Alabrahim Obaydah Abd Alkader, Lababidi Jude Majed, Fritzsche Wolfgang, Azzazy Hassan Mohamed El-Said
Department of Chemistry, School of Sciences & Engineering, The American University in Cairo AUC Avenue, SSE # 1184, P.O. Box 74 New Cairo 11835 Egypt
Department of Nanobiophotonics, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology Albert Einstein Str. 9 Jena 07745 Germany.
Nanoscale Adv. 2024 Sep 27;6(22):5511-62. doi: 10.1039/d4na00678j.
Cancer, a complex global health burden, necessitates the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. While chemotherapy remains the primary treatment approach, its severe side effects and chemoresistance drive the search for novel alternatives. Essential oils (EOs), consisting of diverse bioactive phytochemicals, offer promise as anticancer agents. However, their limitations, such as instability, limited bioavailability, and non-specific targeting, hinder their therapeutic potential. These challenges were circumvented by utilizing nanoparticles and nanosystems as efficient delivery platforms for EOs. This review highlights the accumulating evidence based on loading EOs into several nanocarriers, including polymeric nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, nanofibers, lipid-based nanocapsules and nanostructures, niosomes, and liposomes, as effective anticancer regimens. It covers extraction and chemical composition of EOs, their mechanisms of action, and targeting strategies to various tumors. Additionally, it delves into the diverse landscape of nanocarriers, including their advantages and considerations for cancer targeting and EO encapsulation. The effectiveness of EO-loaded nanocarriers in cancer targeting and treatment is examined, highlighting enhanced cellular uptake, controlled drug release, and improved therapeutic efficacy. Finally, the review addresses existing challenges and future perspectives, emphasizing the potential for clinical translation and personalized medicine approaches.
癌症是一项复杂的全球健康负担，需要开发创新的治疗策略。虽然化疗仍然是主要的治疗方法，但其严重的副作用和化疗耐药性促使人们寻找新的替代方案。精油（EOs）由多种具有生物活性的植物化学物质组成，有望成为抗癌剂。然而，它们的局限性，如不稳定性、生物利用度有限和非特异性靶向性，阻碍了它们的治疗潜力。通过将纳米颗粒和纳米系统用作精油的高效递送平台，这些挑战得以克服。本综述强调了基于将精油负载到几种纳米载体（包括聚合物纳米颗粒、纳米乳液、纳米纤维、脂质基纳米胶囊和纳米结构、非离子表面活性剂泡囊和脂质体）中的越来越多的证据，作为有效的抗癌方案。它涵盖了精油的提取和化学成分、它们的作用机制以及针对各种肿瘤的靶向策略。此外，它深入探讨了纳米载体的多样化领域，包括它们在癌症靶向和精油包封方面的优势和考虑因素。研究了负载精油的纳米载体在癌症靶向和治疗中的有效性，突出了增强的细胞摄取、可控的药物释放和提高的治疗效果。最后，该综述阐述了现有的挑战和未来的前景，强调了临床转化和个性化医疗方法的潜力。
