Recent advances in herbal combination nanomedicine for cancer: delivery technology and therapeutic outcomes

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The use of herbal compounds in cancer therapy has great potential to promote the efficacy of current cancer therapeutic strategies. Herbal compounds were successfully reported to enhance tumor cells sensitization to the action of chemo-, hormonal- and gene-therapeutic agents via different mechanisms. Herbal ingredients can affect different signaling pathways, reduce the toxic side effects or inhibit the efflux of anticancer drugs.

Areas covered: This review will discuss the delivery of herbal compounds with other cancer treatments such as hormonal, small molecule inhibitors and inorganic hybrids to tumor cells. An overview of physicochemical properties of herbal components that require intelligent design of combo-nanomedicines for efficient co-delivery of those herbal-derived and other anticancer agents was discussed. Nanocarriers provide various benefits to overcome the shortcomings of the encapsulated herbal compounds including improved solubility, increased stability and enhanced tumor targeting. Different nanocarrier systems were the focus of this review.

Expert opinion: Multifunctional nanocarrier systems encapsulating herbal and different anticancer drugs showed to be a wonderful approach in the treatment of cancer enabling the co-delivery of anticancer drugs with versatile modes of action in an accurate manner in an attempt to enhance the efficacy, benefit from the synergism between the drugs as well as to minimize the development of multi-drug resistance. The main challenge point is the early detection and management of any developed adverse effect.

KEYWORDS:

• Combo-nanomedicine
• drug delivery
• herbal compounds
• anticancer drugs
• combined cancer therapy

Article highlights

• The most advantage in nano-drug delivery systems is co-administration of several therapeutic agents on the same carrier in a targeted controlled manner. This, in turn, will enhance pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these therapeutic agents.

• Various types of nanocarriers such as liposomes, nanoemulsions, nano-capsules, inorganic nanoparticles, and dendrimers, have been conjugated with antitumor herbal bioactives in order to overcome the problem of hydrophobicity.

• The mechanism of action for different herbal combination drug delivery systems in numerous types of cancer cells such as liver, breast, lung and colon cancer were deeply highlighted.

• The use of immunotherapy in combination with herbal compounds deserves extensive attention in order to discover the effect of these drugs on the immune system and the possibility of attacking healthy tissues.

• Despite all advantages of herbal combination therapy, there are still many issues that must be addressed and discussed to overcome all drawbacks and challenges of current therapeutics.

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Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The paper was not funded.