Nanovesicles from Organic Agriculture-Derived Fruits and Vegetables: Characterization and Functional Antioxidant Content

Abstract

Dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables is related to a risk reduction in a series of leading human diseases, probably due to the plants’ antioxidant content. Plant-derived nanovesicles (PDNVs) have been recently receiving great attention regarding their natural ability to deliver several active biomolecules and antioxidants. To investigate the presence of active antioxidants in fruits, we preliminarily analyzed the differences between nanovesicles from either organic or conventional agriculture-derived fruits, at equal volumes, showing a higher yield of nanovesicles with a smaller size from organic agriculture-derived fruits as compared to conventional ones. PDNVs from organic agriculture also showed a higher antioxidant level compared to nanovesicles from conventional agriculture. Using the PDNVs from fruit mixes, we found comparable levels of Total Antioxidant Capacity, Ascorbic Acid, Catalase, Glutathione and Superoxide Dismutase 1. Finally, we exposed the nanovesicle mixes to either chemical or physical lytic treatments, with no evidence of effects on the number, size and antioxidant capacity of the treated nanovesicles, thus showing a marked resistance of PDNVs to external stimuli and a high capability to preserve their content. Our study provides for the first time a series of data supporting the use of plant-derived nanovesicles in human beings’ daily supplementation, for both prevention and treatment of human diseases.

Characterization of anti-proliferative and anti-oxidant effects of nano-sized vesicles from Brassica oleracea L. (Broccoli)

“…PDVs that carry chemicals, proteins, and nucleic acids from vegetables and fruits may provide far more treatment options than synthetic drugs and protein medicine 8 . Plants represent green, sustainable and renewable sources of nanovesicles, and this can ensure a constant and never-ending production, in turn providing bioproducts that are immediately available at low dosages, stable and more effective than the current products, and therefore more suitable for clinical use and the market 48 . Here we show that it is possible to isolate nano-sized BDVs from Brassica oleracea L..…”

Emergence of Edible Plant-Derived Nanovesicles as Functional Food Components and Nanocarriers for Therapeutics Delivery: Potentials in Human Health and Disease

“…At the same time, it would be interesting to investigate how such conditions alter the quantity and the quality of PDNV production. For instance, Logozzi et al compared PDNVs grown on organic farms with those in conventional farms and found the former results in greater yield and total anti-oxidant capacity [ 17 ].…”

Plant extracellular vesicles: A novel bioactive nanoparticle for tumor therapy

“…In addition to plant extracellular vesicles for plant growth and development, defense responses, and plant-microbe symbiosis ( Regente et al, 2017 ; Rutter and Innes, 2018 ; Chukhchin et al, 2019 ; Ivanov et al, 2019 ; Zhou et al, 2021 ), plant extracellular vesicles have attracted attention for their potential roles in human health and disease. For example, extracellular vesicles extracted from edible fruits and vegetables have antioxidant functions, and strawberry- and blueberry-derived exosome-like nanoparticles prevent oxidative stress in human mesenchymal stromal cells and endothelial cells ( De Robertis et al, 2020 ; Logozzi et al, 2021 ; Perut et al, 2021 ). In order to study the cargo and function of plant extracellular vesicles, isolation and purification of plant extracellular vesicles are the primary tasks.…”