Zuzarte Mónica, Vitorino Carla, Salgueiro Lígia, Girão Henrique
Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, 3004-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
Pharmaceutics. 2022 Nov 24;14(12):2581. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122581.
Essential oils' therapeutic potential is highly recognized, with many applications rising due to reported anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-aging, and anti-cancer effects. Nevertheless, clinical translation still remains a challenge, mainly due to essential oils' volatility and low water solubility and stability. The present review gathers relevant information and postulates on the potential application of plant nanovesicles to effectively deliver essential oils to target organs. Indeed, plant nanovesicles are emerging as alternatives to mammalian vesicles and synthetic carriers due to their safety, stability, non-toxicity, and low immunogenicity. Moreover, they can be produced on a large scale from various plant parts, enabling an easier, more rapid, and less costly industrial application that could add value to waste products and boost the circular economy. Importantly, the use of plant nanovesicles as delivery platforms could increase essential oils' bioavailability and improve chemical stability while reducing volatility and toxicity issues. Additionally, using targeting strategies, essential oils' selectivity, drug delivery, and efficacy could be improved, ultimately leading to dose reduction and patient compliance. Bearing this in mind, information on current pharmaceutical technologies available to enable distinct routes of administration of loaded vesicles is also discussed.
精油的治疗潜力得到了高度认可，由于其抗炎、心脏保护、神经保护、抗衰老和抗癌作用的报道，其应用日益增多。然而，临床转化仍然是一个挑战，主要是因为精油具有挥发性、低水溶性和稳定性差的特点。本综述收集了有关植物纳米囊泡潜在应用的相关信息并提出假设，以有效地将精油递送至靶器官。事实上，植物纳米囊泡因其安全性、稳定性、无毒性和低免疫原性，正成为哺乳动物囊泡和合成载体的替代品。此外，它们可以从各种植物部位大规模生产，实现更简便、快速且成本更低的工业应用，这可以为废品增加价值并推动循环经济。重要的是，使用植物纳米囊泡作为递送平台可以提高精油的生物利用度，改善化学稳定性，同时减少挥发性和毒性问题。此外，通过使用靶向策略，可以提高精油的选择性、药物递送和疗效，最终实现剂量减少和患者依从性。考虑到这一点，还讨论了有关当前可用的制药技术的信息，这些技术可实现负载囊泡的不同给药途径。
