A REVIEW ON NANOTECHNOLOGY-BASED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR HERBAL MEDICINES: RECENT ADVANCES, CHALLENGES, AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Because of their many pharmacological actions and good safety profiles, herbal medicines have been an essential part of healthcare systems all over the world for centuries. Polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and glycosides are among the many phytoconstituents that have substantial therapeutic promise against metabolic syndromes, cancer, inflammatory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, neurological conditions, and microbial infections. However, because to their poor aqueous solubility, low gastrointestinal absorption, quick metabolism, instability under physiological conditions, extensive first-pass metabolism, and lack of target selectivity, many herbal bioactive substances still have limited clinical translation. These restrictions often lead to variable therapeutic results and decreased bioavailability. Drug delivery technologies based on nanotechnology have shown promise as ways to get over these obstacles. Phytochemicals' physicochemical stability is increased by nano-sized carriers, which also improve permeability and solubility, extend systemic circulation, enable regulated and site-specific drug release, and reduce systemic toxicity. The therapeutic efficacy of herbal medicines has been shown to be significantly enhanced by a variety of nanocarriers, including polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, liposomes, phytosomes, nanoemulsions, dendrimers, polymeric micelles, and metallic nanoparticles.