A colon-specific delivery system for quercetin with enhanced cancer prevention based on co-axial electrospinning

Potential interventions and interactions of bioactive polyphenols and functional polysaccharides to alleviate inflammatory bowel disease - A review

Inflammatory bowel disease is a multifaceted condition that is influenced by nutritional, microbial, environmental, genetic, psychological, and immunological factors. Polyphenols and polysaccharides have gained recognition for their therapeutic potential. This review emphasizes the biological effects of polyphenols and polysaccharides, and explores their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and microbiome-modulating properties in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, polyphenols encounter challenges, such as low stability and low bioavailability in the colon during IBD treatment. Hence, polysaccharide-based encapsulation is a promising solution to achieve targeted delivery, improved bioavailability, reduced toxicity, and enhanced stability. This review also discusses the significance of covalent and non-covalent interactions, and simple and complex encapsulation between polyphenols and polysaccharides. The administration of these compounds in appropriate quantities has proven beneficial in preventing the development of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, ultimately leading to the management of IBD. The use of polyphenols and polysaccharides has been found to reduce histological scores and colon injury associated with IBD, increase the abundance of beneficial microbes, inhibit the development of colitis-associated cancer, promote the production of microbial end-products, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and improve anti-inflammatory properties. Despite the combined effects of polyphenols and polysaccharides observed in both in vitro and in vivo studies, further human clinical trials are needed to comprehend their effectiveness on inflammatory bowel disease.

Applications of polysaccharides in enzyme-triggered oral colon-specific drug delivery systems: A review

Enzyme-triggered oral colon-specific drug delivery system (EtOCDDS1) can withstand the harsh stomach and small intestine environments, releasing encapsulated drugs selectively in the colon in response to colonic microflora, exerting local or systematic therapeutic effects. EtOCDDS boasts high colon targetability, enhanced drug bioavailability, and reduced systemic side effects. Polysaccharides are extensively used in enzyme-triggered oral colon-specific drug delivery systems, and its colon targetability has been widely confirmed, as their properties meet the demand of EtOCDDS. Polysaccharides, known for their high safety and excellent biocompatibility, feature modifiable structures. Some remain undigested in the stomach and small intestine, whether in their natural state or after modifications, and are exclusively broken down by colon-resident microbiota. Such characteristics make them ideal materials for EtOCDDS. This article reviews the design principles of EtOCDDS as well as commonly used polysaccharides and their characteristics, modifications, applications and specific mechanism for colon targeting. The article concludes by summarizing the limitations and potential of ETOCDDS to stimulate the development of innovative design approaches.

Alginate-Based Electrospun Nanofibers and the Enabled Drug Controlled Release Profiles: A Review

Alginate is a natural polymer with good biocompatible properties and is a potential polymeric material for the sustainable development and replacement of petroleum derivatives. However, the non-spinnability of pure alginate solutions has hindered the expansion of alginate applications. With the continuous development of electrospinning technology, synthetic polymers, such as PEO and PVA, are used as co-spinning agents to increase the spinnability of alginate. Moreover, the coaxial, parallel Janus, tertiary and other diverse and novel electrospun fiber structures prepared by multi-fluid electrospinning have found a new breakthrough for the problem of poor spinning of natural polymers. Meanwhile, the diverse electrospun fiber structures effectively achieve multiple release modes of drugs. The powerful combination of alginate and electrostatic spinning is widely used in many biomedical fields, such as tissue engineering, regenerative engineering, bioscaffolds, and drug delivery, and the research fever continues to climb. This is particularly true for the controlled delivery aspect of drugs. This review provides a brief overview of alginate, introduces new advances in electrostatic spinning, and highlights the research progress of alginate-based electrospun nanofibers in achieving various controlled release modes, such as pulsed release, sustained release, biphasic release, responsive release, and targeted release.

