Introduction/Objective: Gut infections remain a significant global healthcare burden, particularly in developing countries with limited sanitation and healthcare accessibility. Although synthetic antibiotics remain the primary treatment approach, their effectiveness is gradually compromised by antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic-mediated gut dysbiosis. This review evaluates the potential of nanocarrier-based fast-dissolving oral strips as an advanced strategy for targeted delivery of herbal therapeutics in gut infections. Methods: Relevant literature on herbal actives, nanoparticle drug delivery systems, and oral strip formulations was critically analyzed to understand their design, mechanisms, and therapeutic applicability. Results: Herbal therapeutics exhibit antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and microbiome-modulating activities; however, their clinical performance is restricted by poor solubility, instability, and limited bioavailability. Nanocarrier systems enhance stability, permeability, and controlled release, while fast-dissolving oral strips improve patient compliance and facilitate effective delivery. Discussion: The integration of herbal therapeutics, nanocarriers, and fast-dissolving oral strips provides a multifunctional approach to overcoming formulation and delivery limitations associated with conventional herbal preparations. However, variations in formulation composition, characterization methods, experimental models, and evaluation parameters limit direct comparison among reported systems. Conclusion: The integration of nanocarriers with oral strip technology represents a promising approach for gut-targeted delivery of herbal agents. However, further translational research and clinical validation are essential to establish their therapeutic potential.
Introduction: Breast cancer is still one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in women worldwide, despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapies. Conventional therapeutic methods may encounter challenges such as systemic toxicity, development of multidrug resistance, poor tumor targeting, and the possibility of relapse of the disease. Methods: This review explores the mechanism of breast cancer development, the possible anticancer properties and pharmacokinetics of resveratrol, and the possibilities for preparing resveratrol-loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). Results: In breast cancer models, resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound, has demonstrated strong anticancer activity through its pro-apoptotic, antiproliferative, antiangiogenic, and antimetastatic properties. However, poor aqueous solubility, low bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and restricted tumor accumulation impede its practical translation. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, particularly SPIONs, offer a feasible solution to overcome these limitations. The ability to functionalize their surface, biocompatibility, and responsiveness to magnetic fields make SPIONs suitable for controlled release and targeted drug delivery. Moreover, their intrinsic magnetic properties allow their use as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging, facilitating simultaneous diagnosis and therapy, a concept known as theranostics. Discussion: Moreover, a critical analysis of preclinical evidence, targeted mechanisms, therapeutic advantages over free resveratrol, clinical translation barriers, and future perspectives is also performed. Conclusion: The combination of resveratrol and SPION-based nanoplatforms is a promising approach for targeted and image-guided therapy of breast cancer, and it deserves further optimization and clinical trials.
Introduction: Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs) are the most severe and common complications of diabetes mellitus, which lead to morbidity, limb amputations, and increased healthcare costs. DFUs are pathophysiological complex conditions that typically involve varying degrees of neuropathy, ischemia, infection, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. Methods: Conventional treatments, such as offloading, debridement, antimicrobial therapy (topical or systemic), and dressings, often lead to a lengthy healing process, frequent recurrence, and growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance worldwide. This has led to considerable interest in phytoconstituents from traditional medicines for DFU management. Results: Phytoconstituents with in-built anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and pro-angiogenic properties, like Curcuma longa, Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Centella asiatica, Berberis spp., and quercetin-containing plants, have demonstrated the capacity to heal wounds via alternative therapies, including their impact on specific cytokines, fibroblast activity, and collagen deposition. These agents, however, are not widely applicable for the management of DFU because they are poorly soluble, bioavailable, or stable. Discussion: Nanotechnology-based delivery systems, such as nanoparticles, nano-emulsions, hydrogels, nanofibers, and solid lipid carriers, have the potential to improve targeted delivery and sustained release to the wound bed, thereby enabling agents to remain at the wound site. Recent work has shown improved outcomes with curcumin-loaded nanofibers and quercetin hydrogels for tissue regeneration, along with reduced infection rates. Conclusion: Despite some encouraging preclinical evidence, several regulatory hurdles, standardization challenges, and limited clinical evidence demonstrating DFU healing remain barriers to adoption in clinical practice.
