Smart Herbal Drug Delivery Systems Advances in Phytosomes, Nanomedicine, Stimuli-Responsive Biomaterials and Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64882/ijrt.v13.i1.1780Keywords:
Controlled release, Bioavailability, Nanocarriers, Pharmaceutical excipients, Stimuli-responsive biomaterials, Phytochemicals, Nanomedicine, Phytosomes, Herbal bioactives, Smart drug deliveryAbstract
Smart herbal drug delivery systems have emerged as promising pharmaceutical strategies for overcoming the limitations associated with conventional administration of plant-derived bioactive compounds. Although phytochemicals possess considerable pharmacological potential, their therapeutic utilisation is frequently restricted by poor aqueous solubility, inadequate membrane permeability, chemical instability, rapid metabolism and low systemic bioavailability. This review examines recent advances in smart delivery approaches, with particular emphasis on phytosomes, nanomedicine, stimuli-responsive biomaterials and novel pharmaceutical excipients. Phytosomes provide improved membrane compatibility and enhanced absorption through phytochemical–phospholipid complex formation, whereas nanomedicine-based systems offer opportunities for improved stability, controlled release, cellular uptake and biodistribution. Stimuli-responsive biomaterials further enable regulated phytochemical release in response to physiological triggers such as pH, temperature, enzymes and redox conditions. Functional pharmaceutical excipients contribute to solubilisation, stabilisation, permeability enhancement and formulation performance. The reviewed literature indicates that integrating herbal bioactives with advanced delivery technologies can substantially improve their pharmaceutical and therapeutic potential. However, challenges concerning botanical standardisation, formulation reproducibility, long-term safety, manufacturing scale-up, regulatory acceptance and clinical validation remain. Continued integration of phytochemistry, nanotechnology and biomaterials science is therefore required to develop stable, reproducible and clinically translatable smart herbal formulations.
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