Quercetin encapsulated polycaprolactone-polyvinylpyrrolidone electrospun membranes as a delivery system for wound healing applications

The present work focuses on the production of electrospun membranes based on Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) for the topical release of Quercetin (Q). Membranes were prepared at 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 7.0 and 15 % wt of Quercetin and studied from a morphological, physical, and biological point of view. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evidences micrometric dimensions of the fibres with a good dispersion of the functional molecule. The retention degree of liquids was evaluated by testing four different liquid media while the radical scavenging activity of Quercetin-loaded membranes was evaluated through DPPH analysis. The release kinetics of Quercetin highlights the presence of an initial burst followed by slower release up to attaining an equilibrium state, after roughly 50 h, showing the possibility of a fine-tuning of drug release. Diffusion coefficients were then evaluated by using Fick's law. Finally, to verify the actual biocompatibility of the systems produced and the possible application in the repair of tissue injury, the biological activity of Quercetin released from drug-loaded membranes was analysed in an immortalized human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT by a wound healing assay. So, the reported preliminary data confirm the possibility of applying the electrospun Quercetin-loaded PCL-PVP membranes for wound healing applications.

Biological activity, limitations and steady-state delivery of functional substances for precision nutrition

Food-related functional substances with biological activity serve as a crucial material foundation for achieving precision nutrition, which has gained increasing attraction in regulating physiological functions, preventing chronic diseases, and maintaining human health. Nutritional substances typically include bioactive proteins, peptides, polysaccharides, polyphenols, functional lipids, carotenoids, probiotics, vitamins, saponins, and terpenes. These functional substances play an essential role in precise nutrition. This chapter introduces and summarizes typical functional substances to demonstrate the challenges in precision nutrition for their stability, solubility, and bioavailability. The current status of delivery systems of functional substances is described to give an insight into the development of desirable characteristics, such as food grade status, high loading capacity, site targeting, and controlled release capacity. Finally, the applications of food-borne delivery systems of functional substances for precision nutrition are emphasized to meet the requirement for precision nutrition during nutritional intervention for chronic diseases.

Electrospun fiber-based micro- and nano-system for delivery of high concentrated quercetin to cancer cells

The anticancer potential of quercetin (Q), a plant-derived flavonoid, and underlining molecular mechanisms are widely documented in cellular models in vitro. However, biomedical applications of Q are limited due to its low bioavailability and hydrophilicity. In the present study, the electrospinning approach was used to obtain polylactide (PLA) and PLA and polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based micro- and nanofibers containing Q, namely PLA/Q and PLA/PEO/Q, respectively, in a form of non-woven fabrics. The structure and physico-chemical properties of Q-loaded fibers were characterized by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy (SEM and AFM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), goniometry and FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The anticancer action of PLA/Q and PLA/PEO/Q was revealed using two types of cancer and nine cell lines, namely osteosarcoma (MG-63, U-2 OS, SaOS-2 cells) and breast cancer (SK-BR-3, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, Hs 578T, and BT-20 cells). The anticancer activity of Q-loaded fibers was more pronounced than the action of free Q. PLA/Q and PLA/PEO/Q promoted cell cycle arrest, oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death that was not overcome by heat shock protein (HSP)-mediated adaptive response. PLA/Q and PLA/PEO/Q were biocompatible and safe, as judged by in vitro testing using normal fibroblasts. We postulate that PLA/Q and PLA/PEO/Q with Q releasing activity can be considered as a novel and more efficient micro- and nano-system to deliver Q and eliminate phenotypically different cancer cells.

Electrospinning and Electrospraying: Emerging Techniques for Probiotic Stabilization and Application

Probiotics are beneficial for human health. However, they are vulnerable to adverse effects during processing, storage, and passage through the gastrointestinal tract, thus reducing their viability. The exploration of strategies for probiotic stabilization is essential for application and function. Electrospinning and electrospraying, two electrohydrodynamic techniques with simple, mild, and versatile characteristics, have recently attracted increased interest for encapsulating and immobilizing probiotics to improve their survivability under harsh conditions and promoting high-viability delivery in the gastrointestinal tract. This review begins with a more detailed classification of electrospinning and electrospraying, especially dry electrospraying and wet electrospraying. The feasibility of electrospinning and electrospraying in the construction of probiotic carriers, as well as the efficacy of various formulations on the stabilization and colonic delivery of probiotics, are then discussed. Meanwhile, the current application of electrospun and electrosprayed probiotic formulations is introduced. Finally, the existing limitations and future opportunities for electrohydrodynamic techniques in probiotic stabilization are proposed and analyzed. This work comprehensively explains how electrospinning and electrospraying are used to stabilize probiotics, which may aid in their development in probiotic therapy and nutrition.

