Herbal based nanoparticles as a possible and potential treatment of cancer - a review

Sep 23, 2026

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Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, and conventional approaches such as surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation often fail due to toxicity toward healthy rapidly dividing tissues and issues like resistance and long-term side effects. Natural-source nanoformulations are explored as targeted, safer options. Herbal-derived nanoscale medicines using agents including Malva sylvestris and curcumin aim to improve solubility, delivery, cellular uptake, and ligand-guided binding to tumor cells. Nanomedicine employing functionalized nanoparticles may enhance efficacy and reduce adverse effects through better availability, distribution, and targeting.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Cancer burden and need for novel therapy

Role of gene damage, detection, and treatment strategies

Nanotechnology and nanoformulations in cancer theranostics

Carrier systems and targeted delivery concepts

Exploration of Targeted Anti-tumor Therapy Open Access Review Herbal based nanoparticles as a possible and potential treatment of cancer: a review Roshan Yadav1 , Himmat Singh Chawra1 , Gaurav Dubey2 , Md Sabir Alam3 , Vikram Kumar4 , Pragya Sharma4 , Navneet Kumar Upadhayay4 , Tejpal Yadav4* 1Department of Pharmaceutics, NIMS Institute of Pharmacy, NIMS University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303121, India 2Department of Pharmacognosy, NIMS Institute of Pharmacy, NIMS University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303121, India 3Department of Pharmaceutics, SGT College of Pharmacy, SGT University Haryana, Gurugram 122505, India 4Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303002, India *Correspondence: Tejpal Yadav, Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303002, India. tejpal. [pharmacy@gmail.com](pharmacy@gmail.com) Academic Editor: Javier Reguera, University of Valladolid, Spain Received: July 12, 2024 Accepted: November 29, 2024 Published: January 3, 2025 Cite this article: Yadav R, Chawra HS, Dubey G, Alam MS, Kumar V, Sharma P, et al. Herbal based nanoparticles as a possible and potential treatment of cancer: a review. Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2025;6:1002285. [https://doi.org/10.37349/etat](https://doi.org/10.37349/etat). 2025.1002285 Abstract Cancer is the greatest cause of mortality worldwide. Various drug classes treat various cancers. Nanoformulations made from natural sources are being studied for treating several diseases, including cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation have mostly failed to treat cancer. These drugs may damage quickly dividing healthy tissues, structural anomalies, bodily toxicity, long-term side effects, tumor cell drug resistance, and psychiatric disturbances. Researchers are developing nanoscale medicines using natural medications like Malva sylvestris and Curcumin to lower concentrations and improve target specificity. Nanoparticles’ small size and unique properties make them beneficial. They encapsulate medicinal ingredients, improving solubility, medication release, cellular absorption, and delivery. Nanoparticles may better identify and bind to cancer cells when functionalized with ligands. Natural chemicals and nanotechnology may improve medication availability, distribution, and targeting to cancer cells, making cancer treatments more effective and safe. Nanomedicine, which employs nanoparticles to treat cancer and malignant cells, has grown rapidly because nanodrugs are more effective and have fewer side effects than current commercial cancer drugs. Nanotechnology-based natural chemicals and pharmaceutical delivery methods for cancer therapy are covered in this review article. The paper discusses nanoparticle pros and cons and natural chemicals’ cancer-fighting appeal. Keywords Phytoconstituents, nanoparticles, cancer, nanotechnology, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, herbal © The Author(s) 2025. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)), which permits unrestricted use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2025;6:1002285 | [https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2025.1002285](https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2025.1002285) Page 1 Graphical abstract. Herbal based nanoparticles for cancer treatment Introduction Cancer is the second greatest cause of death worldwide, a significant public health concern, and one of the most common causes of illness and mortality overall [1]. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has performed a comprehensive survey in 185 countries, including all age

FAQs

Why are traditional cancer therapies often insufficient?

Conventional therapies may not fully control cancer and can harm healthy rapidly dividing tissues. They can also lead to toxicity, long-term side effects, tumor cell drug resistance, and other complications.

What advantages do herbal-based nanoparticles offer for cancer therapy?

They can encapsulate medicinal ingredients to improve solubility, drug release, cellular absorption, and targeted delivery. When functionalized with ligands, nanoparticles may better identify and bind to cancer cells.

How does nanotechnology improve cancer treatment targeting?

Nanoformulations have customizable surfaces and high surface area-to-volume ratios, enabling more effective absorption and encapsulation of phytochemicals. They can reduce whole-body harm and support drug delivery to intended locations.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra