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 in vitro. 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.