Flavonoids nanostructures promising therapeutic efficiencies in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is among the frequently diagnosed cancers with high mortality rates around the world. Polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids are secondary plant metabolites which exhibit anti-cancer activities along with anti-inflammatory effects. However, due to their hydrophobicity, sensitivity to degradation and low bioavailability, therapeutic effects have shown poor therapeutic effect. Nano delivery systems such as nanoliposomes, nanomicelles, silica nanoparticles have been investigated to overcome these difficulties. This review provides a summary of the efficiency of certain flavonoids and polyphenols (apigenin, genistein, resveratrol, quercetin, silymarin, catechins, luteolin, fisetin, gallic acid, rutin, and curcumin) on colorectal cancer models. It comprehensively discusses the influence of nano-formulation of flavonoids on their biological functions, including cellular uptake rate, bioavailability, solubility, and cytotoxicity, as well as their potential for reducing colorectal cancer tumor size under in vivo situations.

Targeted delivery of food functional ingredients in precise nutrition: design strategy and application of nutritional intervention

With the high incidence of chronic diseases, precise nutrition is a safe and efficient nutritional intervention method to improve human health. Food functional ingredients are an important material base for precision nutrition, which have been researched for their application in preventing diseases and improving health. However, their poor solubility, stability, and bad absorption largely limit their effect on nutritional intervention. The establishment of a stable targeted delivery system is helpful to enhance their bioavailability, realize the controlled release of functional ingredients at the targeted action sites in vivo, and provide nutritional intervention approaches and methods for precise nutrition. In this review, we summarized recent studies about the types of targeted delivery systems for the delivery of functional ingredients and their digestion fate in the gastrointestinal tract, including emulsion-based delivery systems and polymer-based delivery systems. The building materials, structure, size and charge of the particles in these delivery systems were manipulated to fabricate targeted carriers. Finally, the targeted delivery systems for food functional ingredients have gained some achievements in nutritional intervention for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), liver disease, obesity, and cancer. These findings will help in designing fine targeted delivery systems, and achieving precise nutritional intervention for food functional ingredients on human health.

Recent advances in adhesive materials used in the biomedical field: adhesive properties, mechanism, and applications

Adhesive materials are natural or synthetic polymers with the ability to adhere to the surface of luminal mucus or epithelial cells. They are widely used in the biomedical field due to their unique adhesion, biocompatibility, and excellent surface properties. When used in the human body, they can adhere to an accessible target and remain at the focal site for a longer period, improving the therapeutic effect on local disease. An adhesive material with bacteriostatic properties can play an antibacterial role at the focal site and the adhesive properties of the material can prevent the focal site from being infected by bacteria for a period. In addition, some adhesive materials can promote cell growth and tissue repair. In this review, the properties and mechanism of natural adhesive materials, organic adhesive materials, composite adhesive materials, and underwater adhesive materials have been introduced systematically. The applications of these adhesive materials in drug delivery, antibacterials, tissue repair, and other applications are described in detail. Finally, we have discussed the prospects and challenges of using adhesive materials in the field of biomedicine.

Quercetin-Loaded Polycaprolactone-Polyvinylpyrrolidone Electrospun Membranes for Health Application: Design, Characterization, Modeling and Cytotoxicity Studies

Fibrous membranes of polycaprolactone (PCL)-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) encapsulating 15% wt of quercetin are fabricated by a uniaxial electrospinning technique. Morphological analysis of the electrospun systems proved the fabrication of micrometric fibers (1.58 µm for PCL/PVP and 2.34 µm for quercetin-loaded membrane). The liquid retention degree of the electrospun membranes is evaluated by testing four different liquid media. The contact angle estimation is performed by testing three liquids: phosphate buffer solution, basic solution (pH = 13) and acidic solution (pH = 3), showing high hydrophobicity degree (contact angles > 90°) in all cases. The release of quercetin from the nanofibers in PBS (phosphate buffer solution) and pH = 3 medium, modeled through different models, shows the possibility of a fine tuning of drug release (up to 7 days) for the produced materials. The release profiles attained a plateau regime after roughly 50 h up to 82% and 71% for PBS and pH = 3 media, respectively. Then, since quercetin is known to undergo photooxidation upon UV radiation, release tests after different UV treatment times are carried out and compared with the untreated membrane, demonstrating that the release of the active drug changes from 82% for no-irradiated sample up to 57% after 10 h of UV exposure. The biology activity of released quercetin is evaluated on two human cell lines. The reported results demonstrate the ability of the quercetin-loaded membranes to reduce cell viability of human cell lines in two different conditions: direct contact between cells and quercetin-loaded membranes and cells treatment with culture medium previously conditioned with quercetin-loaded membranes. Therefore, the reported preliminary data confirm the possibility of applying the electrospun quercetin-loaded PCL-PVP membranes for health applications.

