Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, transparent fluid derived from blood plasma that protects the brain and spinal cord against mechanical shock, provides buoyancy, clears metabolic waste and transports extracellular components to remote sites in the brain. Given its contact with the brain and the spinal cord, CSF is the most informative biofluid for studies of the central nervous system (CNS). In addition to other components, CSF contains extracellular vesicles (EVs) that carry bioactive cargoes (e.g., lipids, nucleic acids, proteins), and that can have biological functions within and beyond the CNS. Thus, CSF EVs likely serve as both mediators of and contributors to communication in the CNS. Accordingly, their potential as biomarkers for CNS diseases has stimulated much excitement for and attention to CSF EV research. However, studies on CSF EVs present unique challenges relative to EV studies in other biofluids, including the invasive nature of CSF collection, limited CSF volumes and the low numbers of EVs in CSF as compared to plasma. Here, the objectives of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles CSF Task Force are to promote the reproducibility of CSF EV studies by providing current reporting and best practices, and recommendations and reporting guidelines, for CSF EV studies. To accomplish this, we created and distributed a world-wide survey to ISEV members to assess methods considered ‘best practices’ for CSF EVs, then performed a detailed literature review for CSF EV publications that was used to curate methods and resources. Based on responses to the survey and curated information from publications, the CSF Task Force herein provides recommendations and reporting guidelines to promote the reproducibility of CSF EV studies in seven domains: (i) CSF Collection, Processing, and Storage; (ii) CSF EV Separation/Concentration; (iii) CSF EV Size and Number Measurements; (iv) CSF EV Protein Studies; (v) CSF EV RNA Studies; (vi) CSF EV Omics Studies and (vii) CSF EV Functional Studies.

中文翻译：

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脑脊液细胞外囊泡研究重现性的建议

脑脊液 (CSF) 是一种源自血浆的清澈透明液体，可保护大脑和脊髓免受机械冲击、提供浮力、清除代谢废物并将细胞外成分运输到大脑的远程部位。鉴于脑脊液与大脑和脊髓的联系，脑脊液是中枢神经系统 (CNS) 研究中信息最丰富的生物液。除了其他成分外，脑脊液还含有细胞外囊泡（EV），其携带生物活性物质（例如脂质、核酸、蛋白质），并且在中枢神经系统内外具有生物功能。因此，CSF EV 可能既充当中枢神经系统通讯的中介者，又充当中枢神经系统通讯的贡献者。因此，它们作为 CNS 疾病生物标志物的潜力激发了人们对 CSF EV 研究的极大兴奋和关注。然而，与其他生物流体中的 EV 研究相比，对 CSF EV 的研究提出了独特的挑战，包括 CSF 收集的侵入性、有限的 CSF 体积以及与血浆相比 CSF 中的 EV 数量较少。在这里，国际细胞外囊泡学会 CSF 工作组的目标是通过为 CSF EV 研究提供当前的报告和最佳实践以及建议和报告指南来提高 CSF EV 研究的可重复性。为了实现这一目标，我们创建并向 ISEV 成员分发了一项全球调查，以评估被视为 CSF EV“最佳实践”的方法，然后对用于策划方法和资源的 CSF EV 出版物进行了详细的文献综述。根据对调查的答复和出版物中整理的信息，CSF 工作组在此提供了建议和报告指南，以促进七个领域的 CSF EV 研究的可重复性：(i) CSF 收集、处理和存储；(ii) CSF EV 分离/浓缩；(iii) CSF EV 大小和数量测量；(iv) 脑脊液 EV 蛋白研究；(v) CSF EV RNA 研究；(vi) CSF EV 组学研究和 (vii) CSF EV 功能研究。