Natural products refer to single-component or multi-component active agents that come from animals, plants, and other organisms and have a definite therapeutic effect. Natural products have the advantages of novel structure, high biological activity, favorable safety profile, and multiple pharmacological activities. They are an important source of new drugs and show great potential in the field of current drug research and development. However, many natural products are difficulty meeting the pharmacologic requirements due to low water solubility, poor stability, and poor oral bioavailability. Therefore, how to find natural products with therapeutic potential and use delivery technology to solve the problem of medicinal properties is very important.
Nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) are composed of polymer materials and drug molecules assembled into nanoparticles with nanometer scale effects, which have multiple advantages over conventional delivery systems, such as enhanced drug solubility, targeted delivery to desired sites, sustained and controlled drug release, and improved transport efficiency. In this respect, NDDS have emerged as promising vehicles for improving the therapeutic index and reducing the toxicity of active pharmaceutical ingredients in recent years.
It is an advantageous strategy to use nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) to deliver natural products. NDDS can not only significantly improve the solubility and stability of natural products but also improve the drug molecules across the membrane transport capacity, and improve the in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics and tissue targeting, to improve the safety and efficacy of clinical treatment and compliance. With the increasing research and growing clinical applications of NDDS-based nanomedicine (such as AmBisome®, Doxil®, and Abraxane®), NDDS have gained increasing attention in the field of drug research and development. However, due to the inherent physical and chemical properties of natural products, many natural products with good application prospects are difficult to be effectively encapsulated into nanocarriers due to poor lipid solubility and it is difficult to improve the biological characteristics of agents under the scale effect and surface properties of nanocarriers. Therefore, how to choose polymer materials to construct NDDS to improve the encapsulation efficiency and drug loading capacity is a key step to breaking through the technical barriers of nano-drug research and development.
This Research Topic will include cutting-edge scientific research in the discovery, characterization, and nano delivery of natural products (including single-component or multi-component medicine) with pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, immune, and lipid metabolism regulation, diabetes care, anti-inflammation, and so on. It is preferable to combine natural products with nano delivery and the submitted manuscript should include the structure and composition of the active ingredients of natural products, in vitro characterization of NDDS, in vitro pharmacological activity evaluation, in vivo pharmacokinetics (optimal), in vivo pharmacodynamics and safety, and preliminary pharmacodynamic mechanism study (optimal). Multi-component natural products with definite active ingredients and distinct regulatory effects on body immunity and lipid metabolism are also considered for publication. Emerging techniques for evaluating the pharmacological activity and safety of natural products, such as organoids, are welcome. Reviews and research papers will be considered for publication.
• Discovery of natural products (single-component) with pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, immune and lipid metabolism regulation, diabetes care, anti-inflammation, and so on.
• For multi-component natural products, the composition and structure of the active ingredients and the pharmacological mechanism should be clear.
• One or more natural products are encapsulated by NDDS and evaluated in vitro and in vivo for targeted therapy of specific diseases.
• Emerging techniques for evaluating the pharmacological activity and safety of natural products, such as organoids.
Frontiers in Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery does not accept publication studies carried out with crude extracts or mixtures. Only the use of highly purified, chemically characterized compounds is acceptable.
Whenever a complex mixture is used, data with the single components of the mixture, in precisely defined dose/concentration, should be provided (and/or previously published). This applies also to in silico studies on supposed mechanisms underlying the supposed actions of crude extracts and/or mixtures.
Natural products refer to single-component or multi-component active agents that come from animals, plants, and other organisms and have a definite therapeutic effect. Natural products have the advantages of novel structure, high biological activity, favorable safety profile, and multiple pharmacological activities. They are an important source of new drugs and show great potential in the field of current drug research and development. However, many natural products are difficulty meeting the pharmacologic requirements due to low water solubility, poor stability, and poor oral bioavailability. Therefore, how to find natural products with therapeutic potential and use delivery technology to solve the problem of medicinal properties is very important.
Nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) are composed of polymer materials and drug molecules assembled into nanoparticles with nanometer scale effects, which have multiple advantages over conventional delivery systems, such as enhanced drug solubility, targeted delivery to desired sites, sustained and controlled drug release, and improved transport efficiency. In this respect, NDDS have emerged as promising vehicles for improving the therapeutic index and reducing the toxicity of active pharmaceutical ingredients in recent years.
It is an advantageous strategy to use nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) to deliver natural products. NDDS can not only significantly improve the solubility and stability of natural products but also improve the drug molecules across the membrane transport capacity, and improve the in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics and tissue targeting, to improve the safety and efficacy of clinical treatment and compliance. With the increasing research and growing clinical applications of NDDS-based nanomedicine (such as AmBisome®, Doxil®, and Abraxane®), NDDS have gained increasing attention in the field of drug research and development. However, due to the inherent physical and chemical properties of natural products, many natural products with good application prospects are difficult to be effectively encapsulated into nanocarriers due to poor lipid solubility and it is difficult to improve the biological characteristics of agents under the scale effect and surface properties of nanocarriers. Therefore, how to choose polymer materials to construct NDDS to improve the encapsulation efficiency and drug loading capacity is a key step to breaking through the technical barriers of nano-drug research and development.
This Research Topic will include cutting-edge scientific research in the discovery, characterization, and nano delivery of natural products (including single-component or multi-component medicine) with pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, immune, and lipid metabolism regulation, diabetes care, anti-inflammation, and so on. It is preferable to combine natural products with nano delivery and the submitted manuscript should include the structure and composition of the active ingredients of natural products, in vitro characterization of NDDS, in vitro pharmacological activity evaluation, in vivo pharmacokinetics (optimal), in vivo pharmacodynamics and safety, and preliminary pharmacodynamic mechanism study (optimal). Multi-component natural products with definite active ingredients and distinct regulatory effects on body immunity and lipid metabolism are also considered for publication. Emerging techniques for evaluating the pharmacological activity and safety of natural products, such as organoids, are welcome. Reviews and research papers will be considered for publication.
• Discovery of natural products (single-component) with pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, immune and lipid metabolism regulation, diabetes care, anti-inflammation, and so on.
• For multi-component natural products, the composition and structure of the active ingredients and the pharmacological mechanism should be clear.
• One or more natural products are encapsulated by NDDS and evaluated in vitro and in vivo for targeted therapy of specific diseases.
• Emerging techniques for evaluating the pharmacological activity and safety of natural products, such as organoids.
Frontiers in Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery does not accept publication studies carried out with crude extracts or mixtures. Only the use of highly purified, chemically characterized compounds is acceptable.
Whenever a complex mixture is used, data with the single components of the mixture, in precisely defined dose/concentration, should be provided (and/or previously published). This applies also to in silico studies on supposed mechanisms underlying the supposed actions of crude extracts and/or mixtures.
