advantage of atomic force microscopy (AFM), for the characterization of isolated EVs. We review AFM imaging of EVs immobilized on different substrates (mica, glass) to identify the influence of isolation and deposition methods on the size distribution, morphology and mechanical properties of EVs.

Molecular targets of developmental exposure to bisphenol A in diabesity: a focus on endoderm-derived organs.

Several studies associate foetal human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) to metabolic/endocrine diseases, mainly diabesity. They describe the role of BPA in the disruption of pancreatic beta cell, adipocyte and hepatocyte functions. Indeed, the complexity of the diabesity phenotype is due to the involvement of different endoderm-derived organs, all targets of BPA. Here, we analyse this point delineating a picture of different mechanisms of BPA toxicity in endoderm-derived organs leading to diabesity. Moving from epidemiological data, we summarize the in vivo experimental data of the BPA effects on endoderm-derived organs (thyroid, pancreas, liver, gut, prostate and lung) after prenatal exposure. Mainly, we gather molecular data evidencing harmful effects at low-dose exposure, pointing to the risk to human health. Although the fragmentation of molecular data does not allow a clear conclusion to be drawn, the present work indicates that the developmental exposure to BPA represents a risk for endoderm-derived organs development as it deregulates the gene expression from the earliest developmental stages. A more systematic analysis of BPA impact on the transcriptomes of endoderm-derived organs is still missing. Here, we suggest in vitro toxicogenomics approaches as a tool for the identification of common mechanisms of BPA toxicity leading to the diabesity in organs having the same developmental origin.