Application of plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles in drug delivery

AbstractExosomes are one type of extracellular vesicles with size ranging from 30 to 150 nm, which are involved in intercellular communication by transporting specific proteins, nucleic acids, and low molecular weight metabolites. The size and competence of exosomes to transfer biological materials to recipient cells have made them suitable for biomedical use. Therefore, exosomes have been studied as drug delivery systems for various diseases due to low immunogenicity, preferred tumor homing, innate and acquired targetability, and stability. They are secreted by almost all cells from multivesicular endosomes and retrieved in all body fluids including bile, saliva, blood, lymph, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, milk, and etc. Plants’ organs also secrete exosomes (Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs)) which have been considered as an economical and affordable source of production. PELNs are pharmacologically rich in active molecules because of owning unique compositional and morphological features and they can be used as natural nano-carrier for transporting exogenous molecules. In this review, the bio-component and the applications of PELNs as drug delivery systems in neural disorders, tumor-targeted delivery, and gene delivery have been reviewed in different plants such as aloe, turmeric, ginger, lemon, grapefruit, grape, and strawberry.Keywords: Biomedical applicationexosomesplant-derived exosome-like nanoparticlesdrug delivery AcknowledgmentsThis article is the result of a research project approved by the Student Research Committee of Kerman University of Medical Sciences No. 402000042, which was carried out with the financial support of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology of the UniversityDisclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThe author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.