Plant derived nanovesicles and their clinical applications

Plants release extracellular vesicles and numerous investigations have reported their characterization, either isolated from the apoplastic fluid of different plant sources, the phloem sap or in vitro plant cultures. The term plant derived nanovesicles is applied to vesicles isolated from fruit juices or from homogenized plant tissues/organs. Plant derived nanovesicles share similar components with canonical plant vesicles, including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and secondary metabolites, which reflect the composition of the parental tissues/cells. In recent years, several studies have dealt with potential biomedical applications of plant derived nanovesicles, including their use as delivery agents, including vaccines, and their use as therapeutics (like in inflammation conditions and cancer), as well as mediators in regenerative medicine. Furthermore, their use in cosmetics is also gaining attention. Although plant derived nanovesicles have emerged as promising biomaterials for the pharmaceutical industry, critical aspects hinder the rapid translation of basic and preclinical studies to a clinical setting. They include the precise identification of bioactive compounds responsible for the effects detected in vitro, and studies are required to evaluate their effect in humans. In addition, it is necessary to develop protocols to optimize their production in a scalable, sustained and adequate cost-effective relation.