Mineral medicine: from traditional drugs to multifunctional delivery systems

Abstract

Mineral drugs are an important constituent of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Taking minerals that contain heavy metals as drugs is a very national characteristic part of TCM. However, the safety and scientific nature of mineral drugs are controversial owing to their heavy metals and strong toxicity. In 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized arsenic trioxide (ATO) as first-line therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia. This makes the development and utilization of mineral drugs become a research hotspot. The development of nanomedicine has found a great prospect of mineral drugs in nano-delivery carriers. And that will hold promise to address the numerous biological barriers facing mineral drug formulations. However, the studies on mineral drugs in the delivery system are few at present. There is also a lack of a detailed description of mineral drug delivery systems. In this review, the advanced strategies of mineral drug delivery systems in tumor therapy are summarized. In addition, the therapeutic advantages and research progress of novel mineral drug delivery systems are also discussed. Here, we hope that this will provide a useful reference for the design and application of new mineral drug delivery systems. Graphical Abstract

Percontohan taman toga serta produksi jamu berbasis tanaman berkhasiat untuk peningkatan kesehatan dan ekonomi masyarakat

“…Keanekaragaman hayati baik tumbuhan maupun hewan telah lama digunakan sebagai sumber obat-obatan sejak zaman kuno (Calixto, 2019), dan bahkan era modern ini sistem pengobatan berbasis biodiversitas terus memainkan peran penting (Neergheen-Bhujun et al, 2017). Sebagian besar obat yang digunakan untuk tujuan medis yang tersedia saat ini mempunyai sumber dari tumbuhan tingkat tinggi (Fitzgerald et al, 2020;Veeresham, 2012), diikuti oleh produk mikroba, hewan dan mineral (Abdel-Razek et al, 2020;Soejarto, 1996;Zhong et al, 2022). Penggunaan tanaman obat sudah diterima secara luas oleh masyarakat berdasar pengetahuan dan informasi turun temurun bahwa terdapat kandungan bahan aktif dalam tanaman yang berperan dalam proses pengobatan (Saepudin et al, 2016).…”

Deciphering the toxicity-effect relationship and action patterns of traditional Chinese medicines from a smart data perspective: a comprehensive review

“…Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is a highly toxic mineral medication, even a small dose of which can result in severe central side effects or even death in healthy individuals. However, it has been found to be effective in treating many cancers, especially leukemia ( Zhong et al, 2022 ). This example demonstrates the therapeutic applications of toxic medicines.…”

Research Progress on Construction of Lutein-Loaded Nano Delivery System and Their Improvements on the Bioactivity

“…Special attention should be paid to the substances that present cytotoxicity when used in the food industry [41]. Currently, main bioactive components delivered are polyphenols [42], natural pigments [43,44], alkaloids [45], radiopharmaceuticals [46], mineral drugs [47], etc. Common properties of these substances are poor water solubility, easy degradation, or high toxic side effects.…”