Abstract: Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease characterized by persistent mucosal inflammation of the colon, leading to impaired quality of life and an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Conventional therapies such as amino salicylates, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biologics are effective but are limited by systemic adverse effects, poor site specificity, frequent dosing, and long-term safety concerns. Herbal phytopharmaceuticals have emerged as promising alternatives due to their multi-target anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and mucosal protective actions, with the advantage of standardization and reproducible therapeutic outcomes compared to crude herbal extracts. However, their clinical application is constrained by low solubility, gastrointestinal instability, rapid metabolism, and inadequate localization at inflamed colonic sites. Colon-targeted mucoadhesive microspheres offer a strategic delivery platform by protecting phytopharmaceuticals from gastrointestinal degradation, enhancing mucosal residence time, and enabling localized, sustained drug release in the colon, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic exposure. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases using relevant keywords related to ulcerative colitis, phytopharmaceuticals, colon-targeted drug delivery, and mucoadhesive microspheres. Peer-reviewed articles published primarily in English were critically evaluated to synthesize current evidence and recent advances in this field. This review critically discusses UC pathophysiology, the therapeutic potential of herbal phytopharmaceuticals, and recent advances in colon-specific mucoadhesive microsphere formulations, while addressing formulation challenges, scalability, regulatory considerations, and future prospects, including combination phytopharmaceutical systems, microbiome-responsive delivery, and personalized colon-targeted therapy.
Abstract: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are considered one of the most debilitating and chronic complications of diabetes mellitus; these ulcers alternate between compromised healing and persistent inflammation, microbial colonization, and biofilm formation. These pathological factors have been known to impair the efficiency of topical treatments and contribute to increased infection and lower limb amputation rates. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged with innovative nanotechnology-based platforms for topical treatments of chronic wounds; these platforms have focused on nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for topical treatments of chronic ulcers. NLCs consist of a coexistence of solid and liquid lipid particles that have increased stability with the help of surfactants; these particles have proven to be efficient topical drug-delivery systems for chronic ulcers with better capacity for drug entrapment and better skin penetration efficiency. The present review article attempts to make an exhaustive presentation of pathologies of DFUs with special focus on pathologies of bacterial infection and biofilm association and overwhelming pathologies of diabetes-induced chronic inflammation and neuronal impairments. It also attempts to describe NLC with special focus on its penetration efficiency and its association with anti-infection gels for tackling extracellular matrices of biofilm formation at present. It has also attempted to review its safety and biocompatibility with special attention towards biofilm targeting that enhances the penetration efficiency of NLC for deeper penetration of biofilm with sustained drug delivery.
Introduction: Obesity affects hundreds of millions of adults worldwide and represents a major risk factor for metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Berberine (BBR) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) are bioactive phytochemicals that exhibit anti-obesity effects through multiple mechanisms, including activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), inhibition of lipogenesis, stimulation of thermogenesis, and modulation of the gut microbiota. However, their therapeutic applications are limited by poor oral bioavailability due to low aqueous solubility, chemical instability, and extensive first-pass metabolism, which restrict their absorption and biological efficacy. Methods: A comprehensive literature analysis was conducted on novel nanocarrier platforms, including lipid-based systems (liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, nanoemulsions), polymeric nanoparticles (PLGA, chitosan, protein-based carriers), inorganic nanocarriers, and molecular complexation strategies for BBR and EGCG delivery in obesity models. Results: Recent studies indicate that nano-formulation strategies can substantially enhance the solubility, stability, absorption, and bioavailability of BBR and EGCG compared with conventional formulations. Different nanocarrier systems demonstrate distinct advantages; however, limitations related to formulation stability, scalability, safety assessment, reproducibility, and regulatory approval remain major barriers to clinical application. Preclinical studies suggest that nano-delivered BBR and EGCG may improve metabolic outcomes, including reductions in body weight gain, adiposity, inflammation, and hepatic lipid accumulation, although further validation in well-designed clinical studies is required. Discussion: This review systematically evaluates advanced nano-delivery systems designed to overcome bioavailability barriers of BBR and EGCG, focusing on pharmacokinetic enhancement, targeted delivery, and improved anti-obesity efficacy across preclinical models to inform clinical translation strategies. Conclusion: Nanomedicine-based delivery platforms represent a promising strategy to unlock the anti-obesity therapeutic potential of BBR and EGCG. Future research should focus on the co-delivery of Nanoformulations that utilise the complementary anti-obesity effects of BBR and EGCG and evaluate their clinical feasibility.
Abstract: Recently, researchers have investigated nanotechnology for targeted and progressive drug delivery systems. In this regard, nanosponges have emerged as an innovative class of nanostructured drug delivery systems featuring a highly porous, three-dimensional polymeric network capable of encapsulating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. Their three-dimensional network with pores has improved the solubility profiles of BCS class II and IV drugs. Hence, they have gained significant attention in pharmaceutical research due to their ability to overcome issues such as reduced bioavailability, drug toxicity, and the need for long-term drug release. Recent research innovations include the development of stimuli-responsive nanosponges, cyclodextrin-based nanosponges, and multifunctional systems proficient in simultaneous delivery of many drugs to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobial, anticancer, and antiviral drugs. Methods such as ultrasound-assisted synthesis, high-pressure homogenization, and the emulsion solvent diffusion method are used to prepare nanosponges. This review highlights the factors affecting nanosponges’ development, their methods of preparation and characterization, drug release profiles, recent advancements, and formulations under clinical trials, along with a comparative evaluation with other nanocarriers. The exclusive advantages, such as co-delivery of multiple drugs, increased surface area, enhanced drug stability, and tenable porosity, make them suitable for advanced therapeutics. However, some issues include potential crosslinker toxicity, small-scale production, reproducible synthesis, limited clinical validation, and the need for standardized characterization and regulatory guidelines. In short, nanosponges epitomize a rapidly developing arena in nanomedicine, and continuous research will be vital to fully realize their potential for future pharmaceutical and biomedical applications, particularly in green synthesis and targeted delivery systems.
Abstract: Despite advances in cancer treatment, cancer remains a leading cause of death globally, and conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery often have significant side effects due to their lack of specificity for cancerous cells. Nanotechnology has become a promising approach to cancer diagnosis and therapy because it can deliver drugs to the targeted location and minimize side effects. In this regard, Green Nanotechnology has attracted significant interest among various approaches in nanotechnology, which rely on biological resources such as plant extracts, microorganisms, and natural biomolecules in the synthesis of nanoparticles. This approach reduces the use of hazardous chemicals and yields biocompatible products. Green-synthesized nanoparticles offer exceptional physicochemical properties, including a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, size tunability, and easy surface functionalization, and are promising carriers for the targeted delivery of anticancer agents. These nanoparticles have been shown to increase the efficacy of drug delivery to tumor sites and have the potential to cause oxidative stress, induce tumor cell death, and inhibit tumor progression in in vitro and in vivo studies. Despite these promising results, the reported therapeutic outcomes remain variable, depending on the biological source, synthesis procedure, and nanoparticle characteristics. Moreover, issues such as insufficient long-term toxicity and biodistribution studies, lack of clinical evidence and poor standardization, and batch-to-batch variations remain to be addressed for successful clinical translation. This review critically discusses recent progress in green nanotechnology for cancer treatment by analyzing different approaches to nanoparticle synthesis, targeted drug delivery systems, therapeutic effectiveness, and safety issues. It also identifies gaps in current research and the challenges that need to be overcome to make green nanotechnology a viable platform for precision cancer treatment and an environmentally friendly technology.
