Targeted & Advanced Herbal Drug Delivery in Pregnancy
Corresponding author: [email protected]
Abstract
Pregnancy is a unique physiological condition in which the safety and effectiveness of drug therapy require careful consideration to protect both the mother and the developing fetus. Although herbal medicines have been used for centuries to manage pregnancy-related conditions such as nausea, inflammation, oxidative stress and gestational metabolic disorders, their therapeutic potential is often limited by poor aqueous solubility, low bioavailability, chemical instability, rapid metabolism and non-specific distribution. Recent advances in pharmaceutical nanotechnology offer opportunities to overcome these challenges through targeted and advanced herbal drug delivery systems. Novel carriers including nanoparticles, liposomes, phytosomes, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, transferosomes and herbosomes can enhance the stability, absorption, controlled release and site-specific delivery of herbal bioactive compounds while minimizing systemic exposure and reducing fetal toxicity. Targeted delivery strategies focusing on maternal, placental and fetal tissues offer promising approaches for improving therapeutic outcomes in pregnancy-associated disorders such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.
Author Affiliations
- 1 Department of Pharmaceutics, R.V.P.M. Institute of Pharmacy, Dwarka, Nashik, India.
- 2 Department of Pharmacology, KVPs Institute of Pharmaceutical Education, Boradi, Shirpur, India.