Physicochemical Characterisation and In Vitro Bioactivity of Sumac (Rhus coriaria)-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles

Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs) are attracting increasing interest in biomedical research due to their natural origin and components. In this study, PELNs were isolated from Rhus coriaria and physicochemical properties and in vitro biological activities were evaluated. The isolated PELNs were characterised using FE-SEM, nanoparticle-tracking-analysis (NTA) and flow cytometry; chemical composition was analysed by GC-MS. Biological effects were evaluated in A549, HepG2, MCF-7 and PC-3 tumour cells and normal human fibroblasts (hFib) in terms of proliferation, apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The IC₅₀ values for PELNs were determined to be 55.96, 50.0, 26.0 and 49.0 µg protein equivalent/mL in A549, HepG2, MCF-7 and PC-3 cells, respectively, while in hFib cells, the value was 181.5 µg protein equivalent/mL. This difference indicated that PELNs exerted a greater cytotoxic effect on tumour cells than on normal fibroblasts. PELN treatment altered apoptosis and intracellular ROS levels in tumour cells in a cell line-dependent manner. GC-MS analysis identified tetradecanoic acid, 9-hexadecenoic acid, 9-octadecenoic acid and 9-octadecenamide as the major components. The findings suggest a relationship worth investigating between the chemical composition of PELNs from R. coriaria and their cellular bioactivity and that their selective anti-cancer potential should be examined through further mechanistic studies.