Advancement in Therapeutic Intervention of Prebiotic-Based Nanoparticles for Colonic Diseases

Intestinal flora has become a therapeutic target for the intervention of colonic diseases (CDs) with better understanding of the interplay between microbiota and CDs. Depending on unique properties and prominent ability of regulating the intestinal flora, prebiotics can not only achieve a colon-specific drug delivery but also maintain the intestinal homeostasis, thus playing a positive role in the intervention of CDs. Currently, different studies on prebiotic-based nanoparticles have been contrived for colonic drug delivery and have shown great potential in curing various CDs, such as colitis and colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, there is a lack of systematic survey on the use of prebiotic nanoparticles for the treatment of CDs. This review aims to generalize the state-of-the-art of prebiotic nanomedicines specific for CDs. The species and function of intestinal flora and various kinds of prebiotics available as well as their regulating effects on intestinal flora were expounded. A variety of prebiotic nanoparticles pertinent to colon-targeted drug delivery systems were illustrated with particular emphasis on their curative activities on CDs. The efficacy and safety of prebiotic-based colonic drug delivery systems (p-CDDs) were also analyzed. In conclusion, the synergy between prebiotic nanoparticles and their cargos may hold promise for the treatment and intervention of CDs.

Marine Biopolymers as Bioactive Functional Ingredients of Electrospun Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications

Marine biopolymers, abundantly present in seaweeds and marine animals, feature diverse structures and functionalities, and possess a wide range of beneficial biological activities. Characterized by high biocompatibility and biodegradability, as well as unique physicochemical properties, marine biopolymers are attracting a constantly increasing interest for the development of advanced systems for applications in the biomedical field. The development of electrospinning offers an innovative technological platform for the production of nonwoven nanofibrous scaffolds with increased surface area, high encapsulation efficacy, intrinsic interconnectivity, and structural analogy to the natural extracellular matrix. Marine biopolymer-based electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds with multifunctional characteristics and tunable mechanical properties now attract significant attention for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound healing. The present review, covering the literature up to the end of 2021, highlights the advancements in the development of marine biopolymer-based electrospun nanofibers for their utilization as cell proliferation scaffolds, bioadhesives, release modifiers, and wound dressings.

Application of chitosan/alginate nanoparticle in oral drug delivery systems: prospects and challenges

Oral drug delivery systems (ODDSs) have various advantages of simple operation and few side effects. ODDSs are highly desirable for colon-targeted therapy (e.g. ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer), as they improve therapeutic efficiency and reduce systemic toxicity. Chitosan/alginate nanoparticles (CANPs) show strong electrostatic interaction between the carboxyl group of alginates and the amino group of chitosan which leads to shrinkage and gel formation at low pH, thereby protecting the drugs from the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and aggressive gastric environment. Meanwhile, CANPs as biocompatible polymer, show intestinal mucosal adhesion, which could extend the retention time of drugs on inflammatory sites. Recently, CANPs have attracted increasing interest as colon-targeted oral drug delivery system for intestinal diseases. The purpose of this review is to summarize the application and treatment of CANPs in intestinal diseases and insulin delivery. And then provide a future perspective of the potential and development direction of CANPs as colon-targeted ODDSs.

