Abstract

NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A REVIEW

B. Premkumar*, D. Dhachinamoorthi, A. Dheepika

ABSTRACT

The development of novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) has emerged as a promising strategy for enhancing the therapeutic potential of plant-derived bioactive compounds and herbal extracts. Despite their considerable pharmacological benefits, many phytoconstituents exhibit limitations such as poor aqueous solubility, low bioavailability, chemical instability, rapid degradation, and inadequate tissue distribution, which may restrict their clinical application. Recent advances in nanotechnology and pharmaceutical formulation have led to the development of diverse herbal drug delivery systems, including polymeric nanoparticles, nanocapsules, liposomes, phytosomes, nanoemulsions, microspheres, transferosomes, and ethosomes. These systems have demonstrated potential to improve the solubility, bioavailability, stability, pharmacokinetic profile, and therapeutic efficacy of plant-derived constituents whilefacilitating sustained and, in some cases, targeted drug delivery. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in NDDS-based herbal formulations, with particular emphasis on their methods of preparation, formulation characteristics, particle size, entrapment efficiency, routes of administration, biological activities, and therapeutic applications. The review also highlights the role of advanced delivery platforms in overcoming the major pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical limitations associated with conventional herbal formulations. Collectively, these developments indicate that NDDS can serve as an effective platform for translating promising plant-derived bioactive compounds into more stable, bioavailable, and therapeutically effective pharmaceutical formulations.

Keywords: Novel drug delivery systems; Herbal formulations; Plant-derived bioactive compounds; Phytoconstituents; Nanoparticles; Phytosomes; Nanoemulsions; Liposomes; Bioavailability; Sustained drug delivery; Nanotechnology; Herbal drug delivery.