How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Play a Role In Nanomedicine? A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Chi Wang,1,2 Kaixiang Ren,1,2 Mei Yang,1,2 Xiang Li,3 Ningxi Li,4 Peng Li,1,2 Huang Yang,5,6 Guangjian Zhang,1,2 Xiaodan Wei1,2 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Intergrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China; 4Mianyang Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Neuroregulation, Department of Anesthesiology, Mianyang Central Hospital, Mianyang, 621000, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of China; 6MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaodan Wei; Guangjian Zhang, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a time-honored practice rooted in natural therapeutics, has served as a cornerstone in safeguarding human health across millennia, aiding in disease mitigation and life vitality preservation. However, many TCM active ingredients suffer from poor solubility, low bioavailability, uncertain toxicity and weak targeting ability. Nanomedicine represents a modern scientific frontier, emerging from the precise engineering of unique nanoscale characteristics, with extensive applications encompassing targeted therapeutic delivery and diverse biomedical fields. Although TCM and nanomedicine diverge fundamentally in historical origins and disciplinary foundations, growing investigations demonstrate their synergistic potential. In this review, nanosized TCM has been revealed as an innovative therapeutic strategy with significant clinical value. Based on the biological activities and structural characteristics of TCM active ingredients, we classify them into two categories: natural nanostructured formulations for TCM and nano-drug delivery systems for TCM. A systematic and comprehensive analysis of preparations specific and functions to two classes of TCM nanomedicines is highlighted. Insights into the advantage of TCM nanomedicines are also introduced. Subsequently, the applications of TCM nanomedicines in the biomedical treatment, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammation and anti-bacterial are summarized. Finally, challenges and future research directions are emphasized, aiming to offer guidance for the modernization of TCM nanomedicines.Keywords: traditional Chinese medicine, active ingredients, drug delivery, biomedical treatment