Advancement in nanocarrier-mediated delivery of herbal bioactives: from bench to beside

Fatemeh Najafi; Negar Farrokhzad; Amirhossein Ghaemi; Dorsa Azizi Khezri; Mohammadali Hajiabbas; Amirhossein Khanizadeh; Nasim Kaveh Farsani; Mahsa Khoramipour; Niloofar Fatemipayam; Elham Seyyedi Zadeh; Arash Goodarzi; Behnoosh Khodadadi; Fatemeh Moradbeygi; Ahmad Reza Farmani; Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki; Martin Federico Desimone

doi:10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7

Advancement in nanocarrier-mediated delivery of herbal bioactives: from bench to beside

Fatemeh Najafi, Negar Farrokhzad, Amirhossein Ghaemi, Dorsa Azizi Khezri, Mohammadali Hajiabbas, Amirhossein Khanizadeh, Nasim Kaveh Farsani, Mahsa Khoramipour, Niloofar Fatemipayam, Elham Seyyedi Zadeh, Arash Goodarzi, Behnoosh Khodadadi, Fatemeh Moradbeygi, Ahmad Reza Farmani^*, Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki^*, Martin Federico Desimone^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Natural Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The resurgence of interest in traditional herbal remedies stems from an increasing appreciation for their complex phytochemical profiles and potential for synergistic therapeutic effects. However, the therapeutic potential of plant extracts is often limited by poor absorption and potential toxicity related to conventional delivery methods. This review explores the application of nanocarrier-mediated delivery systems, such as nanoparticles (NPs), liposomes, and nanoemulsions, to address these challenges. These biocompatible carriers offer enhanced stability and targeted delivery of herbal compounds, improving their efficacy and reducing unwanted side effects. By enabling precise distribution, nanotechnology optimizes the potency of herbal medicine across diverse applications, including regenerative medicine, wound healing, anticancer, and infection treatment. This review provides a systematic description of successful applications of nano-delivery technologies, nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsions, and hybrid carriers, for the targeted delivery of some well-characterized herbal bioactives (curcumin, allicin, berberine, resveratrol etc.) and the enhanced therapeutic performance of herbal bioactives across a variety of preclinical models.

Original language	English
Article number	69
Pages (from-to)	1-54
Number of pages	54
Journal	Natural Products and Bioprospecting
Volume	15
Issue number	1
Early online date	1 Nov 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7
Publication status	Published - Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2025. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

Bioavailability
Herbal compounds
Nano-delivery systems
Tissue engineering
Wound healing

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10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 3.34 MBLicence: CC BY

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Najafi, F., Farrokhzad, N., Ghaemi, A., Khezri, D. A., Hajiabbas, M., Khanizadeh, A., Farsani, N. K., Khoramipour, M., Fatemipayam, N., Zadeh, E. S., Goodarzi, A., Khodadadi, B., Moradbeygi, F., Farmani, A. R., Yaraki, M. T., & Desimone, M. F. (2025). Advancement in nanocarrier-mediated delivery of herbal bioactives: from bench to beside. Natural Products and Bioprospecting, 15(1), 1-54. Article 69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7

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abstract = "The resurgence of interest in traditional herbal remedies stems from an increasing appreciation for their complex phytochemical profiles and potential for synergistic therapeutic effects. However, the therapeutic potential of plant extracts is often limited by poor absorption and potential toxicity related to conventional delivery methods. This review explores the application of nanocarrier-mediated delivery systems, such as nanoparticles (NPs), liposomes, and nanoemulsions, to address these challenges. These biocompatible carriers offer enhanced stability and targeted delivery of herbal compounds, improving their efficacy and reducing unwanted side effects. By enabling precise distribution, nanotechnology optimizes the potency of herbal medicine across diverse applications, including regenerative medicine, wound healing, anticancer, and infection treatment. This review provides a systematic description of successful applications of nano-delivery technologies, nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsions, and hybrid carriers, for the targeted delivery of some well-characterized herbal bioactives (curcumin, allicin, berberine, resveratrol etc.) and the enhanced therapeutic performance of herbal bioactives across a variety of preclinical models.",

