Title:Herbal Drugs and Natural Products in the light of Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine for Developing Drug Formulations
Volume: 21
Issue: 3
Author(s): Hiwa M. Ahmed*, Seyed Nabavi and Sahar Behzad
Affiliation:
- Sulaimani Polytechnic University, Slemani, Kurdistan Region,Iraq
Keywords:
Bioavailability, bioactivity, nanomedicine, phytomedicine, drug delivery, natural products.
Abstract: Natural products and medicinal plants have played a vital role in providing healthcare and
ensuring well-being for many civilizations since antiquity. It is estimated that around 50% of drugs in
the market have a natural product origin especially medicinal plants and herbal drugs, animals, fungi,
and marine organisms. Some of these biologically active constituents of extracts have low absorption
and distribution which, as a result, lead to loss of bioavailability and efficacy and might hamper their
applications in the clinic. To overcome these impediments for the formulation of herbal drugs, food
supplements, and essential oils, several nanomedical approaches such as liposomes, microemulsions,
polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), liquid crystal systems (LC), and precursor
systems for liquid crystals (PSLCs) have been proposed. Nanoparticles have been used to modify and
ameliorate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of different drugs, thus incorporating
biotechnological systems may be useful to enhance the bioavailability and bioactivity of herbal
drug formulations. Consequently, essential for any natural compounds is the extent of its absorption
after being ingested and its ability to be distributed in various tissues or organs of the body. The
present review article aims to give an overview of the recent advancements in developing herbal drug
formulations based on nanoparticle technologies.