Arugula nanovesicles counteract diet-induced obesity and modulate gut inflammation and microbiota in vivo

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Abstract

Plant-derived vesicles (PDVs) have emerged as natural nanocarriers reflecting the phytochemical profile of their plant source. PDVs obtained from Eruca sativa leaves (ALVs) were previously shown to be safe and to exert glucose-, lipid- and cholesterol-lowering effects in vivo. In the present study, ALVs exhibited a protein corona enriched in serum albumin, immunoglobulins and apolipoproteins, suggesting favorable stability and biological interactions. In mice, ALVs efficiently protected their cargo and preferentially accumulated in intestinal and hepatic tissues. Their administration in mice significantly reduced body weight gain and adiposity induced by a high-fat high-fructose (HFHF) diet. Moreover, ALVs modulated gut microbiota composition by increasing beneficial bacterial genera and reducing dysbiosis-associated taxa. At the intestinal level, ALVs strengthened barrier integrity and exerted antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects induced by HFHF diet. Overall, these findings support ALVs as promising bioactive nanostructures to improve intestinal health and weight management.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to Carlo Sirtori Foundation (Milan, Italy) for having provided part of equipment used in this experimentation. We acknowledge UNITECH OMICs, mass spectrometry platform of Università degli Studi di Milano, for running mass spectrometry analyses. The authors wish to thank Prof. Giulio Caracciolo and Prof. Daniela Pozzi of the Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, and the NanoDelivery Lab for DLS and zeta potential measurements and the valuable advice for plasma incubation of the vesicles.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

   Lorenza d’Adduzio, Davide Marangon, Carlotta Bollati, Davide Lecca & Carmen Lammi

2. Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

   Electra Brunialti, Alessandro Villa & Paolo Ciana

3. Departamento de Bioquímica Médica y Biología Molecular e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain

   Ivan Cruz-Chamorro & Antonio Carrillo-Vico

4. Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBiS (Universidad de Sevilla, HUVR, Junta de Andalucía, CSIC), Seville, Spain

   Ivan Cruz-Chamorro & Antonio Carrillo-Vico

5. Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain

   Ivan Cruz-Chamorro

6. Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

   Aldo Laganà, Carmela Maria Montone & Anna Laura Capriotti

7. Department of Translational <a href="https://healthylife7.com/bc-health-research-pursues-precision-genetics/” title=”BC health research pursues precision, genetics”>Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

   Marco Calvigioni & Emilia Ghelardi

8. Research Center Nutraceuticals and Food for Health-Nutrafood, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

   Emilia Ghelardi

Authors

1. Lorenza d’AdduzioView author publications

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2. Davide MarangonView author publications

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3. Electra BrunialtiView author publications

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4. Alessandro VillaView author publications

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5. Ivan Cruz-ChamorroView author publications

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6. Paolo CianaView author publications

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7. Aldo LaganàView author publications

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8. Carmela Maria MontoneView author publications

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9. Marco CalvigioniView author publications

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10. Emilia GhelardiView author publications

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11. Antonio Carrillo-VicoView author publications

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12. Anna Laura CapriottiView author publications

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13. Carlotta BollatiView author publications

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14. Davide LeccaView author publications

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15. Carmen LammiView author publications

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Competing interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest, except for C.L. for the patent WO 2024/223549 A1, owned by Università degli Studi di Milano, which is directly related to the content of this publication, since regards the ALVs production method. The patent WO 2024/223549 A1, “Method for the production of plant-derived nanovesicles and their applications”, owned by University of Milan and licensed to Plantech s.r.l., a company in which C.L. is a scientific director and founder. Moreover, C.L., L.d’A., and C.B for Patent IT n° 102025000007569 “VESCICOLE DA ERUCA SATIVA E LORO USI” co-owned by Università degli Studi di Milano and Plantech srl. This potential conflict of interest has been managed in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the journal.

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Supplementary information

ALVs_Supplementary information_26.5.2026 (download PDF )

Supplementary Data 1 (download XLSX )

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d’Adduzio, L., Marangon, D., Brunialti, E. et al. Arugula nanovesicles counteract diet-induced obesity and modulate gut inflammation and microbiota in vivo.
npj Sci Food (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-01020-1

• Received:04 February 2026

• Accepted:15 July 2026

• Published:20 August 2026

• DOI
  :https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-01020-1