Abstract:

Chinese herbal medicine derived extracellular vesicles-like particles (CHM-EVLPs) are a collective term for nanoscale vesicles secreted by various cells of medicinal plants. These vesicles are composed of a lipid bilayer membrane and encapsulate a variety of bioactive components, including nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and small active molecules. Numerous studies have demonstrated that CHM-EVLPs possess cross-kingdom regulatory functions, such as excellent biocompatibility, high stability, skin penetration capability, potent targeting capabilities, and high safety, making them highly promising for applications in drug delivery systems and disease therapy. This review systematically summarizes the diverse extraction and purification techniques for CHM-EVLPs, compares their advantages and disadvantages, along with their characterization and identification methods. It provides a detailed analysis of the composition and functions of their internal cargo, including nucleic acids (such as miRNAs with gene regulatory functions), proteins, lipids, and small bioactive molecules. Furthermore, the review synthesizes the multiple biological activities of CHM-EVLPs, encompassing their roles in plant growth, development, metabolism, stress responses, material information transfer, and multiple bioactivities in mammalian systems, various bioactive effects and mechanisms including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-cancer, antioxidant, and anti-osteoporosis activities. This review also discusses the potential applications of CHM-EVLPs as novel therapeutic agents and nanoscale drug carriers in fields including cancer therapy, inflammatory diseases, medical aesthetics, and skincare products. Despite the remarkable progress in CHM-EVLP research, challenges remain, including low extraction efficiency, the lack of standardized methods and biomarkers, unclear mechanisms of action, and difficulties in long-term storage. Future research should focus on developing efficient and scalable preparation processes, establishing a unified quality evaluation system, and deeply revealing the molecular mechanisms of their cross-kingdom regulation. Continuous exploration is needed to promote their practical application and industrialization in clinical treatment and health products, thereby facilitating the in-depth development and utilization of new medicinal plant resources.

Key words: Chinese herbal medicine, extracellular vesicles, nanovesicles, biological activity, drug carrier, therapeutic agents, extraction and purification, characterization techniques