New Improved Drug Delivery Technologies for Pentacyclic Triterpenes: A Review

Phytochemicals are becoming more and more interesting in the field of therapeutic research, mainly in the treatment of chronic illnesses, due to the fact that many synthetic drugs cause important side effects that impact on patient's life quality. Pentacyclic triterpenes are a class of compounds with several therapeutic effects and increasing importance in cancer therapy; however, a major disadvantage is their low water solubility and bioavailability which leads to rather poor therapeutic results in vivo. Technological attempts to improve the pharmacokinetic profile of the main representatives of this class include the use of cyclodextrins, micro- and nanoemulsions, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and nanocapsules. This paper is aimed to briefly summarize the most significant achievements in this field.