Composite nanoparticle-based vesicles achieve enhanced delivery effects of the natural plant extract of the root, stem, and fruit.

in Frontiers in chemistry by Xiaodong Zhuang, Ting Ma, Risheng Liu, Xingyue Fang, Liangjiu Huang

TLDR

  • Researchers developed calcium carbonate nanoparticles to deliver bioactive extracts from medicinal plants, improving their therapeutic effects and bioavailability.
  • Ginseng extract-loaded CaCONPs showed enhanced therapeutic effects in treating glioma, demonstrating their potential for disease treatment.
  • The study suggests that CaCO-based composite nanoparticles may be an ideal delivery vehicle for plant extracts, potentially effective against various diseases.

Abstract

The extract of medicinal plants is increasingly popular around the whole world due to its attractive therapeutic effects. However, the bioavailability of the extract of bioactive compounds was barely satisfactory due to its easily deactivated and untargeted properties. The use of nanotechnology to develop novel carrier delivery techniques for bioactive extracts has been proven to have significant potential and provides an amazing improvement in the therapeutic effect. Calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCONPs), as representative biodegradable materials, are well recognized as environmentally responsive delivery vehicles for disease treatment. In this study, extracts of the root of ginseng, the fruit ofMiq., and the stem ofChamp. were developed as a CaCOnanoparticle loading drug. All of the three composite nanoparticles exhibited spherical shapes with a narrow size distribution. Notably, the ginseng extract-loaded CaCONPs hold a relatively higher entrapment efficiency of up to 55.2% ± 6.7% and excellent release performance under acidic conditions (pH = 5.5). Moreover, intravenous injection of ginseng CaCONPs resulted in significantly enhanced therapeutic effects in the treatment of glioma. The results demonstrate that CaCO-based composite nanoparticles are ideal for the delivery of plant extracts, and the systems are expected to be effective against various types of diseases in the future.

Overview

  • The study focuses on the development of calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCONPs) as a carrier delivery technique for bioactive extracts from medicinal plants.
  • The researchers used extracts from the root of ginseng, the fruit ofMiq., and the stem ofChamp. and loaded them onto CaCONPs to study their potential as delivery vehicles for disease treatment.
  • The primary objective of the study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of ginseng-loaded CaCONPs in treating glioma and explore their potential for delivering plant extracts.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • The study found that the ginseng extract-loaded CaCONPs exhibited a higher entrapment efficiency (up to 55.2% ± 6.7%) and excellent release performance under acidic conditions (pH = 5.5) compared to other composite nanoparticles.
  • Intravenous injection of ginseng CaCONPs resulted in significantly enhanced therapeutic effects in treating glioma, demonstrating their potential as a delivery vehicle for disease treatment.
  • The results suggest that CaCO-based composite nanoparticles are ideal for delivering plant extracts, which may be effective against various types of diseases in the future.

Implications and Future Directions

  • The study highlights the potential of nanotechnology in improving the bioavailability and therapeutic effects of bioactive extracts from medicinal plants.
  • Future research directions could focus on exploring the use of CaCO-based composite nanoparticles for delivering plant extracts against various diseases and investigating the optimal formulations and routes of administration.
  • The study's findings also suggest that targeted delivery of plant extracts using nanoparticles may provide a promising approach for treating diseases, particularly those with limited treatment options.
Read Full Article