Establishment of a Density Gradient Centrifugation System to Isolate and Purify Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles (BEVs) from Human Faeces

To begin, take 500 microliters of the prepared PBS/BEV solution. Combine it with three milliliters of PBS and mix gently using a 1, 000 microliter pipette. Place a 31 milliliter ultracentrifuge tube on a foam plate with holes, and label the tube with a downward arrow.

Then hold a 1, 000 microliter pipette vertically and add three milliliters of the 50%iodixanol solution to the bottom of the tube. Place a tube holder slightly above the level of the foam plate below the tube opening, and tilt the tube to an angle of 70 degrees. Using a 1, 000 microliter pipette, add three milliliters of 40%iodixanol solution on top of the 50%iodixanol solution.

Then layer three milliliters of 20%iodixanol solution on the 40%iodixanol solution. Using a 1, 000 microliter pipette, add three milliliters of a 10%iodixanol solution on top of the prepared 20%iodixanol solution. Next, add 3.5 milliliters of the PBS/BEV solution on top of the 10%iodixanol solution, and gently return the tubes to an upright position.

Now, position a 31 milliliter ultracentrifuge tube on a foam plate with holes, and label it with an upward arrow. Using a 1, 000 microliter pipette, vertically add 2.5 milliliters of the 60%iodixanol stock solution into the bottom of the tube, and combine it with 500 microliters of PBS/BEV solution to get three milliliters of 50%iodixanol BEV solution. Mix the solution thoroughly by pipetting.

Then after layering 40, 20 and 10%iodixanol solution in sequence, use a 1, 000 microliter pipette to add 3.5 milliliters of PBS on top of the 10%iodixanol solution. Adjust the weight of the two tubes with PBS to a total weight within plus minus 0.005 grams. Next, position the tubes in the buckets and centrifuge them at 160, 000 G for seven hours at four degrees Celsius.

Using a pipetter, collect the fractions obtained from a gradient ultracentrifugation mode sequentially from top to bottom against the sidewall into 10 separate 38.5 milliliter ultracentrifuge tubes. Then ultracentrifuge the fractions at 160, 000 G for 70 minutes at four degrees Celsius. Remove the supernatant, and invert the ultracentrifuge tubes for five minutes.

Next, resuspend the pellets in 200 microliters of pre-chilled PBS using a 200 microliter pipette. Transfer the PBS/BEV solution into a clean 1.5 milliliter microtube. Label the fractions from F1 to F10 as obtained from one gradient ultracentrifugation mode, and proceed for analysis.