Plant‐Derived Exosome‐Like Nanoparticle miRNAs Can Prevent and Treat Colorectal Cancer by Modulating the Gut Microbiota

Presently, the incidences of colorectal cancer (CRC) are significantly increasing and there is a need for new therapeutics that better treat CRC. The current treatments for CRC, such as surgery, chemotherapeutics, immunotherapies, and radiotherapies, lack specificity and are cytotoxic to cells. Plant‐derived exosome‐like nanoparticles (PELNs) may provide a new and more natural strategy for enhancing colon health. PELNs are stable, exhibit low immunogenicity, and are highly biocompatible. PELNs may reduce inflammation, repair the intestinal barrier of the gut, and control the composition of the gut microbiota. PELNs and their miRNAs may ameliorate many of the causes of CRC that includes chronic inflammation, dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, and the degradation of the intestinal epithelium by maintaining the homeostasis of the intestinal microenvironment. However, there is a need for more research studies that examine the effects of PELNs on the gut microbiota and on the mechanisms of PELN miRNAs within the intestines. This review will provide support for the immense potential of PELNs and their miRNAs to prevent and treat CRC by discussing their ability to control the composition of bacteria in the gut microbiota and their miRNA regulation of cancer‐causing and inflammatory‐based gene expression in the colon.