Abstract
Plant-derived drugs or formulations have always been explored because of
their lesser side effects and toxicities compared to synthetic drugs and they have been
widely used as traditional and complementary medicines for the management of many
diseases including cancer. The major challenges faced were the absorption of the plantderived
drugs, their stability, bioavailability, and transport to the intended sites inside
the body. Recent progress in nanotechnology has helped to minimize these limitations
and hence phyto-nanoformulations are slowly growing in preclinical trials as well as
clinical use. The use of various nanostructures such as nano-micelles, lipid
nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, polymer nanoparticles, and nanoliposomes and
various types of drug delivery vehicles such as polybutylcyanoacrylate, polylactic-c-
-glycolic acid, and lactoferrin has immensely helped in increasing the effectiveness of
phytochemical drugs by increasing their stability, better pharmacokinetics and reducing
the toxicity and side effects. Phyto-nanoformulations having natural product
components such as curcumin, piperine, quercetin, berberine, scutellarin, baicalin,
stevioside, silybin, gymnemic acid, naringenin, capsicum oleoresin, emodin, and
resveratrol have been shown to improve the condition of patients diagnosed with
diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, infections, and cancer. Phyto
nanoformulations can also be used to treat disorders of the brain where the blood-brain
barrier is impervious to the drugs. These phyto-nanoformulations have been shown to
target several molecular cell-signaling and metabolic pathways. This chapter covers the
compositions of phyto-nanoformulations and how they have been used to control
several diseases.
Keywords: Nano micelles, Neurodegenerative disorder, Nanoemulsions, Pharmacokinetics, Phyto-nanoformulation.
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