Anticancer Applications of Essential Oils Formulated into Lipid-Based Delivery Nanosystems

Exploiting Nanotechnology for Drug Delivery: Advancing the Anti-Cancer Effects of Autophagy-Modulating Compounds in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background

Cancer continues to be a prominent issue in the field of medicine, as demonstrated by recent studies emphasizing the significant role of autophagy in the development of cancer. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides a variety of anti-tumor agents capable of regulating autophagy. However, the clinical application of autophagy-modulating compounds derived from TCM is impeded by their restricted water solubility and bioavailability. To overcome this challenge, the utilization of nanotechnology has been suggested as a potential solution. Nonetheless, the current body of literature on nanoparticles delivering TCM-derived autophagy-modulating anti-tumor compounds for cancer treatment is limited, lacking comprehensive summaries and detailed descriptions.

Methods

Up to November 2023, a comprehensive research study was conducted to gather relevant data using a variety of databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, Web of Science, and CNKI. The keywords utilized in this investigation included "autophagy", "nanoparticles", "traditional Chinese medicine" and "anticancer".

Results

This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential of nanotechnology in overcoming delivery challenges and enhancing the anti-cancer properties of autophagy-modulating compounds in TCM. The evaluation is based on a synthesis of different classes of autophagy-modulating compounds in TCM, their mechanisms of action in cancer treatment, and their potential benefits as reported in various scholarly sources. The findings indicate that nanotechnology shows potential in enhancing the availability of autophagy-modulating agents in TCM, thereby opening up a plethora of potential therapeutic avenues.

Conclusion

Nanotechnology has the potential to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of autophagy-modulating compounds in traditional TCM, through regulation of autophagy.

Essential oils and their nanoformulations for breast cancer therapy

Breast Cancer (BC) is the most prevalent type of cancer in the world. Current treatments include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy but often are associated with high toxicity to normal tissues, chemoresistance, and relapse. Thus, developing novel therapies which could combat these limitations is essential for effective treatment. In this context, phytochemicals are increasingly getting popular due to their safety profile, ability to efficiently target tumors, and circumvent limitations of existing treatments. Essential Oils (EOs) are mixtures of various phytochemicals which have shown potential anticancer activity in preclinical BC models. However, their clinical translation is limited by factors such as high volatility, low stability, and poor solubility. Nanotechnology has facilitated their encapsulation in a variety of nanostructures and proven to overcome these limitations. In this review, we have efficiently summarized the current knowledge on the anticancer effect of EOs and constituents in both in in vitro and in in vivo BC models. Further, we also provide a descriptive account on the potential of nanotechnology in enhancing the anti-BC activity of EOs and their constituents. The papers discussed in this review were selected using the keywords "antiproliferative Essential Oils in breast cancer," "anticancer activity of Essential Oil in breast cancer," and "cytotoxicity of Essential Oils in breast cancer" performed in PubMed and ScienceDirect databases.

Nanoemulsions: summary of a decade of research and recent advances

Nanoemulsions consist of a combination of several components such as oil, water, emulsifiers, surfactants and cosurfactants. Various techniques for producing nanoemulsions include high-energy and low-energy approaches such as high-pressure homogenization, microfluidization, jet disperser and phase inversion methods. The properties of a formulation can be influenced by elements such as the composition, concentration, size and charge of droplets, which in turn can affect the technique of manufacture. Characterization is conducted by the assessment of several factors such as physical properties, pH analysis, viscosity measurement and refractive index determination. This article offers a thorough examination of the latest developments in nanoemulsion technology, with a focus on their wide-ranging applications and promising future possibilities. It also discusses the administration of nanoemulsions through several methods.

Potential molecular mechanisms of myrtenal against colon cancer: A systematic review

Colon cancer is a serious health problem across the globe with various dietary lifestyle modifications. It arises as an inflammation mediated crypts in the colon epithelial cells and undergoes uncontrolled cell division and proliferation. Bacterial enzymes contribute to a major outbreak in colon cancer development upon the release of toxic metabolites from the gut microflora. Pathogen associated molecular patterns and damage associated molecular patterns triggers the NLPR3 inflammasome pathways that releases pro-inflammatory cytokines to induce cancer of the colon. Contributing to this, specific chemokines and receptor complexes attribute to cellular proliferation and metastasis. Bacterial enzymes synergistically attack the colon mucosa and degenerate the cellular integrity causing lysosomal discharge. These factors further instigate the Tol like receptors (TLRs) and Nod like receptors (NLRs) to promote angiogenesis and supply nutrients for the cancer cells. Myrtenal, a monoterpene, is gaining more importance in recent times and it is being widely utilized against many diseases such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. Based on the research data's, the reviews focus on the anticancer property of myrtenal by emphasizing its therapeutic properties which downregulate the inflammasome pathways and other signalling pathways. Combination therapy is gaining more importance as they can target every variant in the cellular stress condition. Clinical studies with compounds like myrtenal of the monoterpenes family is provided with positive results which might open an effective anticancer drug therapy. This review highlights myrtenal and its biological potency as a cost effective drug for prevention and treatment of colon cancer.

