REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cancer Cell Biology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1589550
This article is part of the Research TopicProgress in Molecular Mechanisms and Targeted Therapies for Solid Tumor MicroenvironmentsView all 5 articles
Plant-derived extracellular vesicles as a novel tumor-targeting delivery system for cancer treatment
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China
- 2Changshu No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, China
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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vital mediators of intercellular communication, helping to transfer bioactive molecules to target cells and demonstrating significant potential in antitumor therapy. Currently, EVs are primarily utilized in clinical applications such as biomarker discovery, cell-free therapeutic agents, drug delivery systems, pharmacokinetic studies, and cancer vaccines. Plant-derived EVs (P-EVs) contain a range of lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and other metabolite cargos, and it is possible to extract them from various plant tissues, including juice, flesh, and roots. These vesicles perform multiple biological functions, including modulating cellular restructuring, enhancing plant immunity, and defending against pathogens. P-EVs have also been investigated in various clinical trials due to their promising therapeutic properties. In the context of precision medicine, selectively inhibiting solid tumor growth while preserving the viability of normal human cells remains a primary objective of cancer therapy. However, the tumor microenvironment (TME) supports tumor progression through the facilitation of immune evasion, supplying nutrients, and promoting invasive growth, metastatic processes, and treatment resistance.Consequently, the development of novel antitumor agents is essential. Owing to their inherent therapeutic properties and potential as treatment vectors, natural P-EVs represent a promising biocompatible platform for targeted solid tumor therapy. These vesicles may contribute to remodeling the TME and enhancing antitumor immunity, offering innovative avenues for cancer treatment and improved human health.
Keywords: plant-derived extracellular vesicles, solid tumors, Tumor Microenvironment, Antitumor therapy, precision medicine
Received: 07 Mar 2025; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Shi, Meng, Qiu, Jiang, Qian and Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Da Qian, Changshu No.1 People's Hospital, Suzhou, China
Fengqing Shen, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, 312000, Zhejiang Province, China
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