Pomegranate peel-derived exosome-like nanoparticles: A discarded treasure trove for colorectal cancer treatment.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Thus, there is an urgent need for effective treatment strategies. Exosomes and exosome-like nanoparticles (ELNs) have recently received widespread attention due to their various bioactivity functions and potential clinical applications. The present study focused on the molecular mechanism of pomegranate peel-derived ELNs (PELNs) in anti-CRC therapy. PELNs were successfully extracted via the ultra-centrifugation method and were effectively received by CRC cells (SW480). In addition, the proliferation and migration of CRC cells treated with PELNs were significantly inhibited . RNA sequencing results indicated that PELN treatment affected the expression levels of numerous genes associated with signal transduction, cell cycle and cancer, suggesting its potential in the field of anti-CRC through crossing-kingdom regulation.