Figure 4
From: Rapid purification of sub-micrometer particles for enhanced drug release and microvesicles isolation
Isolation of circulating MPs from whole blood using HiDFF. (a) Illustration of MPs (0.1–1 μm) and platelets (~2–3 μm) experiencing the Dean drag forces (FD) and migrate towards the inner wall. The smaller MPs recirculate closer to the inner wall compared with the platelets, which enables MPs separation into the inner outlet (MP outlet). The platelets and larger blood components are removed as waste. (b) Fluorescent and high speed images illustrating the equilibrium positions of the 2 μm beads, blood cells and platelets. Inset (blue box) is a representative image of a platelet (~2–3 μm) at × 60 magnification. (c) The physical characterization of MPs purified from endothelial cell culture (HUVECs) using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and field-emission SEM (FESEM). The comparison of MPs separation efficiency between (d) HUVEC culture media and (e) whole blood samples. (f) Characterization of MPs recovery at different sample blood dilutions (*P<0.05 vs control (1:5)). The data are presented as the mean±s.d. from n=4.
