State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
J Nanobiotechnology. 2021 Oct 15;19(1):322. doi: 10.1186/s12951-021-01062-5.
Ginsenosides, the main components isolated from Panax ginseng, can play a therapeutic role by inducing tumor cell apoptosis and reducing proliferation, invasion, metastasis; by enhancing immune regulation; and by reversing tumor cell multidrug resistance. However, clinical applications have been limited because of ginsenosides' physical and chemical properties such as low solubility and poor stability, as well as their short half-life, easy elimination, degradation, and other pharmacokinetic properties in vivo. In recent years, developing a ginsenoside delivery system for bifunctional drugs or carriers has attracted much attention from researchers. To create a precise treatment strategy for cancer, a variety of nano delivery systems and preparation technologies based on ginsenosides have been conducted (e.g., polymer nanoparticles [NPs], liposomes, micelles, microemulsions, protein NPs, metals and inorganic NPs, biomimetic NPs). It is desirable to design a targeted delivery system to achieve antitumor efficacy that can not only cross various barriers but also can enhance immune regulation, eventually converting to a clinical application. Therefore, this review focused on the latest research about delivery systems encapsulated or modified with ginsenosides, and unification of medicines and excipients based on ginsenosides for improving drug bioavailability and targeting ability. In addition, challenges and new treatment methods were discussed to support the development of these new tumor therapeutic agents for use in clinical treatment.
人参中的主要成分——人参皂苷，可以通过诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡和减少增殖、侵袭和转移；增强免疫调节；以及逆转肿瘤细胞多药耐药性来发挥治疗作用。然而，由于人参皂苷的物理化学性质，如低溶解度和较差的稳定性，以及其在体内的半衰期短、易消除、降解和其他药代动力学特性，其临床应用受到了限制。近年来，开发用于双功能药物或载体的人参皂苷传递系统引起了研究人员的广泛关注。为了为癌症制定精确的治疗策略，已经进行了各种基于人参皂苷的纳米传递系统和制备技术（例如聚合物纳米颗粒[NP]、脂质体、胶束、微乳液、蛋白 NP、金属和无机 NP、仿生 NP）。理想情况下，设计一种靶向传递系统来实现抗肿瘤功效，该系统不仅可以跨越各种障碍，还可以增强免疫调节，最终转化为临床应用。因此，本综述重点介绍了最新的关于包裹或修饰有人参皂苷的传递系统的研究，以及基于人参皂苷的药物和赋形剂的统一，以提高药物的生物利用度和靶向能力。此外，还讨论了挑战和新的治疗方法，以支持这些新型肿瘤治疗剂的开发，用于临床治疗。
