Ocimum basilicum derived extracellular vesicles: Novel promising approach for type 1 diabetes mellitus

Pancreatic β-cells are crucial for regulating glucose metabolism, and their dysfunction is a key factor in both type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia, a common feature of diabetes, increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress and further β-cell impairment. Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer new therapeutic possibilities to counteract the detrimental consequences of hyperglycemia. This study investigates the impact of Ocimum basilicum (basil) derived EVs (BEVs) on pancreatic β-TC-6 cell lines under hyperglycemic conditions. Basil is known for its antioxidant properties and generates EVs that contain bioactive molecules. These EVs play a role in the plant's therapeutic effects. In this study, the effects of BEVs on β-TC-6 cells were evaluated in terms of cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, insulin secretion, ROS production, antioxidant enzyme activity, mitochondrial function, and gene expression. BEVs were isolated from basil using sucrose cushion with ultracentrifugation and characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), uptake analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) following MISEV criteria. β-TC-6 cells were treated with different range of concentrations of BEVs (1010, 109, 108, 107, and 106 particles) for 24 and 48 hours. Cell proliferation was measured using the MTS assay, showing no cytotoxic effects relative to the control. Under hyperglycemic conditions (33 mM glucose), β-TC-6 cells showed a remarkable decrease in cell viability relative to control, in which BEVs significantly improved at 24 hours and slightly at 48 hours relative to hyperglycemia group. Further studies were done to provide a more detailed understanding of the effect of BEVs under hyperglycemic conditions including, cell cycle analysis, Annexin V & Dead Cell Assay, live-cell imaging, Rhodamine staining, Griess Reagent System, insulin-ELISA assay and SOD assay. Overall, these findings suggest that BEVs enhance pancreatic β-TC-6 cell proliferation, reduce oxidative stress, and improve insulin secretion and glucose metabolism under hyperglycemic conditions. These results highlight BEVs as a promising therapeutic approach for hyperglycemia. However, it should be emphasized that advanced evaluations are needed.