Temporal Dynamics of Urinary Extracellular Vesicle Excretion and Cargo in Healthy Subjects over 24 Hours

Urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs) are promising non-invasive biomarkers of renal physiology and pathology, yet little is known about their temporal excretion patterns or optimal normalization strategies. In this basic physiology study, we used a uniquely designed collection protocol of urine collection to characterize with great detail the variation of uEV’s excretion and cargo throughout a 24-hour period in healthy subjects. Thirteen healthy adults (9 F, 4 M) collected every individual void over 24 h (mean 7.2 ± 1.6 voids). An artificial 24-h sample was generated for each collection to compare individual void variation to. uEVs were enriched by low-speed centrifugation with three low-ionic-strength washes to minimize Tamm-Horsfall protein. Size and concentration were quantified by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA); morphology by cryo-TEM; cargo by immunoblotting (NCC, AQP2, TSG101) and single-particle flow cytometry (CD9, CD10, DPP4, Neprilysin). Dietary intake was recorded in nine participants. uEV concentrations varied up to 100-fold across the day, but differences between five predefined time blocks were not significant (p = 0.622). Median uEV diameter ranged from 94 nm to 220 nm without significant diurnal change (p = 0.150). uEV counts correlated strongly with urine creatinine (r = 0.70, p < 0.001), specific gravity (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), and TSG101 signal (r = 0.61, p < 0.001). NCC abundance showed a near-significant mid-day dip (p = 0.06), while AQP2 trended higher in the afternoon (p = 0.27); no temporal pattern was detected for CD9, CD10, DPP4, or Neprilysin. Higher urine flow rates trended toward lower uEV excretion. Food-log data suggested larger uEVs with greater fluid intake, but statistical power was limited. In healthy adults, uEV concentration, size, and most cargo markers exhibit substantial intra-day variability without consistent circadian peaks, whereas NCC and AQP2 show reproducible diurnal trends. Creatinine and TSG101 were used as normalization factors under stable renal function. These findings offer foundational insights into uEV excretion patterns over the course of a day and emphasize key methodological considerations essential for advancing uEV biomarker research.