Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed vesicles which play important role for cell communication and physiology. EVs are found in many human biological fluids, including blood, breast milk, urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), ejaculate, saliva etc. These nano-sized vesicles contain proteins, mRNAs, microRNAs, non-coding RNAs and lipids that are derived from producing cells. EVs deliver complex sets of biological information to recipient cells thereby modulating their behaviors by their molecular cargo. In this way EVs are involved in the pathological development and progression of many human disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. In this study EVs purified by ultracentrifugation from CSF of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and individuals of the comparison group were characterized using nanoparticle tracking analysis, flow cytometry and cryo-electron microscopy. Vesicular size and the presence of exosomal marker CD9 on the surface provided evidence that most of the EVs were exosome-like vesicles. Cryo-electron microscopy allowed us to visualize a large spectrum of extracellular vesicles of various size and morphology with lipid bilayers and vesicular internal structures. Thus, we described the diversity and new characteristics of the vesicles from CSF suggesting that subpopulations of EVs with different and specific functions may exist.

We have designed multifunctional silver alginate hydrogel microcontainers referred to as loaded microcapsules with different sizes by assembling them via a template assisted approach using natural, highly porous calcium carbonate cores. Sodium alginate was immobilized into the pores of calcium carbonate particles of different sizes followed by cross-linking via addition of silver ions, which had a dual purpose: on one hand, the were used as a cross-linking agent, albeit in the monovalent form, while on the other hand they have led to formation of silver nanoparticles. Monovalent silver ions, an unusual cross-linking agent, improve the sensitivity to ultrasound, lead to homogeneous distribution of silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles appeared on the shell of the alginate microcapsules in the twin-structure as determined by transmission electron microscopy. Remote release of a payload from alginate containers by ultrasound was found to strongly depend on the particle size. The possibility to use such particles as a platform for label-free molecule detection based on the surface enhanced Raman scattering was demonstrated. Cytotoxicity and cell uptake studies conducted in this work have revealed that microcontainers exhibit nonessential level of toxicity with an efficient uptake of cells. The above-described functionalities constitute building blocks of a theranostic system, where detection and remote release can be achieved with the same carrier.

Effective production of oil from carbonate reservoirs often requires the application of improved oil recovery technologies such as waterflooding. However, conventional waterflooding in carbonates usually results in low hydrocarbon recovery as most of these formations exhibit a complex pore throats structure and are mostly oil-wet. Therefore, improved insight into the causes of hydrophobic wetting behavior of such reservoirs is important for understanding the fluid distribution, displacement and enhancing recovery processes. The characterization of fluid-rock interactions is, however, challenging with existing laboratory methods, which are typically based on macroscale (mm) observations. In this experimental study, an advanced imaging technique, namely environmental scanning electron microscope, was applied for the comprehensive investigation of microscale (µm) wettability variations in carbonate rocks covered with organic layers. For the first time, the presence of organic layers on the sample was proved using energy dispersive X-ray mapping. Furthermore, the chemical bond of this layer and carbonate rock surfaces was determined using the transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The thickness of layer was estimated by using image processing software. These findings show that the application of combined microscopic techniques reveals important details about the reason of hydrophobic wetting properties of real carbonate rocks.

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are involved in important processes of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), including malignancy and invasion. EV secreted by glioblastoma cells may cross the hematoencephalic barrier and carry molecular cargo derived from the tumor into the peripheral circulation. Therefore, the determination of the molecular composition of exosomes released by glioblastoma cells seems to be a promising approach for the development of non-invasive methods of the detection of the specific exosomal protein markers in the peripheral blood. The present study aimed to determine the common exosomal proteins presented in preparations from different cell lines and search potential glioblastoma biomarkers in exosomes. We have performed proteomics analysis of exosomes obtained from the conditioned culture medium of five glioblastoma cell lines. A list of 133 proteins common for all these samples was generated. Based on the data obtained, virtual two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) maps of proteins presented in exosomes of glioblastoma cells were constructed and the gene ontology (GO) analysis of exosome proteins was performed. A correlation between overexpressed in glial cell proteins and their presence in exosomes have been found. Thus, the existence of many potential glioblastoma biomarkers in exosomes was confirmed.

At present day, silver nanoparticles are widely used in different fields of human activity. Due to the unique combination of physical and chemical properties, silver nanoparticles have high reactivity and antibacterial activity against microorganisms. For the same reason, silver nanoparticles can render a cytotoxic effect on eukaryotic cells. The usage of different polymeric compounds as stabilizers can allow reducing of it and saving antibacterial activity. With this regard, the examination of new nanoparticles' stabilizers is a vital task. In addition, for the safe usage of silver nanoparticles it is necessary to estimate some of their physical properties and cytotoxicity. Here we evaluated the shape, size, UV-visible absorption, fluorescence, z-potential and cytotoxicity of single silver nanoparticles and nanoparticles, stabilized by polyvinyl alcohol, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium oleate and agarose. We found that nanoparticles stabilized by all investigated polymeric compounds with the exception of sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium oleate did not possess significant cytotoxic effect on the test cell culture.

The existence of a complete oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) supercomplex including both electron transport system and ATP synthases has long been assumed based on functional evidence. However, no structural confirmation of the docking between ATP synthase and proton pumps has been obtained. In this study, cryo-electron tomography was used to reveal the supramolecular architecture of the rat heart mitochondria cristae during ATP synthesis. Respirasome and ATP synthase structure in situ were determined using subtomogram averaging. The obtained reconstructions of the inner mitochondrial membrane demonstrated that rows of respiratory chain supercomplexes can dock with rows of ATP synthases forming oligomeric ordered clusters. These ordered clusters indicate a new type of OXPHOS structural organization. It should ensure the quickness, efficiency, and damage resistance of OXPHOS, providing a direct proton transfer from pumps to ATP synthase along the lateral pH gradient without energy dissipation.