Drug Delivery Applications of Coaxial Electrospun Nanofibres in Cancer Therapy

Cancer is one of the most serious health problems and the second leading cause of death worldwide, and with an ageing and growing population, problems related to cancer will continue. In the battle against cancer, many therapies and anticancer drugs have been developed. Chemotherapy and relevant drugs are widely used in clinical practice; however, their applications are always accompanied by severe side effects. In recent years, the drug delivery system has been improved by nanotechnology to reduce the adverse effects of the delivered drugs. Among the different candidates, core-sheath nanofibres prepared by coaxial electrospinning are outstanding due to their unique properties, including their large surface area, high encapsulation efficiency, good mechanical property, multidrug loading capacity, and ability to govern drug release kinetics. Therefore, encapsulating drugs in coaxial electrospun nanofibres is a desirable method for controlled and sustained drug release. This review summarises the drug delivery applications of coaxial electrospun nanofibres with different structures and drugs for various cancer treatments.

Recent development in fabrication and evaluation of phenolic-dietary fiber composites for potential treatment of colonic diseases

Phenolics have been shown by in vitro and animal studies to have multiple pharmacological effects against various colonic diseases. However, their efficacy against colonic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease, and colorectal cancer, is significantly compromised due to their chemical instability and susceptibility to modification along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) before reaching the colonic site. Dietary fibers are promising candidates that can form phenolic-dietary fiber composites (PDC) to carry phenolics to the colon, as they are natural polysaccharides that are non-digestible in the upper intestinal tract but can be partially or fully degradable by gut microbiota in the colon, triggering the release at this targeted site. In addition, soluble and fermentable dietary fibers confer additional health benefits as prebiotics when used in the PDC fabrication, and the possibility of synergistic relationship between phenolics and fibers in alleviating the disease conditions. The functionalities of PDC need to be characterized in terms of their particle characteristics, molecular interactions, release profiles in simulated digestion and colonic fermentation to fully understand the metabolic fate and health benefits. This review examines recent advancements regarding the approaches for fabrication, characterization, and evaluation of PDC in in vitro conditions.

Electrospun Nanofibers: Current Progress and Applications in Food Systems

Electrospinning has the advantages of simple manufacturing equipment, a low spinning cost, wide range of spinnable materials, and a controllable mild process, which can continuously fabricate submicron or nanoscale ultrafine polymer fibers without high temperature or high pressure. The obtained nanofibrous films may have a large specific surface area, unique pore structure, and easy-to-modify surface characteristics. This review briefly introduces the types and fiber structures of electrospinning and summarizes the applications of electrospinning for food production (e.g., delivery systems for functional food, filtration of beverages), food packaging (e.g., intelligent packaging, antibacterial packaging, antioxidant packaging), and food analysis (e.g., pathogen detection, antibiotic detection, pesticide residue detection, food compositions analysis), focusing on the advantages of electrospinning applications in food systems. Furthermore, the limitations and future research directions of the technique are discussed.

Exploiting the Metabolism of the Gut Microbiome as a Vehicle for Targeted Drug Delivery to the Colon

The prevalence of colon-associated diseases has increased significantly over the past several decades, as evidenced by accumulated literature on conditions such as Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, colorectal cancer, and ulcerative colitis. Developing therapeutics for these diseases is challenging due to physiological barriers of the colon, systemic side effects, and the intestinal environment. Therefore, in a search for novel methods to overcome some of these problems, researchers discovered that microbial metabolism by gut microbiotia offers a potential method for targeted drug delivery This overview highlights several drug delivery systems used to modulate the microbiota and improve colon-targeted drug delivery. This technology will be important in developing a new generation of therapies which harness the metabolism of the human gut microflora.

The effect of formulation morphology on stimuli-triggered co-delivery of chemotherapeutic and MRI contrast agents

Most conventional chemotherapeutics have narrow therapeutic windows, and thus their delivery remains challenging and often raises safety and efficacy concerns. Theranostic platforms, with simultaneous encapsulation of therapeutic and diagnostic agents, have been proposed as next-generation formulations which can overcome this issue. In this work, we used electrohydrodynamic approaches to fabricate core@shell formulations comprising a pH responsive Eudragit L100 shell embedded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), and a thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)/ethyl cellulose core loaded with the model drug carmofur. By varying the weight ratio of core polymer to shell polymer, the morphology of PNIPAM/ethyl cellulose@Eudragit L100 microparticles could be changed from concave to spherical. Smooth cylindrical fibres could also be generated. All the formulations exist as amorphous solid dispersions of drug-in-polymer, with distinct core@shell architectures. The fibres have clear thermo-responsive drug release profiles, while no thermo-responsive properties can be seen with the particles. All the formulations can protect SPIONs from degradation in gastric fluids (pH ∼ 1.5), and around the physiological pH range the materials offer effective and pH-responsive relaxivity. The r₂ values also display clear linear relationships with drug release data, suggesting the potential of using MRI signals to track drug release in vivo. Mathematical equations were established to track drug release in vitro, with very similar experimental and predicted release profiles obtained.

A review on allopathic and herbal nanofibrous drug delivery vehicles for cancer treatments

Drug delivery empowered with nanotechnology manifests to be a superior therapy to cancer. Electrospun nanofibers cocooning anti-cancerous drugs have shown tremendous cytotoxicity towards various tumor cells, including breast, brain, liver, and lung cancer cells. This pristine drug delivery system, according to literature, desists showing any undesirable effects on other parts of the body and bestows several other benefits. From nature-derived Curcumin to laboratory-made Doxorubicin, literature proclaims many such drugs used in nanofibrous drug delivery. Also, multi-drug delivery has been reported to exhibit enhanced properties. The present review exhibits the unrealized potential of nanofibrous drug delivery in chemotherapy.

The influence of the gut microbiota on the bioavailability of oral drugs

Due to its safety, convenience, low cost and good compliance, oral administration attracts lots of attention. However, the efficacy of many oral drugs is limited to their unsatisfactory bioavailability in the gastrointestinal tract. One of the critical and most overlooked factors is the symbiotic gut microbiota that can modulate the bioavailability of oral drugs by participating in the biotransformation of oral drugs, influencing the drug transport process and altering some gastrointestinal properties. In this review, we summarized the existing research investigating the possible relationship between the gut microbiota and the bioavailability of oral drugs, which may provide great ideas and useful instructions for the design of novel drug delivery systems or the achievement of personalized medicine.

Triumph against cancer: invading colorectal cancer with nanotechnology

INTRODUCTION

Recent statistics have reported colorectal cancer (CRC) as the second leading cause of cancer-associated deaths in the world. Early diagnosis of CRC may help to reduce the mortality and associated complications. However, the conventional diagnostic techniques often lead to misdiagnosis, fail to differentiate benign from malignant tissue or diagnose only at an advanced stage. For the treatment of CRC, surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy have been employed. However, the quality of living of the CRC patients is highly compromised after employing current therapeutic approaches owing to the toxicity issues and relapse.

AREA COVERED

This review accentuates the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis, stages of CRC, conventional approaches for diagnosis and therapy of CRC and the issues confronted thereby. It provides an outlook on the advantages of employing nanotechnology-based approaches for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of CRC.

EXPERT OPINION

Employing nanotechnology-based approaches has demonstrated promising outcomes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of CRC. Nanotechnology-based approaches can surmount the major drawbacks of traditional diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Nanotechnology bestows the advantage of early detection of CRC which helps to undertake instant steps for offering efficient therapy and reducing the mortality rates. For the treatment of CRC, nanocarriers offer the benefit of achieving controlled drug release, improved drug bioavailability, enhanced tumor targetability and reduced adverse effects.

Current methodologies to refine bioavailability, delivery, and therapeutic efficacy of plant flavonoids in cancer treatment

Over the last two decades, several advancements have been made to improve the therapeutic efficacy of plant flavonoids, especially in cancer treatment. Factors such as low bioavailability, poor flavonoid stability and solubility, ineffective targeted delivery, and chemo-resistance hinder the application of flavonoids in anti-cancer therapy. Many anti-cancer compounds failed in the clinical trials because of unexpected altered clearance of flavonoids, poor absorption after administration, low efficacy, and/or adverse effects. Hence, the current research strategies are focused on improving the therapeutic efficacy of plant flavonoids, especially by enhancing their bioavailability through combination therapy, engineering gut microbiota, regulating flavonoids interaction with adenosine triphosphate binding cassette efflux transporters, and efficient delivery using nanocrystal and encapsulation technologies. This review aims to discuss different methodologies with examples from reported dietary flavonoids that showed an enhanced anti-cancer efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo models. Further, the review discusses the recent progress in biochemical modifications of flavonoids to improve bioavailability, solubility, and therapeutic efficacy.

