Plant-derived exosomes: Unveiling the similarities and disparities between conventional extract and innovative form

Herbal medicine, historically valued for its multi-component therapeutic synergy, faces significant challenges in clinical translation due to crude raw materials, compositional complexity, and low bioavailability, as well as unclear effective substances and action targets. As an innovative form of herbal medicine, plant-derived exosomes (PDEs) exhibit their therapeutic potential from a unique phospholipid bilayer structure, which encapsulates bioactive molecules including proteins, lipids, RNAs, and metabolites.

This study aims to elucidate the components, bioavailability, drug delivery, and stability of PDEs by reviewing the keywords including exosome, nanoparticle, and vesicle regarding plants and herbs in the databases (e.g., PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar), specially focusing on the high-frequency medicinal species (e.g., Ginseng, Ginger, Pueraria root, Turmeric, and Wolfberry).

Unlike conventional extracts of herbal medicine, which lose critical compounds during drying or alcohol-based processing, PDEs derived from fresh plant tissues preserve native phytochemical integrity and enhance bioactivity. Advanced extraction techniques and cargo-loading strategies further amplify their therapeutic potential, enabling precise modulation of pathways such as macrophage polarization and immune checkpoint. Despite these advantages, hurdles in standardizing isolation protocols, ensuring storage stability, and validating clinical efficacy remain key obstacles to widespread adoption. The natural surface proteins of PDEs, which facilitate receptor-specific targeting without synthetic modification, exemplify their ability to bridge the synergy of herbal medicine with precision medicine.

These advances position PDEs as transformative agents of herbal medicine in chronic disease management, offering a paradigm shift toward stable, targeted, and efficacious phytotherapy.