Abstract
A promising new avenue for improving health and wellness is presented by the combination of nutraceuticals with nanotechnology. The application of nanotechnology to nutraceuticals is examined in this abstract, with particular attention on how it might transform bioactive substances’ bioavailability, efficacy, and delivery methods. With nanotechnology’s exact manipulation at the nanoscale, new delivery vehicles, including liposomes, nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions, can be designed. These platforms solve problems with traditional formulations by enhancing nutraceutical chemicals’ solubility and stability. Furthermore, nano-based carriers make targeted delivery easier, which guarantees the body’s best possible absorption and dispersion. Moreover, functionalization possibilities provided by nanotechnology enable the addition of bioresponsive components for site-specific targeting and triggered release. Furthermore, real-time monitoring of physiological parameters made possible by the integration of nanosensors allows for customized interventions and accurate dosing schedules.
Introduction
The combination of nanotechnology and nutraceuticals has become a cutting-edge field with revolutionary promise in the rapidly changing fields of healthcare and well-being. The health-promoting qualities of nutraceuticals, which are made up of bioactive compounds derived from natural components, have long been acknowledged. However, obstacles including poor transport efficiency, stability problems, and low bioavailability have prevented them from having their full therapeutic potential. The field of nanotechnology, which works with matter at the nanoscale, offers exact answers to these enduring problems.
This introduction lays the groundwork for an exploration of the emerging topic of neutraceutical nanotechnology, where combining these two fields has the potential to alter perceptions of health and wellness completely. Nutraceuticals can be tailored for optimal distribution, improved efficacy, and targeted action within the body by utilizing the unique qualities of nanomaterial, such as increased surface area, adjustable reactivity, and enhanced transport capabilities.
This investigation will explore the complexities of nanoencapsulation, nanoemulsions, and nanoparticle-based delivery systems three important tactics advancing innovation in the field of nutraceutical nanotechnology as we go deeper into this area. We will also explore how personalized nutrition solutions could be made possible by nanotechnology, which could allow interventions to be customized to each person’s physiological demands and preferences.
Nutraceuticals
“Nutraceuticals” and “functional foods” are phrases that are commonly used interchangeably in media and publications. The term “nutraceutical,” is the combination of the terms “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical,” and was coined by Stephen DeFelice, M.D., the founder of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine in Cranford, New Jersey.
There are many different products included in it, including functional foods, isolated nutrients, medicinal foods, fortified foods, and dietary supplements. Consequently, dietary ingredients or whole foods having health advantages, such as illness prevention and treatment, would constitute a more realistic description of nutraceuticals. Previously, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has listed specific foods that are utilized for the.1
Types of Nutraceuticals and Example
There are various types of nutraceuticals used in day-to-day life of human beings following are some of the examples of these nutraceuticals shown in Figure 1.
Liposomes, nanoparticles, nanosuspensions, and polymeric micelles are examples of drug-delivery systems that use nanotechnology to improve solubility of drug, its therapeutic efficacy, permeability, stability, and oral bioavailability. Nutraceuticals particles have trouble reaching to their target site for many reasons, including poor gastrointestinal tract (GIT) absorption brought on by problems with the solubility of active medicinal substances, like vitamin and calcium supplements. Therapeutic activity may be impacted by interactions between nutraceutical products and chemicals, medications, and other nutraceuticals. The problems with solubility and absorption may be solved using nanotechnology. A molecule’s surface area increases with size decrease, enhancing the intended biological process. Converting a nutraceutical molecule into a nanocarrier is one method of overcoming the barriers. The pharmacological approach uses nano-delivery technologies extensively.2 Some examples of phytoconstituents used as nutraceuticals are shown in Figure 2.
Classification of Nutraceuticals
The natural food sources that are utilised to make nutraceuticals fall into the following categories shown in Figure 3
Problems in Nutraceutical Delivery
The primary causes of a nutraceutical’s poor oral delivery are the target capacity and oral absorption of the constituent. The limited serum dispersion, apparent rapid metabolism, and short half-life of nutraceuticals may all contribute to their poor bioavailability.3
Nanotechnology in Nutraceuticals
Numerous dangerous diseases, such as cancer, hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, infectious diseases, hyperlipidaemia, and pain and inflammation, are becoming more common as the world’s population grows. Nutraceuticals have a low bioavailability, meaning they are routinely eliminated from the body without providing any therapeutic benefit. This is the main cause for concern in this subject. Nanotechnology can be used to increase the oral bioavailability, permeability, and therefore the bioavailability of nutritional and health supplements.4,5 These are shown in Table 1. Nanomaterials have extraordinary qualities because of their tiny size. a high surface area to volume ratio, and increased efficiency as a result of increased uptake by endocytosis and additional biological transport processes.3,6
The chemical composition of nanomaterials can be used to further classify them into organic and inorganic types. These organic or inorganic nanoparticles can function as delivery systems or the therapeutic agents (self-assembling omega-3 fatty acids, Nanosilver, and zinc-oxide-based formulations, among others).
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Tamboli F. A, Waghmare R. S, Gajewar S. R, Gavhane D. G, Disale P. P, Jogi P. R, Mali U. S. Nano Nutraceuticals: Revolutionizing the Future of Health Supplements. Biomed Pharmacol J 2025;18(1).
