Food-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Nutritional Regulation, Gut Microbiota, and Metabolic Health

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important mediators of intercellular communication and carry a wide range of bioactive molecules, including microRNAs, proteins, lipids, and metabolites. Increasing evidence suggests that EVs play important roles not only in physiological and pathological processes in the body but also in the emerging food–nutrition–health axis. In particular, food-derived EVs, including those derived from plants and milk, have attracted considerable attention because of their potential to remain stable during gastrointestinal transit, interact with the gut microbiota, and influence host metabolism, immune responses, and inflammation.Beyond food-derived EVs, diet and nutritional status can also influence EVs naturally produced by the host, which are increasingly recognized as important mediators linking nutritional status to metabolic health. Diet and nutritional status can regulate the biogenesis, cargo composition, and biological activities of these host-derived EVs, thereby contributing to the regulation of obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and other metabolic disorders. Natural products and dietary bioactive compounds may modulate EV biogenesis and EV-mediated signaling, providing new opportunities for nutritional strategies to prevent or manage metabolic and inflammatory disorders.Beyond their roles in intercellular communication and metabolic regulation, the unique properties of EVs have also inspired the development of innovative delivery systems. EVs may serve as natural or bioinspired carriers for nutrients and other bioactive compounds, with the potential to enhance cargo stability, protect bioactive compounds during gastrointestinal transit, and improve their absorption and bioavailability. Elucidating the interactions between EVs, dietary components, and the host is therefore important for translating advances in EV biology and delivery technologies toward applications in functional foods, nutritional fortification, and precision nutrition.We welcome original research articles, clinical studies, and reviews addressing the biological functions, nutritional significance, and technological applications of food-derived and host-derived EVs, as well as EV-inspired delivery systems. Studies investigating food processing, gastrointestinal fate, bioavailability, gut microbiota interactions, metabolic regulation, and health outcomes are particularly encouraged.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Food-derived EVs, including plant-, milk-, and other dietary EVs, and their composition, stability, biological functions, and health effects• Gastrointestinal fate, absorption, bioavailability, and gut microbiota interactions of dietary EVs and their cargo• Effects of diet, nutritional status, food processing, storage, and digestion on EV biogenesis, composition, integrity, and function• EV-mediated regulation of the gut–metabolism–immune axis and cross-kingdom communication• Roles of endogenous EVs in obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, MASLD, and related inflammatory disorders• Regulation of EV biology by natural products, polyphenols, flavonoids, and other dietary bioactive compounds• EVs and EV-inspired biomimetic designs as natural carriers for nutrients and bioactive compounds• EV-inspired and biomimetic delivery systems for nutritional and food-derived bioactives• Applications of EVs and biomimetic delivery systems in functional foods, nutritional fortification, and precision nutrition• Advances in EV characterization, detection, and interdisciplinary methodologies Topic editors: Long Xie, Meigui Huang, Liping Chen, JIE LI Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85571/food-derived-extracellular-vesicles-nutritional-regulation-gut-microbiota-and-metabolic-health