Affiliation:
1. Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research- Ahmedabad, Palaj,
Opposite to Air Force Station, Gandhinagar-382355, Gujarat, India
Abstract
Background::
Drug resistance has been a great hindrance in the path of counteracting
diseases like cancer and is driven by drugs misuse and overuse. In terms of cancer, resistance has
been developed due to cellular changes, altered growth activation pathways, increased expression
of efflux proteins, and changes in the local physiology of cancer (blood supply, tissue hydrodynamics,
increased mutation rate/epigenetics, tumor cell heterogeneity). One of the approaches
to address these challenges is the use of bioenhancers, which can overcome drug resistance,
thereby improving bioavailability (BA).
Conclusion::
Bioenhancers when combined with drugs can elicit pharmacological activity. They
are generally combined with therapeutic agents at low doses, which increase the BA or therapeutic
activity of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). This review sheds light on the synthesis
and classification of bio-enhancers. It also discusses different applications of bio-enhancers like
piperine, ginger, quercetin, curcumin, etc. in the treatment of cancer. The review also presents
some of the recent advancements in terms of nanocarriers for delivering API combined with
bioenhancers.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pharmaceutical Science,Biotechnology