Green Alternatives in Treatment of Liver Diseases: the Challenges of Traditional Medicine and Green Nanomedicine

Over the last decade, liver diseases have become a global problem, with approximately two million deaths per year. The high increase in the mortality rate of these diseases is mostly related to the limitations in the understanding of the evolutionary clinical cases of liver diseases, the low delivery of drugs in the liver, the non-specific administration of drugs, and the side effects generated at the systemic level by conventional therapeutic agents. Today it is common knowledge that phytochemicals have a high curative potential, even in the prevention and/or reversibility of liver disorders; however, even using these green molecules, researchers continue to deal with the same challenges implemented with conventional therapeutic agents, which limits the pharmacological potential of these friendly molecules. On the other hand, the latest advances in nanotechnology have proven that the use of nanocarriers as a delivery system for green active ingredients, as well as conventional ones, increases the pharmacological potential of these active ingredients due to their physicochemical characteristics (size, Zeta potential, etc.,) moldable depending on the therapeutic objective; in addition to the above, it should be noted that in recent years, nanoparticles have been developed for the specific delivery of drugs towards a specific target (stellar cells, hepatocytes, Kupffer cells), depending on the clinical state of the disease in the patient. The present review addresses the challenges of traditional medicine and green nanomedicine as alternatives in the treatment of liver diseases.

Fabrication of a protein-dextran conjugates formed oral nanoemulsion and its application to deliver the essential oil from Alpinia zerumbet Fructus

The injury of vascular endothelial cells caused by high glucose (HG) is one of the driving factors of vascular complications of diabetes. Oral administration is the most common route of administration for the treatment of diabetes and its vascular complications. Essential oil extracts from Chinese medicine possess potential therapeutic effects on vascular endothelial injury. However, low solubility and volatility of essential oils generally result in poor oral absorption. Development of nanocarriers for essential oils is a promising strategy to overcome the physiological barriers of oral absorption. In this study, a nanoemulsion composed of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-dextran sulfate (DS) conjugate and sodium deoxycholate (SD) was constructed. The nanoemulsions were verified with promoted oral absorption and prolonged circulation time. After the primary evaluation of the nanoemulsion, essential oil from Alpinia zerumbet Fructus (EOFAZ)-loaded nanoemulsion (denoted as EOFAZ@BD5/S) was prepared and characterized. Compared to the free EOFAZ, EOFAZ@BD5/S increased the protective effects on HG-induced HUVEC injury in vitro and ameliorative effects on the vascular endothelium disorder and tunica media fibroelastosis in a T2DM mouse model. Collectively, this study provides a nanoemulsion for the oral delivery of essential oils, which holds strong promise in the treatment of diabetes-induced vascular endothelial injury.

Phytochemicals and Cancer Treatment: Cell-Derived and Biomimetic Vesicles as Promising Carriers

The majority of anticancer agents currently used derive from natural sources: plants, frequently the ones employed in traditional medicines, are an abundant source of mono- and diterpenes, polyphenols, and alkaloids that exert antitumor activity through diverse mechanisms. Unfortunately, many of these molecules are affected by poor pharmacokinetics and limited specificity, shortcomings that may be overcome by incorporating them into nanovehicles. Cell-derived nanovesicles have recently risen to prominence, due to their biocompatibility, low immunogenicity and, above all, targeting properties. However, due to difficult scalability, the industrial production of biologically-derived vesicles and consequent application in clinics is difficult. As an efficient alternative, bioinspired vesicles deriving from the hybridization of cell-derived and artificial membranes have been conceived, revealing high flexibility and appropriate drug delivery ability. In this review, the most recent advances in the application of these vesicles to the targeted delivery of anticancer actives obtained from plants are presented, with specific focus on vehicle manufacture and characterization, and effectiveness evaluation performed through in vitro and in vivo assays. The emerging overall outlook appears promising in terms of efficient drug loading and selective targeting of tumor cells, suggesting further engrossing developments in the future.

Nanosystems for Brain Targeting of Antipsychotic Drugs: An Update on the Most Promising Nanocarriers for Increased Bioavailability and Therapeutic Efficacy

Orally administered antipsychotic drugs are the first-line treatment for psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, adverse drug reactions jeopardize clinical outcomes, resulting in patient non-compliance. The design formulation strategies for enhancing brain drug delivery has been a major challenge, mainly due to the restrictive properties of the blood-brain barrier. However, recent pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic in vivo assays confirmed the advantage of the intranasal route when compared to oral and intravenous administration, as it allows direct nose-to-brain drug transport via neuronal pathways, reducing systemic side effects and maximizing therapeutic outcomes. In addition, the incorporation of antipsychotic drugs into nanosystems such as polymeric nanoparticles, polymeric mixed micelles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, nanoemulsions, nanoemulgels, nanosuspensions, niosomes and spanlastics, has proven to be quite promising. The developed nanosystems, having a small and homogeneous particle size (ideal for nose-to-brain delivery), high encapsulation efficiency and good stability, resulted in improved brain bioavailability and therapeutic-like effects in animal models. Hence, although it is essential to continue research in this field, the intranasal delivery of nanosystems for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other related disorders has proven to be quite promising, opening a path for future therapies with higher efficacy.

Revisiting the Therapeutic Effects of Essential Oils on the Oral Microbiome

The extensive use of antibiotics has resulted in the development of drug-resistant bacteria, leading to a decline in the efficacy of traditional antibiotic treatments. Essential oils (EOs) are phytopharmaceuticals, or plant-derived compounds, that possess beneficial properties such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, bacteriostatic, and bactericidal effects. In this review, we present scientific findings on the activity of EOs as an alternative therapy for common oral diseases. This narrative review provides a deeper understanding of the medicinal properties of EOs and their application in dentistry. It not only evaluates the effectiveness of these oils as antibacterial agents against common oral bacteria but also covers general information such as composition, methods of extraction, and potential toxicity. Further nonclinical and clinical studies must be conducted to determine their potential use and safety for treating oral diseases.