The Science Behind Plant-Based and Human-Based Exosomes

Both plant and human cells release exosomes. However, the exosomes differ in several aspects since exosomes acquire the property of their parent cells. • Human-based exosomes contain several receptors on their surface that are recognized by cells. However, these receptors are absent in plant-based exosomes. • Cells release exosomes to communicate with the surrounding cells. It implies that the plant cells release exosomes for interaction with plant cells and not human cells, which is not the case for human-based exosomes. • Plant cells and human cells have different biochemical pathways. For example, plant cells process light signals which do not occur in human cells. Similarly human cells have a full-fledged immune system absent in plants. Therefore, plant-based exosomes might not incorporate the biomolecules that can act on all human cell processes. • The plant-based exosomes also vary in their effects depending on the type of plant. In contrast, human-based exosomes vary depending on the cell type.