Exploiting the Opportunity to Use Plant-Derived Nanoparticles as Delivery Vehicles
Vincenza Tinnirello, Nima Rabienezhad Ganji, Carine De Marcos Lousa, Riccardo Alessandro, Stefania Raimondo
Abstract
The scientific community has become increasingly interested in plant-derived nanoparticles (PDNPs) over the past ten years. Given that they possess all the benefits of a drug carrier, including non-toxicity, low immunogenicity, and a lipid bilayer that protects its content, PDNPs are a viable model for the design of innovative delivery systems. In this review, a summary of the prerequisites for mammalian extracellular vesicles to serve as delivery vehicles will be given. After that, we will concentrate on providing a thorough overview of the studies investigating the interactions of plant-derived nanoparticles with mammalian systems as well as the loading strategies for encapsulating therapeutic molecules. Finally, the existing challenges in establishing PDNPs as reliable biological delivery systems will be emphasized.