An efficient method to isolate lemon derived extracellular vesicles for gastric cancer therapy

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanomedicine
• Plant Science

Background:

• Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) show significant clinical potential.
• Current isolation methods like ultracentrifugation are time-consuming and require specialized equipment.
• A rapid, accessible method is needed to advance PDEV research and applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fast and simple method for isolating PDEVs.
• To evaluate the efficacy of this new method using lemon juice as a source.
• To investigate the therapeutic potential of isolated lemon-derived extracellular vesicles (LDEVs) against gastric cancer.

Main Methods:

• Combined electrophoretic technique with a 300 kDa cut-off dialysis bag (ELD method).
• Isolated LDEVs from lemon juice.
• Characterized LDEVs using nanoparticle tracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy.
• Assessed LDEV effects on gastric cancer cells in vitro.

Main Results:

• The ELD method efficiently isolated intact LDEVs comparable to ultracentrifugation.
• LDEVs induced S-phase arrest and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells.
• Anticancer activity was linked to reactive oxygen species generation.
• LDEVs demonstrated safety and gastrointestinal retention.

Conclusions:

• The ELD method is an efficient, equipment-free technique for LDEV isolation suitable for routine labs.
• LDEVs exhibit significant anticancer activity against gastric cancer.
• LDEVs hold promise as edible chemotherapeutics delivery vehicles.