Advances in Herbal Nanomedicine for Cardiovascular Therapeutics

Abstract: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are still the leading cause of illness and death worldwide, even though there have been improvements in traditional treatments. Current therapies, such as medications and surgeries, often have limitations like side effects, high costs, and inconsistent effectiveness. Herbal medicine has a long history of use in traditional systems and offers a wide range of natural compounds that may protect the heart. However, there are challenges in using herbal medicine clinically, including poor absorption in the body, instability of active ingredients, and inability to target specific areas. A new approach called herbal nanopharmacology combines the benefits of herbal medicine with nanotechnology to overcome these obstacles. This field is still relatively unexplored, especially regarding specific CVDs. The important aspects cover the epidemiology and pathophysiology of CVDs, herbs and their therapies, alongside the most recent advances in medicine. Specific conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and myocardial infarction are further examined in terms of the application of herbal nanopharmacology, with supporting preclinical and clinical evaluation with safety assessment. This article discusses the need for additional research and development of hybrid medicine, combining nanobiotechnology and herbal medicine, to treat conditions such as CVDs. This review aims to reduce the burden by collating salient points from various studies on herbal nanopharmacology and bioactive compounds for the prevention and treatment of CVDs. It assimilates work in the field on bioactive constituents, their modes of action, and principles of nanotechnology in medicine.