REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Microbes
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1632232
This article is part of the Research TopicInterplay Between Nutrition, Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles, and Immune RegulationView all articles
A Critical Evaluation of Methodological and Mechanistic Insights on Probiotic-derived Extracellular Vesicles
Provisionally accepted
- University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
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Probiotic extracellular vesicles (pEVs) have emerged as promising postbiotics with potential applications in inflammatory diseases, infections, allergies, cancer treatment, autoimmune disorders, and even neurological and degenerative conditions. Yet despite the surge in research on pEVs, critical gaps and inconsistencies in study design, methodology, and mechanistic understanding hinder unlocking their full potential. This literature review provides a concise introduction to beneficial bacterial EVs, mechanistic insights into their role in interkingdom interactions, and current challenges in pEV research. We highlight methodological inconsistencies in model selection, control design, and effect measurement, discuss their consequences and provide recommendations to improve experimental rigor and comparability of results. These include methodological considerations like standardization strategies for pEV preparation, purification, formulation, and administration as well as general study design questions. Finally, we outline key avenues for future research, emphasizing the need for biomarkers to track pEV biodistribution, the identification of effector molecules, and a deeper understanding of their mechanistic targets, as well as their interactions with food components and their use as delivery systems, among others. By addressing these challenges, this review aims to provide a roadmap for advancing pEV research and facilitating their transition into clinical and biotechnological applications.
Keywords: Probiotics, Bacterial extracellular vesicles, mechanisms, methodology, applications, Study Design, limitations, nutrition
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 17 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ronacher, Gonzalez and Lorca. 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: Graciela L Lorca, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.