Plant-derived extracellular vesicles as a promising anti-tumor approach: A comprehensive assessment of effectiveness, safety, and mechanisms

Wei Qiang ¹, Jing Li ², Rui Ruan ¹

⁰Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, School of Life Sciences and Health, Hubei University of Technology, No.28, Nanli Road, Hong-shan District, Wuhan 430068, China.

Phytomedicine : International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology +

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May 26, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEs) show significant preclinical anti-cancer efficacy, reducing tumor growth and inducing apoptosis. Further research is needed for large-scale production to support clinical cancer therapy applications.

Area Of Science

Biotechnology
Nanomedicine
Oncology

Background

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEs) offer a promising, low-toxicity alternative for cancer treatment.
Existing evidence for PDEs' anti-tumor efficacy is insufficient and unsystematic.
Challenges remain in clinical application and industrial-scale production of PDEs.

Purpose Of The Study

To systematically evaluate and meta-analyze preclinical evidence for PDEs in cancer therapy.
To provide reliable scientific data supporting the clinical use of PDEs.

Main Methods

Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases up to March 2024.
Risk of bias assessment using SYRCLE's tool for animal studies.
Meta-analysis and subgroup analysis using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 12.0.

Main Results

Analysis of 38 studies (29 in vivo, 9 in vitro) showed PDEs significantly reduce cancer cell activity and induce apoptosis.
PDEs reduced tumor volume and weight, demonstrating synergistic effects in combination therapy.
PDEs-drugs outperformed free drugs and liposome-drugs in inhibiting tumor volume; safety is linked to administration route (oral preferred).

Conclusions

Meta-analysis confirms systematic and reliable preclinical evidence for PDEs in cancer therapy.
PDEs demonstrate efficacy and safety supporting potential clinical application.
Further research is essential for large-scale industrial production to meet clinical demands.

Keywords:

Anti-tumor Drug delivery Meta-analysis Plant-derived extracellular vesicle (PDEs) Safety