Application of quercetin flavonoid based hybrid nanocomposites: A review

Natural bioflavonoids are an essential component of dietary supplements possessing antimicrobial properties. Many of the bioflavonoids have resulted in positive antitumor, anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory properties, but the efficacy remains low due to toxicity at the molecular level whereas antiviral property limits to negative. The synergistic link between nanoscience and flavonoid chemistry enhances the epidemiological properties of flavonoid and also diminish the antimicrobial resistivity (AMR) by forming their hybrid nanocomposites. Nanochemistry uses various nanocomposite and nanomaterials for biosensing the flavonoids and their delivery as a drug. The quercetin flavonoid and its derivatives such as rutin, and myricetin are used for sensing and drug delivery. Quercetin with 15Carbon-5Hydroxyl chemical scaffold has been explored for a few decades for the development of hybrid nanocomposite and nanomaterial with metallic as well as organic nano co-composites. This quercetin flavonoid based hybrid nanocomposites seemed to show a significant effect on In vitro and some animal model processes along with attenuating lipid peroxidation, platelet aggregation, and capillary permeability actions. This review mainly focused on the hybrid nanoscience of quercetin bioflavonoid and its application in numerous biological, material fields with a future perspective.

The Human Microbial Metabolism of Quercetin in Different Formulations: An In Vitro Evaluation

Quercetin is one of the main dietary flavonols, but its beneficial properties in disease prevention may be limited due to its scarce bioavailability. For this purpose, delivery systems have been designed to enhance both stability and bioavailability of bioactive compounds. This study aimed at investigating the human microbial metabolism of quercetin derived from unformulated and phytosome-formulated quercetin through an in vitro model. Both ingredients were firstly characterized for their profile in native (poly)phenols, and then fermented with human fecal microbiota for 24 h. Quantification of microbial metabolites was performed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (uHPLC-MSn) analyses. Native quercetin, the main compound in both products, appeared less prone to microbial degradation in the phytosome-formulated version compared to the unformulated one during fecal incubation. Quercetin of both products was bioaccessible to colonic microbiota, resulting in the production of phenylpropanoic acid, phenylacetic acid and benzoic acid derivatives. The extent of the microbial metabolism of quercetin was higher in the unformulated ingredient, in a time-dependent manner. This study opened new perspectives to investigate the role of delivery systems on influencing the microbial metabolism of flavonols in the colonic environment, a pivotal step in the presumed bioactivity associated to their intake.

Quercetin Loaded Nanoparticles in Targeting Cancer: Recent Development

The spread of metastatic cancer cell is the main cause of death worldwide. Cellular and molecular basis of the action of phytochemicals in the modulation of metastatic cancer highlights the importance of fruits and vegetables. Quercetin is a natural bioflavonoid present in fruits, vegetables, seeds, berries, and tea. The cancer-preventive activity of quercetin is well documented due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic activities. However, poor water solubility and delivery, chemical instability, short half-life, and low-bioavailability of quercetin limit its clinical application in cancer chemoprevention. A better understanding of the molecular mechanism of controlled and regulated drug delivery is essential for the development of novel and effective therapies. To overcome the limitations of accessibility by quercetin, it can be delivered as nanoconjugated quercetin. Nanoconjugated quercetin has attracted much attention due to its controlled drug release, long retention in tumor, enhanced anticancer potential, and promising clinical application. The pharmacological effect of quercetin conjugated nanoparticles typically depends on drug carriers used such as liposomes, silver nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles, PLGA (Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid), PLA (poly(D,L-lactic acid)) nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, chitosan nanoparticles, etc. In this review, we described various delivery systems of nanoconjugated quercetin like liposomes, silver nanoparticles, PLGA (Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid), and polymeric micelles including DOX conjugated micelles, metal conjugated micelles, nucleic acid conjugated micelles, and antibody-conjugated micelles on in vitro and in vivo tumor models; as well as validated their potential as promising onco-therapeutic agents in light of recent updates.