Active Herbal Ingredients and Drug Delivery Design for Tumor Therapy: A review

Active herbal ingredients are increasingly recognized for their potent anti-tumor efficacy, attributable to a variety of mechanisms like inhibiting tumor cells, activating the immune system, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, etc. Recent research discovered that numerous types of anti-tumor herbal ingredients, including Ginsenosides, Ursolic acid, Oleanolic acid, and Angelica Sinensis polysaccharides, could be employed to construct smart drug carriers such as liposomes, micelles, nanoparticles, etc. These carriers are capable of delivering active herbal ingredients themselves and co-delivering anti-tumor drugs to enhance the enrichment of drugs in tumor site, thereby enhancing anti-tumor efficacy. This study provides a detailed analysis of the underlying mechanisms through which these active herbal ingredients-derived carriers improve therapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, it underscores the structural properties of these active herbal ingredients, illustrating how these distinctive features could be strategically utilized to design smart drug carriers with enhanced anti-tumor efficacy. The insights provided aim to serve as a reference and guide future innovation in designing and applying smart drug carriers for cancer therapy that leverage active herbal ingredients.