Objective To isolate and prepare extracellular vesicle-like nanoparticles from Tiepishihu (Dendrobium officinale) flowers (DF-EVLPs), and evaluate their specific targeting ability for colon cancer cells, as well as investigate their in vitro targeting and anti-tumor effects against colon cancer cells, in order to provide experimental evidence for the development of targeted delivery systems based on medicinal and edible plants. Methods DF-EVLPs were isolated from D. officinale flowers and their morphology and particle size were characterized. The uptake of DF-EVLPs by CT26 colon cancer cells was observed using pKH26 fluorescence labeling. The effects of DF-EVLPs on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of CT26 cells and their mechanism were evaluated using CCK-8 assay, scratch wound healing experiment, flow cytometry and Western blotting. Results The obtained DF-EVLPs showed a uniform cup-shaped morphology with an average particle size of (156.9 ± 7.2) nm. The cell uptake experiment demonstrated that DF-EVLPs could be efficiently internalized by CT26 colon cancer cells, and the uptake efficiency of DF-EVLPs for colon cancer cells was significantly higher than that of normal colonic epithelial cells, indicating their good specific targeting ability. The in vitro functional experiments showed that DF-EVLPs inhibited the proliferation of CT26 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, significantly reduced cell migration ability, and induced cell apoptosis. Conclusion This study successfully prepared extracellular vesicle-like nanoparticles from D. officinale flowers. As a new type of food-derived nanotherapeutic agent, DF-EVLPs can specifically target colon cancer cells and exert in vitro anti-tumor activity. This study reveals a new biological activity function of D. officinale flowers and provides experimental evidence for dietary intervention for colorectal cancer based on the “medicinal and edible” concept.

Dendrobium officinale flower  /  extracellular vesicle-like nanoparticles  /  colon cancer  /  anti-tumor effect  /  targeted delivery system