Enhancing the Therapeutic Efficacy of Flavonoids as Anticancer Drugs Through Novel Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

Flavonoids are a group of heterocyclic compounds that are well-known for their anti-cancer activity. Fruits and vegetables are the main dietary sources of flavonoids. Several mechanisms have been proposed for the effect of flavonoids to combat cancer. But before considering the flavonoids as chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer, a number of problems still need to be addressed before their therapeutic uses. Solubility may play a major role in the therapeutic efficacy of flavonoids. Bioavailability of flavonoids are also affected by several other factors. Nanotechnology is the most efficient tool to solve the problems of solubility, stability, and oral bioavailability. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery has several benefits compared to the traditional drug delivery systems. Different types of nano delivery systems are used for producing nanomedicines such as lipid-based nanomedicines, polymer-based nanomedicines, and inorganic nanoparticles. Different types of flavonoids encapsulated nanoparticles have been developed to improve their effectiveness against different types of cancer.