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Review
. 2025 Aug 30:20:10613-10644.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S540094. eCollection 2025.

Exosomes in Disease Therapy: Plant-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles Current Status, Challenges, and Future Prospects

YuYing Song #  1 , NaNa Feng #  1 , QingYa Yu  1 , YuanYuan Li  1 , MingKun Meng  1 , Xing Yang  2 , ZhiQiang Gan  2 , Tong Xu  2 , Ce Tang  1   2 , Yi Zhang  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Exosomes in Disease Therapy: Plant-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles Current Status, Challenges, and Future Prospects

YuYing Song et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

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.

Keywords: drug delivery; exosomes; gene therapy; immunotherapy; plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could influence the work reported in this study.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of exosome research: From germination to diversified development (1967–2024).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic illustration of PLN biogenesis pathways in plants: MVB-dependent secretion of TET8+ vesicles, EXPO-mediated direct release, and vacuole–plasma membrane fusion under biotic stress.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Continued.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Continued.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Continued.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Structural Composition and Molecular Cargo of PLNs.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Isolation and purification methods of PLNs.
Figure 5
Figure 5
PLNs in therapeutic applications.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic showing how PLNs contribute to tissue repair and regeneration by delivering growth factors and cytokines.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Illustration of exosome engineering strategies for enhanced targeting and drug delivery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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