Phytochemical delivery through nanocarriers: a review

In recent times, phytochemicals encapsulated or conjugated with nanocarriers for delivery to the specific sites have gained considerable research interest. Phytochemicals are mostly plant secondary metabolites which reported to be beneficial for human health and in disease theraphy. However, these compound are large size and polar nature of these compounds, make it difficult to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), endothelial lining of blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract and mucosa. Moreover, they are enzymatically degraded in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, encapsulation or conjugation of these compounds with nanocrriers could be an alternate way to enhance their bioefficacy by influencing their gastrointestinal stability, rate of absorption and dispersion. This review presents an overview of nanocarriers alternatives which improves therapeutic value and avoid toxicity, by releasing bioactive compounds specifically at target tissues with enhanced stability and bioavailability. Future investigations may emphasize on deciphering the structural changes in nanocarriers during digestion and absorption, the difference between in-vitro and in-vivo digestion simulations, and impact of nanocarriers on the metabolism of phytochemicals.

Automated summary

In recent years, there has been considerable research interest in using nanocarriers to deliver phytochemicals to specific sites in the body. Encapsulation or conjugation with nanocarriers may enhance the bioefficacy of phytochemicals by influencing their stability and absorption rate in the gastrointestinal tract. Future investigations may focus on understanding the structural changes in nanocarriers during digestion and absorption, differences between in-vitro and in-vivo digestion simulations, and the impact of nanocarriers on the metabolism of phytochemicals.