Polyphenol nanoformulations for cancer therapy: experimental evidence and clinical perspective

Abstract

Cancer is defined as the abnormal cell growth that can cause life-threatening malignancies with high financial costs for patients as well as the health care system. Natural polyphenols have long been used for the prevention and treatment of several disorders due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antineoplastic, and immunomodulatory effects discussed in the literature; thus, these phytochemicals are potentially able to act as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents in different types of cancer. One of the problems regarding the use of polyphenolic compounds is their low bioavailability. Different types of formulations have been designed for the improvement of bioavailability of these compounds, nanonization being one of the most notable approaches among them. This study aimed to review current data on the nanoformulations of natural polyphenols as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents and to discuss their molecular anticancer mechanisms of action. Nanoformulations of natural polyphenols as bioactive agents, including resveratrol, curcumin, quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, chrysin, baicalein, luteolin, honokiol, silibinin, and coumarin derivatives, in a dose-dependent manner, result in better efficacy for the prevention and treatment of cancer. The impact of nanoformulation methods for these natural agents on tumor cells has gained wider attention due to improvement in targeted therapy and bioavailability, as well as enhancement of stability. Today, several nanoformulations are designed for delivery of polyphenolic compounds, including nanosuspensions, solid lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, gold nanoparticles, and polymeric nanoparticles, which have resulted in better antineoplastic activity, higher intracellular concentration of polyphenols, slow and sustained release of the drugs, and improvement of proapoptotic activity against tumor cells. To conclude, natural polyphenols demonstrate remarkable anticancer potential in pharmacotherapy; however, the obstacles in terms of their bioavailability in and toxicity to normal cells, as well as targeted drug delivery to malignant cells, can be overcome using nanoformulation-based technologies, which optimize the bioefficacy of these natural drugs.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) and its major constituent (curcumin) as nontoxic and safe substances: Review

“…It also has suppressive effects on lung cancer stem cells (Zhu et al, ). In addition, nanoformulations of curcumin have been used for the treatment of cancer (Davatgaran‐Taghipour et al, ; Lee et al, ). In chemotherapy, curcumin has positive effects and is a chemosensitizer and also reduces toxic and adverse effects of chemotherapeutic drugs (Goel & Aggarwal, ; Rezaee, Momtazi, Monemi, & Sahebkar, ).…”

Therapeutic Applications of Curcumin Nanomedicine Formulations in Cardiovascular Diseases

“…Nanomedicine is bridging the gap between pharmaceutical limitations and the therapeutic potentials of natural phytochemicals by improving the compound's targeting, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and cellular uptake [73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]. Many studies have focused on CUR nanotechnology mediated drug delivery formulations in optimization the therapeutics uses of CUR for various diseases, such as cancer therapy [81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90], neurodegenerative disorders [91,92], wound healing [93], diabetes [94,95], and inflammatory diseases [96].…”

Ursolic acid induces apoptosis and autophagy in oral cancer cells

“…Phytochemicals have been used for the prevention and treatment of several diseases due to their diverse bioactivities including antiinflammation, antitumor, antioxidant, and immunomodulation. 4,5 Some of these phytochemicals have been widely investigated for their pharmacological effects and clinical applications for decades. 6,7 For example, epigallocatechin (EGCG), curcumin, and resveratrol are reported to inhibit oral carcinogenesis.…”