article · Phytomedicine Plus
Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and cardiovascular diseases continue to pose significant global health challenges. Phytomedicine offers therapeutic potential through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and disease-modifying properties, yet clinical effectiveness is constrained by poor solubility, low bioavailability, and lack of targeted delivery. This review assesses how nanocarrier systems have been employed to overcome these pharmacokinetic limitations and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of phytochemicals in chronic disease management. A systematic narrative review was conducted by searching PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using the following keyword set: ("nanocarrier*" OR "nanoparticle*" OR "nanotechnology" OR "nanoformulation*") AND ("phytochemical*" OR "phytomedicine" OR "plant-based" OR "plant-derived" OR "herbal") AND ("chronic disease*" OR "cancer" OR "diabetes" OR "cardiovascular" OR "neurodegeneration" OR "Alzheimer" OR "targeted drug delivery" OR "bioavailability"). The search covered peer-reviewed publications from 2013 to 2025. Searches were conducted in title, abstract, and keyword fields. English-language research articles, reviews, and book chapters were included. The search yielded over 4,200 publications; after deduplication and relevance screening, 160 studies were retained for detailed analysis. Nanocarriers including lipid-based nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, metallic nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, and emerging plant-derived exosomes significantly improved the solubility, stability, and targeted delivery of key phytochemicals such as curcumin, quercetin, EGCG, berberine, and resveratrol. Enhanced bioavailability and tissue-specific delivery reduced systemic toxicity and improved preclinical and early-stage clinical efficacy. Challenges remain regarding production scalability, regulatory harmonization, and nanotoxicity profiling. Nanoformulated phytochemicals represent a promising frontier in chronic disease therapy. Future research should prioritize overcoming translational barriers, advancing green and biogenic nanotechnology, and developing AI-assisted personalized nano-phytomedicine platforms.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.phyplu.2026.100984
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