Silybin-based herbal nanocarriers: an advancement in anticancer therapy

ABSTRACT

Silybin is a key bioactive component of silymarin that display health-promoting actions in many chronic diseases. However, its clinical applicability is curtailed by its inherent issues like low aqueous solubility, poor bioavailability, high metabolism, fast elimination, and poor penetration in intestinal epithelial cells. In this context, nanotechnology plays a crucial role to address several issues of the broad range of bioactives. In this review, the authors have discussed the anticancer mechanism of silybin and its synergistic combinations. Further, it summarizes the emerging nanocarriers used to deliver silybin alone or in combination like lipid-based, polymeric micelles, polymeric nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles, nanoemulsion, nanosuspension, and hydrogel. Besides, it presents the repercussions of nano-silybin and the present scenario of clinical studies in the field of cancer. The application of nanotechnology brings the opportunity for silybin to be used as an alternative for effective therapy in cancer management in near future.

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Silybin
• silymarin
• anticancer
• apoptosis
• drug delivery systems
• nanoformulations

Abbreviations

Flt-1:Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1

LOX: Lysyl oxidase

IL: interleukins

IFN-ϒ: Interferon-γ

IGFBP-3: Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3

ATG: Autophagy related

ROS; Reactive oxygen species

STAT 3; Signal transducer and activation of transcription 3

COX-2: Cyclooxygenese-2

VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor

MMP: Matrix metalloproteinase

TNF-α: Tumour necrosis factor

PI3K: Phosphoinositide 3-kinases

AKT: Protein kinase B

mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin

Nf-kB: Nuclear factor Kappa B

MAPK: Mitogen activated protein kinase

Nrf-2: Nuclear factor erythroid related factor-2

JAK-STAT: Janus kinase-signal transducer and activation of transcription

RTK: Receptor tyrosine kinase

EGRF: Epidermal growth factor receptor

Pgp: P-glycoprotein

MRP-1: multidrug resistance-associated protein 1

XIAP: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein

TRAIL: TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand

DR: Death receptors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.