expert corner
solubility , interacts with many different proteins and so works differently from many drugs ). Therefore , chemically modified or functionalised forms of nanocurcumin will be more effective at reaching tissues and generating adequate pharmacology data to meet modern drug standards .
Like Curcumin , another phytochemical isolate under intense investigation for its anti-cancer property is Andrographolide . Andrographolide , a diterpenoid lactone , which is one of the major bioactive components of
The application of the modern nanoscience methods to the traditional system of medicine enriches the potential of herbal drugs for treating chronic diseases such as cancer and various other ailments
the Acanthaceae family plant called Andrographis paniculata . It has been studied for its beneficial properties such as anti-inflammatory , analgesics , antihuman immunodeficiency virus effects , immunoregulation , neuroprotective , choleretic cardiovascular , antihyperglycemic and antitumor and has been widely used in clinic for the treatment of fever , inflammation , and other infectious diseases .
Despite its impressive biological activities , the major constraints of Andrographolide are poor oral bioavailability , short plasma life and inappropriate tissue localization making it difficult to prepare formulations for clinical use . It is unstable in extremes of gastrointestinal alkaline and acidic conditions and has a very short biological half-life . Therefore , it is essential to design and develop hybrid derivatives of Andrographolide in a manner to act as first line anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents . It is envisaged that development of a suitable nanodelivery systems will help in improvement of pharmacokinetics of this investigational drug .
Another potential armor in the arsenal to fight against cancer is an extract of medicinal plant called Kedrostis foetidissima , which has been identified and developed by Pune based Oncocur India . The company has been successful in animal trials in demonstrating the therapeutic efficacy for breast , colon and ovarian cancers better than standard drug paclitaxel . The tubor extracts of K . foetidissima clearly reveal the anti-cancer properties and it is evident that the findings of the present study can provide a basic concept for synthesizing a new drug . The company is focusing on developing nanoparticle formulation to bring down the cost , improve the efficacy and pharmaco kinetic parameters to meet regulatory standards .
Till date most of the herbal extracts are primarily used in ayurvedic industry , majority of them are small scale enterprises uses traditional mortar and
pestle based methodologies . In order to penetrate into the global mainstream market , widen its acceptance across the continents , the industry has to adopt WHO GMP standards and new venture investments into research and development . Currently the research has been conducted by largely govt institutes . The
industry requires impetus from the government in the form of commissioning new research programs and grants for revision of knowledge in order to establish working principle . Despite its huge market potential , R & D investment in the private sector is dismal partly due to the weak IP enforcement in India and opaque IP guidelines on herbal extracts .
24 BioVoiceNews | February 2017