Techniques and Applications of Animal- and Plant-Derived Exosome-Based Drug Delivery System

Exosomes are a kind of extracellular vesicle, has a particle size of 50–150 nm. Exosomes derived from different cell types are thought to participate in the regulation of cellular communication. On account of the ability of exosomes to deliver various cargos to a corresponding target site, they are often used to deliver therapeutic cargos for treatment. This review summarizes the origins and composition of exosomes, and provides a detailed overview of the current methods for exosome isolation and drug loading as well as the application of exosomes to drug delivery systems (DDSs) to provide practical suggestions for exosome studies. Moreover, this review also highlights the research progresses on plant-derived exosomes in determining their commonalities with and distinctions from animal-derived exosomes, and the advantages and challenges faced by plant-derived exosomes as drug delivery carriers are also discussed to contribute to the further application of plant-derived exosomes.