Introduction: Fungal infections are a major public health concern globally, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. High humidity, poor hygiene, and limited access to healthcare facilities increase the risk of fungal infection transmission. Conventional topical antifungal formulations, such as creams, gels, and ointments, have limited efficacy due to poor skin penetration, low bioavailability, rapid clearance from the site of application, and the stratum corneum barrier. These limitations may reduce treatment effectiveness and increase the risk of antifungal resistance. Methods: This review systematically summarizes the published literature on invasome-based drug delivery systems, focusing on their structure, composition, preparation methods, physicochemical characterization, and applications in antifungal therapy. Results: Invasomes are novel ultra-deformable lipid vesicles composed of phospholipids, ethanol, and terpenes. These components enhance vesicle flexibility and disrupt the lipid structure of the stratum corneum, thereby significantly increasing drug transdermal permeability. Compared with other vesicular systems, such as liposomes, ethosomes, and transferosomes, invasomes show superior deformability, permeability, and biocompatibility. The performance of invasomes depends mainly on parameters such as particle size, zeta potential, drug entrapment efficiency, and deformability. Invasome formulations containing antifungal agents, such as luliconazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole, and terbinafine, have demonstrated improved drug delivery and therapeutic outcomes. Discussion: The high permeability of invasomes is attributed to their synergistic composition, which facilitates penetration into the deeper epidermal and dermal layers. Invasomes can be readily prepared on a large scale and can be incorporated into various topical formulations, making them promising carriers for topical antifungal therapy. However, challenges related to stability, safety, and regulatory approval still need to be addressed. Conclusion: Invasomes represent a promising strategy for improving topical antifungal drug delivery. Their enhanced permeability and drug retention can overcome the limitations of conventional formulations, supporting their potential for effective and targeted treatment of fungal infections.
Introduction: Dendrimers are highly ordered nanoscale macromolecules characterized by well-defined architecture, monodispersity, and broad surface functionality. Their customizable physicochemical properties make them ideal drug-delivery vehicles for overcoming the constraints of traditional treatments. Methods: A narrative literature synthesis was undertaken using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Recent research focusing on dendrimer production, structural properties, drug-loading processes, targeted techniques, therapeutic uses, and clinical translation was critically appraised. Results: Dendrimers demonstrated considerable benefits for regulated drug encapsulation, accurate surface functionalization, and targeted administration of a wide variety of therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Surface-engineered dendrimer systems consistently boosted bioavailability, decreased systemic toxicity, and promoted site-specific drug accumulation, therefore boosting therapeutic effectiveness. Their applications range beyond cancer, gene and nucleic acid delivery, infectious illnesses, neurological disorders, and theranostic platforms. Furthermore, some clinically evaluated dendrimer-based systems have exhibited remarkable translational potential, underscoring their possibility for future therapeutic applications. Discussion: Despite impressive improvements, numerous fundamental difficulties remain that limit the general clinical translation of dendrimer-based nanomedicines. These include generation-dependent cytotoxicity, poor biodegradability in some dendrimer designs, large-scale manufacturing and batch-to-batch repeatability challenges, as well as rigorous regulatory and quality control requirements. Addressing these restrictions via rational molecular design, scalable manufacturing methodologies, and standardized regulatory frameworks will be critical for effective clinical translation. Conclusion: Dendrimers are a highly adaptable and promising family of next-generation nanocarriers with great potential for precise drug delivery and improved therapeutic applications. Nevertheless, continued efforts toward developing safer and biodegradable dendrimer architectures, establishing cost-effective and scalable manufacturing processes, and generating robust preclinical and clinical evidence are imperative to facilitate their successful integration into routine clinical practice.
