From nature to nanotech: unlocking Berberine's therapeutic approaches

Despite being widely used, the therapeutic outcomes of Berberine (BBR)have remained suboptimal due to its poor aqueous solubility, absorption, rapid metabolism, and limited targeting. This results in pitiable bioavailability, which in turn demands frequent administration. The employment of a nanomaterials-based framework embedded with BBR could lessen the deprived pharmacokinetics and amplify the curative intervention. This manuscript delves into various nanomaterials and methods-based systems designed to address these drawbacks. Nanotechnology-based delivery systems, including magnetic, gold, selenium, and liposomal nanoparticles, as well as polymeric and mesoporous silica carriers, have demonstrated significant potential to overcome Berberine's pharmacokinetic limitations. These systems enhance bioavailability, provide targeted delivery, and offer sustained release, showing promising results in preclinical and clinical models for cancer, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disorders. The manuscript also frameworks an in-depth analysis of BBR's underlying pharmacological mechanism, various synergistic studies, clinical trials, and associated patent data. By employing nano-BBR with surface modification, we could sidestep the constraints of traditional forms by attenuating regrettable attributes of BBR. Implementation of combinatorial chemistry, in addition to the in-silico approach, might refine the clinical outcomes of BBR. However, steering into regulatory complexity is important, which may affect its market success because of its physiological drawbacks.