Recent progress in preparation of microcapsules with tailored structures for bio-medical applications

A B S T R A C T Nature is continuously giving us a wide variety of molecules with a great therapeutic potential that are able to fulfill protection, in humans, from anticancer and antibacterial to antioxidant or antiinflammatory. Unfortunately, almost all plant-derived biomolecules have a low physiological stability, reduced bioavailability, a prolonged circulation time in the blood, or non-selectivity regarding the target tissue. Furthermore, the oral administration of plant-derived biomolecules proved not to be always efficient, only if high doses are applied. Lately, a lot of effort is given to find novel technologies to provide them protection till the target site is reached, by their entrapment inside a properly engineered system. Current review is focused on the existent microencapsulation technologies of plant-derived bioactive compounds, offering details about main steps of the fabrication processes used to obtain a high encapsulation efficiency. A special attention was offered to specific cellular uptake, intracellular localization and transport of micro delivery systems, but also to their therapeutic potential that could be a promising approach for the treatment of various chronic diseases. An outlook into future research on novel micro capsules for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications is also provided. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This review focuses on the existing microencapsulation technologies of plant-derived bioactive compounds, providing details on the fabrication processes used to achieve high encapsulation efficiency. Special attention is given to specific cellular uptake, intracellular localization, and transport of micro delivery systems, as well as their therapeutic potential for the treatment of various chronic diseases. An outlook into future research on novel micro capsules for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications is also provided.