Therapeutic translation of traditional Chinese medicine Huangqi derived exosome like nanoparticles: targeting prostate cancer through ferroptosis activation, immune reprogramming, and microbiome modulation

Plant derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs) are emerging as a powerful tool for treating cancers. Among them, PELNs derived from traditional Chinese medicines have shown great potential in treating various cancers. However, many Chinese medicines remain to be explored, and currently, there are no reports on the use of PELNs for treating prostate cancer. In this study, we extracted Huangqi derived exosome-like nanoparticles (HELNs) from fresh Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus) and systematically explored the effects and mechanisms of HELNs in treating prostate cancer through an integrated approach of single-cell sequencing, 16 S rDNA sequencing, and bulk-RNA sequencing. We found that HELNs demonstrated robust cytotoxic effects against prostate cancer both in vitro and in vivo. HELNs reverse the polarization of M2 macrophages, promote their M1-like polarization, and increase the abundance of anti-tumor probiotics in the gut to exert anti-tumor effects. In terms of direct effects, HELNs downregulate the expression level of GPX4 protein in prostate cancer cells, thereby inducing ferroptosis. Finally, we loaded siGPX4 into HELNs to construct a new nanoparticle siGPX4@HELNs. siGPX4@HELNs induce more pronounced ferroptosis in prostate cancer cells, achieving better therapeutic outcomes while maintaining safety.