Recent Strategies for Delivery of Plant-Based Active Ingredients

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are a rich source of several classes of valuable phytochemical compounds with proven biological activity. In recent years, great attention has been paid to natural molecules because they are safe, have extraordinary properties and very little side effects. Therefore, their combination with synthetic chemotherapeutics and antibacterials can be an effective strategy that can inhibit tumour and bacterial growth and multidrug resistance, and achieve synergistic drug action, reducing adverse effects.

However, factors such as their low stability, poor solubility, and bioavailability limit their food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications.

In this regard, innovative strategies are needed to improve the solubility of plant-derived bioactive compounds, mask unwanted flavours, increase their stability during processing, storage, or gastrointestinal digestion, and effectively transport them to target tissues where they can exert their biological activity and support human health.

The above drawbacks can often be overcome by encapsulating bioactive ingredients in suitable delivery systems, including lipid-based nanosystems, polymer-based nanoparticles, protein-based carriers, inorganic-based delivery systems, or drug–cyclodextrin inclusion complexes.

Carriers enhance the chemical and physical properties of natural molecules and allow for controlled release at the target site without altering their characteristics.

Dr. Federica De Gaetano
Prof. Dr. Cinzia Anna Ventura
Guest Editors

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