Guest Editors

Prof. Qing Zhao

The Third Affiliated Hospital

Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China

E-mail: zhaoqing900116@126.com

Prof. Suhua Qi

Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China

E-mail: qisuhua9999@163.com

Dr. Han Feng

Institute of Biophysics

Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

E-mail: jcyx90805118@163.com

Description

A balanced diet is an important foundation for maintaining health and preventing chronic diseases. Foods are not only important sources of nutrients; the bioactive constituents they contain also participate in the regulation of host metabolism, immunity, and inflammation through multiple pathways. Recent advances in extracellular vesicle (EV) research have provided an entirely new perspective for reconsidering the health effects of foods: plant-derived extracellular vesicle-like particles (plant-derived EVLPs), which are widely present in edible plants (including those of medicine-food homology), are nanoscale lipid bilayer vesicles that encapsulate proteins, lipids, nucleic acids (including miRNAs), and diverse small-molecule metabolites. They maintain favorable stability under processing and digestive conditions, can be absorbed by the body after oral administration, and exert diverse biological activities through cross-kingdom regulation of host gene expression and modulation of the gut microbiota. Meanwhile, microbiota-derived EVLPs, an emerging form of postbiotic, are attracting increasing attention for their roles in mediating microbe–host interactions and maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Plant-derived and microbiota-derived EVLPs together constitute "food-derived extracellular vesicles," a new frontier in nutrition and health research.

To address these scientific questions, research on food- and microbiota-derived EVs needs to systematically elucidate their nutritional composition and spectrum of bioactive substances, their in vivo fate and bioavailability following oral ingestion, and their effects on the gut microbiota and host health together with the underlying mechanisms. In recent years, advances in food biochemistry, EV multi-omics (lipidomics, proteomics, small RNA-omics, and metabolomics), microbiology, and related multi-omics technologies have provided powerful tools for resolving the composition, functions, and mechanisms of food-derived EVs. Such studies will help to identify the substances that genuinely exert health effects and their molecular targets, thereby providing a scientific basis for functional food development, the creation of postbiotic preparations, and precision nutrition interventions.

To promote academic exchange in this field, Food Science and Human Wellness is therefore pleased to announce a Special Issue entitled “Food-Derived EVLP from Plant and Microbiota for Human Nutrition and Health.” Focusing on the nutritional components and bioactive substances of food-derived EVs (plant- and microbiota-derived) and their impact on human health, this Special Issue will foster interdisciplinary integration across food science, nutrition, microbiology, extracellular vesicle research, and clinical medicine. By linking EV isolation and characterization, mechanistic elucidation, and health application studies, it aims to provide a scientific basis for the development of EV-based functional foods and postbiotic preparations and for precision nutrition interventions.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to:

• Isolation, Purification, and Characterization: Novel methods for the efficient extraction of EVLPs from diverse plant and microbial sources; comparative evaluation of ultracentrifugation, size-exclusion chromatography, precipitation, microfluidics, and affinity chromatography; quality control and characterization using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryo-electron microscopy, miRNA sequencing, proteomics, and lipidomics.
• Biogenesis, Cargo Loading, and Release Mechanisms: Molecular pathways regulating EVLP formation and secretion in plants; the roles of membrane transport proteins and lipids; environmental and stress-induced modulation of EVLP production.
• Quality of Food-Derived EVs: Advantages of superior species and varieties, favorable sources and geographical origins, and optimal processing and storage conditions for the quality and functional substances of food EVLPs; quality control, formation conditions, mechanisms, and advantages of hybrid vesicles.
• Biological Functions and Intercellular Communication: Roles of EVLPs in crop growth, development, and defense signaling; maintenance of food quality; roles in symbiotic and pathogenic interactions with microorganisms; cross-species communication between crops and animals/humans.
• Food Applications: Use of EVLPs for the preservation and functional enhancement of food products.
• Therapeutic Applications in Biomedicine: Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, wound-healing, and regenerative effects of EVLPs; their use as natural drug-delivery nanocarriers for small molecules, small RNAs, and therapeutic proteins; preclinical and clinical progress.
• Industrial Scalability and Regulatory Perspectives: Bioprocess engineering for large-scale EVLP production; considerations for EVLP identification, formulation, storage, and stability; regulatory barriers and safety assessment for human use.

This Special Issue welcomes original research and review articles in the above areas, covering the nutritional composition and bioactive substances of food-derived EVs, plant EV–microbiota–host interactions, and frontier interdisciplinary and cross-kingdom studies on the health effects and translational applications of EVs. Contributions that link fundamental EV research with population nutrition and health needs are particularly encouraged. We cordially invite experts and scholars in related fields worldwide to submit their work and to jointly explore the scientific questions and application prospects of plant- and gut microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles.

Keywords

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles; Microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles; Bioactive substances; EV-derived small RNA; Gut microbiota; Nutritional composition; Food applications; Health effects; Functional foods

Submission Guidelines

• Manuscript Type: Food-Derived EVLP from Plant and Microbiota for Human Nutrition and Health (please select this article type during submission).
• Submission Deadline: May 30, 2027
• Expected Publication Date: September 30, 2027 (to be confirmed)
• Online Submission System: https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/fshw
• Editorial Office Email: fshw@foodsci.cn