From Biomedical Mechanisms to Clinical Applications: Research Progress in Plant-Derived Vesicles for Cancer Therapy

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanomedicine
• Plant Science

Background:

• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are crucial for intercellular communication and are explored as drug delivery systems.
• Mammalian and bacterial EVs face limitations in clinical translation due to safety, ethical, and cost concerns.
• Plant-derived vesicles (PDVs) present a promising alternative with abundant sources, cost-effectiveness, and a favorable safety profile.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the preparation methods, physicochemical properties, anticancer mechanisms, and drug delivery applications of PDVs.
• To identify and address key challenges hindering the clinical translation of PDVs.
• To discuss future prospects for PDV research and development.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on PDV preparation, characterization, and applications.
• Analysis of inherent anticancer effects of PDVs from various plant sources.
• Identification of challenges in scalable production, standardization, and safety assessment.

Main Results:

• PDVs possess inherent anticancer properties, inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis.
• Plant sources like citrus, ginger, and ginseng yield PDVs with therapeutic potential.
• Current PDV research faces challenges in scalability, standardization, heterogeneity, and safety assessment.

Conclusions:

• PDVs are a viable and promising platform for drug delivery and cancer therapy.
• Overcoming production, standardization, and safety challenges is crucial for clinical translation.
• Further research is needed to establish systematic databases and safety frameworks for PDVs.