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Gene & Protein in Disease A review of exosome-mediated treatments

with biosafety and toxicity. Plants may contain unknown the current limitations in research, especially in regard to
bioactive components or toxic elements from pesticides. exosomes derived from plants, there remains uncharted
Certain plants may also face seasonal and geographic territory that future research must address to better
limitations, complicating the cultivation of exosomes. understand the risks associated with the use of exosomes.
In addition, studies on plant exosomes have primarily Current complications and risks include ethical sourcing,
focused on oral administration, with limited research on long-term effects, lack of regulatory approval, challenges
local injection. Moreover, plant-derived exosomes tend to with biosafety, and environmental impact. In the case of
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have a larger size than MSC-derived exosomes, potentially plant-based exosomes, while the safety regarding systemic
reducing their bioavailability and cellular uptake rate. 113,114 toxicity has been established with oral or intravenous
administration, other methods of administration, such as
3.2.2. Insights into potential long-term implications
local injections, must be further studied.
While plant-derived exosomes show significant promise,
additional studies comparing them with animal-derived 4.2. Importance of a balanced perspective for
exosomes are necessary to fully understand their safety clinicians and researchers
and efficacy. Currently, there are no FDA regulations While exosome-based therapy emerges as a promising
or standard protocols in place for cultivation. However, novel treatment option for alopecia, a balanced approach
the approval of exosome-based therapeutics will must be adopted, as with any therapeutic intervention.
need further long-term studies to investigate the First, clinicians and researchers must thoroughly
genotoxicity, off-target effects, biodistribution, and understand how exosomes function, their role in
safety profiles of both plant-derived and animal-derived regenerative medicine, and the associated challenges. It
exosomes before regulatory approval. Furthermore, the is also important to compare the benefits against the risks
therapeutic effect of exosomes is regulated by various associated with using exosome-based technologies to
factors revolving around their creation, such as the ensure that patients will overall have positive outcomes
parent cell source, culturing methods, and isolation while minimizing negative effects. In addition, adopting
technique. It is recommended that the production of an unbiased approach will not only guide clinical decision-
both animal-derived and plant-derived exosomes be making but also aid in garnering trust from the public,
tightly regulated to ensure pure sourcing and minimize especially from patients who may be hesitant to try out
the risk of contamination, as the activity of nanovesicles a novel treatment. Finally, an objective outlook will
is impacted by their processing method. Contaminants facilitate informative discussions between both clinicians
can result in adverse effects, with exosomes mimicking and researchers to ensure that no aspects are overlooked
the properties of the original parent cell source. For when addressing questions about the use of exosomes. This
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instance, exosomes derived from human colorectal approach will guide future studies to test the therapeutic
cancer cells have been found to induce oncogenic potential and limitations of exosomes, driving further
behavior in colonic mesenchymal stromal cells. research in the avenues of optimizing treatment protocol,
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In addition, the environmental impact of exosome addressing safety concerns, and expanding the field of
use must be considered, especially in the large-scale exosome-based therapies.
production and disposal of exosomes derived from
humans, animals, and plants. 4.3. Implications for the growing interest in
exosome research
4. Balanced approach to exosome safety
The growing interest in exosome research carries various
4.1. Examination of both benefits and risks implications across multiple fields, including biomedicine,
When considering exosome-based technologies, it is drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and diagnostics.
important to weigh both their benefits and risks. As Therefore, it is crucial to further explore and conduct studies
discussed in the previous sections, current studies have to evaluate treatments utilizing exosomes in regard to their
indicated a favorable opinion of their use, as they have safety, long-term effects, efficacy, and therapeutic potential.
shown potential for stimulating hair growth, possess Further research in this field will facilitate the development
an encouraging safety profile with minimal toxicity, of improved biomedical therapies and fine-tuning of the
and offer a promising alternative to existing therapies. cultivation process, leading to the development of superior
In particular, plant-based exosomes may also provide exosome products. With a better understanding, both
additional advantages in terms of ethical sourcing, mass researchers and clinicians can make informed decisions
production, and enhanced biocompatibility due to their regarding their use in certain conditions, aiding in the
natural incorporation into the human diet. However, given recommendation and treatment of patients. Furthermore,

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2024) 10 doi: 10.36922/gpd.3230