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author = "Fatemeh Najafi and Negar Farrokhzad and Amirhossein Ghaemi and Khezri, \{Dorsa Azizi\} and Mohammadali Hajiabbas and Amirhossein Khanizadeh and Farsani, \{Nasim Kaveh\} and Mahsa Khoramipour and Niloofar Fatemipayam and Zadeh, \{Elham Seyyedi\} and Arash Goodarzi and Behnoosh Khodadadi and Fatemeh Moradbeygi and Farmani, \{Ahmad Reza\} and Yaraki, \{Mohammad Tavakkoli\} and Desimone, \{Martin Federico\}",

note = "Copyright the Author(s) 2025. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher. ",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7",

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Najafi, F, Farrokhzad, N, Ghaemi, A, Khezri, DA, Hajiabbas, M, Khanizadeh, A, Farsani, NK, Khoramipour, M, Fatemipayam, N, Zadeh, ES, Goodarzi, A, Khodadadi, B, Moradbeygi, F, Farmani, AR, Yaraki, MT & Desimone, MF 2025, 'Advancement in nanocarrier-mediated delivery of herbal bioactives: from bench to beside', Natural Products and Bioprospecting, vol. 15, no. 1, 69, pp. 1-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7

TY - JOUR

T1 - Advancement in nanocarrier-mediated delivery of herbal bioactives

T2 - from bench to beside

AU - Najafi, Fatemeh

AU - Farrokhzad, Negar

AU - Ghaemi, Amirhossein

AU - Khezri, Dorsa Azizi

AU - Hajiabbas, Mohammadali

AU - Khanizadeh, Amirhossein

AU - Farsani, Nasim Kaveh

AU - Khoramipour, Mahsa

AU - Fatemipayam, Niloofar

AU - Zadeh, Elham Seyyedi

AU - Goodarzi, Arash

AU - Khodadadi, Behnoosh

AU - Moradbeygi, Fatemeh

AU - Farmani, Ahmad Reza

AU - Yaraki, Mohammad Tavakkoli

AU - Desimone, Martin Federico

N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2025. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - The resurgence of interest in traditional herbal remedies stems from an increasing appreciation for their complex phytochemical profiles and potential for synergistic therapeutic effects. However, the therapeutic potential of plant extracts is often limited by poor absorption and potential toxicity related to conventional delivery methods. This review explores the application of nanocarrier-mediated delivery systems, such as nanoparticles (NPs), liposomes, and nanoemulsions, to address these challenges. These biocompatible carriers offer enhanced stability and targeted delivery of herbal compounds, improving their efficacy and reducing unwanted side effects. By enabling precise distribution, nanotechnology optimizes the potency of herbal medicine across diverse applications, including regenerative medicine, wound healing, anticancer, and infection treatment. This review provides a systematic description of successful applications of nano-delivery technologies, nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsions, and hybrid carriers, for the targeted delivery of some well-characterized herbal bioactives (curcumin, allicin, berberine, resveratrol etc.) and the enhanced therapeutic performance of herbal bioactives across a variety of preclinical models.

AB - The resurgence of interest in traditional herbal remedies stems from an increasing appreciation for their complex phytochemical profiles and potential for synergistic therapeutic effects. However, the therapeutic potential of plant extracts is often limited by poor absorption and potential toxicity related to conventional delivery methods. This review explores the application of nanocarrier-mediated delivery systems, such as nanoparticles (NPs), liposomes, and nanoemulsions, to address these challenges. These biocompatible carriers offer enhanced stability and targeted delivery of herbal compounds, improving their efficacy and reducing unwanted side effects. By enabling precise distribution, nanotechnology optimizes the potency of herbal medicine across diverse applications, including regenerative medicine, wound healing, anticancer, and infection treatment. This review provides a systematic description of successful applications of nano-delivery technologies, nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsions, and hybrid carriers, for the targeted delivery of some well-characterized herbal bioactives (curcumin, allicin, berberine, resveratrol etc.) and the enhanced therapeutic performance of herbal bioactives across a variety of preclinical models.

KW - Bioavailability

KW - Herbal compounds

KW - Nano-delivery systems

KW - Tissue engineering

KW - Wound healing

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020695675

U2 - 10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7

DO - 10.1007/s13659-025-00550-7

M3 - Review article

C2 - 41174334

AN - SCOPUS:105020695675

SN - 2192-2195

VL - 15

SP - 1

EP - 54

JO - Natural Products and Bioprospecting

JF - Natural Products and Bioprospecting

IS - 1

M1 - 69

ER -

Advancement in nanocarrier-mediated delivery of herbal bioactives: from bench to beside

Abstract

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Keywords

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