Abstract
Cancer is a multifactorial disease characterized by complex molecular landscape and altered cell pathways that results in an abnormal cell growth. Natural compounds are target-specific and pose a limited cytotoxicity; therefore, can aid in the development of new therapeutic interventions for the treatment of this versatile disease. Berberine is a member of the protoberberine alkaloids family, mainly present in the root, stem, and bark of various trees, and has a reputed anticancer activity. Nonetheless, the limited bioavailability and low absorption rate are the two major hindrances following berberine administration as only 0.5% of ingested berberine absorbed in small intestine while this percentage is further decreased to 0.35%, when enter in systemic circulation. Nano-based formulation is believed to be an ideal candidate to increase absorption percentage as at nano scale level, compounds can absorb rapidly in gut. Nanotechnology-based therapeutic approaches have been implemented to overcome such problems, ultimately promoting a higher efficacy in the treatment of a plethora of diseases. This review present and critically discusses the anti-proliferative role of berberine and the nanotechnology-based therapeutic strategies used for the nano-scale delivery of berberine. Finally, the current approaches and promising perspectives of latest delivery of this alkaloid are also critically analyzed and discussed.
Highlights
Naturally-occurring bioactive compounds have gathered the attention of many scientists because of their limited cytotoxicity and high specificity (Salehi et al, 2019a)
Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid that has been used from thousands of years for multiple health affections
Traditional herbal products, including berberine, berbamine, Ginkgo Biloba, curcumin, quercetin have been reported to have a great impact on tumor metastasis through several pre-clinical and clinical studies (Sithranga Boopathy and Kathiresan, 2010; Cragg and Newman, 2013)
Summary
Naturally-occurring bioactive compounds have gathered the attention of many scientists because of their limited cytotoxicity and high specificity (Salehi et al, 2019a). Considered a global health concern, the therapeutic options currently available for treating cancer are extremely lethal and provoke organs malfunctioning, which in turn reduces the life expectancy, besides to be extremely expensive (Hugtenburg et al, 2019) Natural products derivatives, such as phytochemicals, have emerged as potential chemopreventive agents able to reduce the risk of tumor initiation, metastasis, invasion, and spread (Zhao et al, 2018). It is observed that curcumin ligand coupled with ruthenium ion has less toxicity to erythrocytes than the synthetic heterocyclic drugs currently used This metal complex along with ligand has potential anticancer activities against HeLa, HepG2, MDAMB-231, and HT-29 cell lines (Ali et al, 2013b). Pharmacokinetic profile of berberine has been reported in plenty of studies that it has low rate of absorption, especially when taken orally (Zhang et al, 2008; Alolga et al, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
