Nanocarrier Innovations for Enhanced Pharmacokinetic Performance of Herbal Bioactives
Anup Kumar Dash, Akanksha Patel, Sucharita Babu, Soumyaranjan Biswal, Sachhidananda Mahapatra, Manisha SahuIntroduction:
Despite the immense therapeutic promise of plant-based bioactive com-pounds, their clinical application is limited by issues including poor aqueous solubility, low bio-availability, extensive metabolism, and non-specific tissue distribution.
Materials and Methods:
A systematic literature survey was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and WoS data base between 2015 and 2025. The search strategy combined keywords related to topic nanocarrier, such as herbal bioactive, polymer, types of polymer, types of nanoparticles
Result:
This review discusses the revolutionary impact of nanotechnology in overcoming such constraints by developing herbal nanoproducts. Different nanocarrier platforms, such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions, are reviewed to understand how they can enhance solubility, protect sensitive phytochemicals from degradation, and facilitate site-specific, controlled drug delivery. The review also highlights advanced systems, such as stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, which are triggered by internal physiological signals (e.g., pH, redox conditions, enzymes, temperature, light, or ultrasound) to achieve precision-targeted delivery. Integration with current innovations such as 3D Printing, artificial intelligence, and personalised medicine is also described, indicating how these technologies can enhance dosage design, optimise therapeutic effectiveness, and customise treatments based on genomic and proteomic profiles.
Discussion:
Moreover, we cover the application of in vitro and in vo models to assess pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and safety, as well as point-of-care diagnostic devices to monitor individualised therapy. Critical research gaps are summarised, including a lack of knowledge on herb-nanocarrier interactions, in vivo behaviour, physiological stability, and difficulties in standardisation and targeting chronic disease. Ethical issues and changing regulatory environments are also discussed.
Conclusion:
Together, this review offers important insights into the new paradigm for nano-herbal drug delivery systems, highlighting both opportunities and challenges in applying such innovations to effective clinical therapies.