Table 1: EV- exosomes and microvesicles/ectosomes.
| EV Source | Exosomes | Microvesicles |
| Size | 30-120 nm | 50-1000 nm (usually larger than 100 nm) |
| Origin | endosomal compartment of the cells after intraluminal budding of multivesicular bodies and subsequent fusion with cell membrane | direct budding from the plasma membrane and release as shedding vesicles |
| Markers | ESCRT components, Tetraspanins, TSG101, flotillin, ALIX, CD63, CD 81, CD9 | Integrins, selectins, CD40 ligand, ARF6, VCAMP3 |
| Content | Membrane protein and receptor that is reflective of the cell type of origin, mRNA, miRNA, non-coding RNAs, lipids and metabolites. | cytoplasmic proteins and membrane proteins, including receptors mRNA, miRNA, non-coding RNAs, |