New Insights Toward Nanostructured Drug Delivery of Plant-Derived Polyphenol Compounds: Cancer Treatment and Gene Expression Profiles

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of cancer has led to expanding traditional medicine objectives for developing novel drug delivery systems. A wide range of plant-derived polyphenol bioactive substances have been investigated in order to explore the anti-cancer effects of these natural compounds and to promote the effective treatment of cancer through apoptosis induction. In this regard, plant-derived polyphenol compounds, including curcumin, silibinin, quercetin, and resveratrol, have been the subject of intense interest for anti-cancer applications due to their ability to regulate apoptotic genes. However, some limitations of pure polyphenol compounds, such as poor bioavailability, short-term stability, low-cellular uptake, and insufficient solubility, have restricted their efficiency. Nanoscale formulations of bioactive agents have provided a novel platform to address these limitations. This paper reviews recent advances in nanoformulation approaches of polyphenolic drugs and their effects on improving the delivery of chemotherapy agents to cancer cells.