Plant-Derived Extracellular Nanovesicles for Disease Therapy

Natural plants and traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been widely used throughout human history and are available in many pharmaceutical markets. Plant-derived extracellular nanovesicles (PENVs), containing microRNAs, bioactive lipids, and proteins, serve as extracellular messengers to mediate cell-cell communication in a manner similar to those secreted by mammalian cells. PENVs participate in interspecies communication and may serve as natural therapeutic agents against various diseases, such as inflammatory diseases, liver diseases, and cancer. TCMs can induce changes by modulating the composition and surface factors of ENVs. Thus, these ENVs are closely related to TCM syndromes. ENVs derived from Chinese medicines could be used as biomarkers for clinical disease diagnosis, similar to microscopic syndrome differentiation in TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment. The unique design and transport capabilities of ENVs highlight their potential applications in drug delivery. In comparison with ENVs from mammalian cells, PENVs avoid the problems of unwanted genetic or protein transfer and detrimental immunogenic responses prior to clinical application. These features, coupled with the discovery of their intrinsic therapeutic effects, make PENVs ideal agents for drug delivery applications.