MCB Seminar | Plants as nanofactories: Plant-derived extracellular vesicles as novel nanoparticle drug carriers, Oct. 4

The Molecular Cellular Biology Seminar series features Shiyu Yuan discussing "Plants as nanofactories: Plant-derived extracellular vesicles as novel nanoparticle drug carriers" on Oct. 4 from 3:30 – 5 p.m. in Porter Hall 104. 

Yuan is a doctoral student in the Molecular and Cellular Biology program and the Biological Sciences Department at Ohio University.

Abstract : Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, are nanoscale membrane-enclosed particles implicated in intercellular communication to facilitate transport of proteins and genetic material ¹ . The natural origin of plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) allows their isolation from affordable edible plants in significant quantities and eliminates possible concerns regarding toxicity. In addition, plant vesicles are natural carriers of different biomolecules. Compared to mammalian EVs, the remarkably biocompatible, biodegradable, and highly abundant properties of PEVs make them gain more and more attention as promising carries for ectopic cargo delivery. Luiza et al ² investigated the capacity of delivery of functional proteins by grapefruit-derived extracellular vesicles. They isolated EVs from grapefruit juice by differential centrifugation followed by characterization of size, quantity, and morphology. In vitro , they found that native grapefruit-derived extracellular vesicles (GF-EVs) are highly efficient carriers for the delivery of the exogenous Alexa Fluor 647 labeled bovine serum albumin and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) into both human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and colon cancer cells, and, most importantly, they have confirmed the functional activity of HSP70 in the colon cancer cell culture upon delivery by GF‑EVs. In vivo , analysis of the biodistribution of GF‑EVs in mice demonstrated a significant uptake of extracellular vesicles by the majority of organs. Their study indicates a high potential of native GF-EVs for the safe delivery of exogenous proteins into mammalian cells and tissues, which provides a strong basis for further studies and development of plant vesicle delivery systems for the use in novel therapeutics and precision medicine.

Key reference:                                            

1              Nemati, M. et al. Plant-derived extracellular vesicles: a novel nanomedicine approach with advantages and challenges. Cell Commun Signal 20 , 69 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1186/s12964-022-00889-1

2              Garaeva, L. et al. Delivery of functional exogenous proteins by plant-derived vesicles to human cells in vitro. Sci Rep 11 , 6489 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41598-021-85833-y