UNLABELLED

Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles represent a novel class of plant-based therapeutics with potential anti-cancer applications. The present study aims to isolate, characterize, and evaluate the -derived exosome-like nanoparticles (ACENPs) for their cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on breast cancer cells. Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that ACENPs exhibited a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 122.4 ± 5.0 nm and a particle concentration of 1.58 × 10 particles/mL. Cellular uptake studies confirmed the efficient internalization of ACENPs in MCF-7, MDA-MB-453, and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Cytotoxicity assay demonstrated a significant reduction in cell viability by 17.6%, 25%, and 35.8% in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cells, respectively. Apoptosis induction was validated through AO/EB staining, DAPI nuclear fragmentation assays, annexin V-FITC/PI staining, and Western blot analysis of apoptosis-related proteins. Treatment with ACENPs resulted in an increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, indicating apoptotic activation. Metabolomic profiling identified bioactive compounds such as arecoline, trigonelline, asarone, and gingerol, known for their anti-cancer properties. Our study findings highlight that ACENPs could be utilized as a promising therapeutic approach for breast cancer treatment. We propose to conduct future research focusing on in vivo validation and optimizing large-scale production for clinical translation.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-025-04349-8.