Coix seed seedlings-derived exosome-like nanovesicles as a natural, stable and highly effective nanoscale radioprotective agent for alleviating ionizing radiation-induced damage

Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles play an important role in regulating the biological functions of organisms. To excavate natural and stable radioprotective nano-agents from coix seed seedlings, the coix seed seedlings-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (CSSELNs) were successfully obtained. CSSELNs with an average particle size of (85.85 ± 0.45) nm and a surface charge of (–17.10 ± 1.35) mV, were enriched with various functional components, including RNAs, proteins, and lipids. In addition, CSSELNs demonstrated excellent stability and high cellular uptake efficiency. Cellular experiments demonstrated that CSSELNs effectively alleviated ionizing radiation-induced damage in hepatocytes in vitro. Further in vivo experiments also demonstrated that CSSELNs could exhibit superior radioprotective effects and good safety in mice. Based on these excellent characteristics, CSSELNs have the potential to be developed as a natural and stable radioprotective nano-agent.