Advance in Structure and Bioactivities of Plant Extracellular Vesicles and Its Application in Food and Drug Industry

The structure and function of plant extracellular vesicles (PEVs) are similar to those of animal-derived exosomes. Exosomes play important roles in maintaining the homeostasis of biological environment and preventing various diseases, more and more studies are focused on their bioactivities and applications. This article aims to review the structure and composition, extraction methods, characterization methods, anti-inflammatory activity of PEVs and their application in food and drug industry. In this paper, the overview of PEVs is introduced, including its structure and chemical composition; the advantages and disadvantages of different extraction and characterization methods are also summarized. It will help researchers to choose the appropriate method to prepare nano-sized PEVs with biological functions. This paper focuses on the anti-inflammatory activities of PEVs, especially research achievements in alleviating inflammatory bowel disease. The application of PEVs in food industry is summarized, including the potential application in beverage, food processing and as a delivery carrier of food functional factors. Advances in drug delivery by PEVs are also briefly reviewed. It will provide a theoretical support for exploring the biological functions of PEVs from edible plants and expand the new application of PEVs in food and drug industry.