Exosomes derived from cardiac telocytes exert positive effects on endothelial cells.

Telocytes are novel cells that have been documented in the interstitium of multiple organs; however, their role in the heart remains unclear. This study aimed to identify cardiac telocytes by their morphological and molecular features and investigate whether their exosomes affect cardiac endothelial cells. To this end, rat cardiac telocytes were cultured and stained with methylene blue, Janus Green B, and MitoTracker green, or with antibodies for established cell surface markers, and examined by microscopy. In addition, telocyte organelles and exosome release were examined by transmission electron microscopy. To investigate exosome functions, we isolated exosomes from telocytes and co-cultured them with endothelial cells