From rosemary and coffee to bioactive nanovesicles: exploring new frontiers in food functional ingredients

Plant-derived vesicles (PDVs) are lipid-membrane structures that enclose proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and metabolites, reflecting the phytochemical profile of their plant source. This study investigated PDVs from Rosmarinus officinalis leaves (RVs) and Coffea arabica powder (CVs), isolated using a patented method. A multidisciplinary and multi-omic approach was employed to characterize their physico-chemical properties, metabolic and lipid profiles, and in vitro biological activities using fibroblasts (BJ-T5A) and myotubes (C2C12). RVs yield showed a higher vesicles concentration, with 1.37 × 10¹² nanovesicle/mL, compared to 1.74 × 10¹⁰ nanovesicles/mL for CVs. RVs were found to be rich in diterpenes, flavonoids, and free fatty acids, while CVs contained chlorogenic and phenolic acids with higher lipid diversity, mainly diacylglycerols. Both RVs and CVs exhibited a defined morphology and showed strong antioxidant activity, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production in both cell models. Additionally, they enhanced collagen production and secretion in fibroblasts and positively modulated molecular targets related to fatty acid synthesis and glucose transport in myotubes. These findings support the potential of PDVs as natural delivery systems with beneficial properties in muscle health and tissue function.