Exosomes in Disease Therapy: Plant-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles Current Status, Challenges, and Future Prospects
Y. Song, Ning Feng, Qing Yu, Yuanyuan Li, Mingyuan Meng, Xing Yang, Zhiqiang Gan, Tong Xu, Ce Tang, Yi Zhang
Abstract
Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles secreted by diverse cell types that mediate intercellular communication through the transfer of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Their ability to cross biological barriers and carry bioactive cargo has led to increasing interest in their use as targeted delivery systems for drugs, genes, and immunomodulatory molecules. Recently, plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles, PLNs obtained from edible plants and medicinal herbs have emerged as a novel, biocompatible alternative to mammalian exosomes. PLNs exhibit low immunogenicity, enhanced safety, and scalable production, making them ideal candidates for clinical translation. This review synthesizes a wide body of experimental data on the biogenesis, molecular composition, and biological activity of PLNs, and provides a comparative assessment of their therapeutic applications across oncology, immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, and gene therapy. Technological advances in PLN engineering, isolation, and manufacturing are discussed, along with key translational barriers such as stability, regulatory standards, and delivery specificity. This review also discusses the scientific implications of PLNs in advancing precision medicine and propose future directions for their integration into next-generation nanotherapeutics.