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Review
. 2024 Jan 8;10(2):e24302.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24302. eCollection 2024 Jan 30.

Progress of nanopreparation technology applied to volatile oil drug delivery systems

Zu-Wen Ye  1 , Qi-Yue Yang  2 , Qiao-Hong Lin  1 , Xiao-Xia Liu  1 , Feng-Qin Li  1 , Hong-Da Xuan  1 , Ying-Yan Bai  1 , Ya-Peng Huang  1 , Le Wang  1 , Fang Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Progress of nanopreparation technology applied to volatile oil drug delivery systems

Zu-Wen Ye et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine volatile oil has a long history and possesses extensive pharmacological activity. However, volatile oils have characteristics such as strong volatility, poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and poor targeting, which limit their application. The use of volatile oil nano drug delivery systems can effectively improve the drawbacks of volatile oils, enhance their bioavailability and chemical stability, and reduce their volatility and toxicity. This article first introduces the limitations of the components of traditional Chinese medicine volatile oils, discusses the main classifications and latest developments of volatile oil nano formulations, and briefly describes the preparation methods of traditional Chinese medicine volatile oil nano formulations. Secondly, the limitations of nano formulation technology are discussed, along with future challenges and prospects. A deeper understanding of the role of nanotechnology in traditional Chinese medicine volatile oils will contribute to the modernization of volatile oils and broaden their application value.

Keywords: Application; Nanopreparation technology; Research progress; Volatile oil.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Summary diagram. Layer 1: Volatile oils have the disadvantages of poor bioavailability, poor water solubility, high volatility, and poor targeting. Layer 2: Volatile oil nano-formulations are mainly microemulsions, nanoemulsions, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems, nanocapsules, polymeric micelles, and nanogels. Among them, the yellow colour represents polymer-based nanosystems, and the green colour represents lipid-based nanosystems. Layer 3: The main methods for synthesising volatile oil nanocarriers are spontaneous nanoemulsification, phase flipping, high-pressure homogenization, ultrasonic method, thin film hydration method, ethanol injection technique, nano-precipitation technique, electrospraying technique, emulsion diffusion method, spray-drying technique, and ionising gelation technique. Among them, grey represents high-energy formulation technology, and blue represents low-energy formulation technology. Fourth layer: nano-formulation technology to improve the physicochemical properties of volatile oils, such as improving the bioavailability of volatile oils, achieving sustained release of volatile oils, improving the stability of volatile oils, and improving the targeting function of volatile oils. Fifth layer: Volatile oil nano-systems can be applied to four major industries: agriculture, food industry, pharmaceutical industry, and cosmetics.
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