Nature has bestowed mankind with surplus resources (natural products) on land and water. Natural products have significant role in prevention of disease and boosting of health in humans and animals. These natural products have been experimentally documented to possess various biological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. In vitro and in vivo studies have further established the usefulness of natural products in various preclinical models of neurodegenerative disorders. Natural products include phytoconstituents, like polyphenolic antioxidants, found in herbs, fruits, nuts, vegetables and also in marine and fresh water flora. These phytoconstituents may potentially suppress neurodegeneration and improve memory as well as cognitive functions of the brain. Also, they are known to play a pivotal role in prevention and cure of different neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and other neuronal disorders. The large scale neuro-pharmacological activities of natural products have been documented which is due to be the result of either inhibition of inflammatory processes, or the up-regulation of various cell survival proteins or combination of both. Due to the scarcity of human studies on neuroprotective effects of natural products, this review focuses on the various established activities of natural products in in vitro and in vivo preclinical models, and their potential neuro-therapeutic applications using the available knowledge in the literature.

Graphical abstract

No abstract

Nanoparticles with multifunctionality are being designed and formulated to overcome various limitations of drugs as well as conventional drug delivery systems. Engineered nanoparticles to specifically target cancer cells have the ability to reduce collateral damage on normal tissue due to pan-toxic effects of drugs. Pragmatic approaches are in consideration to make advancement in cancer therapy as the new developed methods exhibited an improved targeted anticancer therapeutic delivery with better treatment outcomes. An effective cancer therapy requires both the passive and active targeting, along with a consistent knowledge of various physiologic barriers to successfully achieve targeted delivery. The nanoparticles can be linked with tumor targeting moieties like specific ligands, monoclonal antibodies, and carbohydrates for active targeting of cancer cells with great affinity and precision. This review presents some recent research on targeted delivery for cancer therapy and also discusses examples of types of engineered nanoparticles exploited for active cancer targeting.