# Green Nanodrugs: Research Progress and Challenges of Plant-Derived Nanovesicles in Tumor Treatment

**Authors:** Junsong Zhu, Xingyu Zhou, Qiong Lan, Jian He

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics18030368 · Pharmaceutics · 2026-03-16

## TL;DR

This review explores how plant-derived nanovesicles can be used to treat cancer, highlighting their benefits and challenges.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the research progress and clinical potential of plant-derived nanovesicles in tumor treatment.

## Key findings

- Plant-derived nanovesicles show promise as both direct cancer therapeutics and drug delivery systems.
- They can cross physiological barriers like the blood–brain barrier and gastrointestinal tract.
- Challenges remain in standardizing their preparation for clinical use.

## Abstract

Background: Plant-derived nanovesicles (PDNVs), a class of naturally occurring nanoparticles with a phospholipid bilayer structure, have attracted significant attention in biomedicine, particularly in anti-tumor research, due to their broad source availability, low production cost, high biocompatibility, and low immunogenicity. Methods: This review systematically summarizes and analyzes the isolation methods, composition, anti-tumor mechanisms, and clinical translation potential of PDNVs based on literature retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science, with clinical trials identified and categorized using ClinicalTrials.gov. Results: Current research has made impressive progress in the application of PDNVs, both as direct therapeutic agents and as drug delivery systems. Their remarkable stability, ability to cross physiological barriers (e.g., the gastrointestinal tract and blood–brain barrier), and engineerability underpin their versatile potential. Conclusions: This review comprehensively outlines the compositional characteristics of PDNVs and explores their multi-dimensional mechanisms and application prospects as natural therapeutics and drug delivery platforms in cancer therapy. Despite challenges such as standardization in preparation, PDNVs represent a highly promising class of novel nanobiomaterials.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** cancer (MONDO:0004992)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** Tumor (MESH:D009369)
- **Chemicals:** phospholipid (MESH:D010743)

## Full text

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## Figures

2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13029275/full.md

## References

100 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13029275/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13029275