A Systematic Review of Application of Resveratrol and the Recent Progress of the Drug Delivery System

Abstract

Background: Resveratrol is a natural compound in plants like grapes and peanuts, it’s an antioxidant used in supplements and medicine. It’s a colorless crystal soluble in organic solvents, with poor water solubility but high cell membrane permeability. It exists in cis and trans forms. Objective: To explore the background of resveratrol, this review comprehensively summarizes the recent advances in resveratrol including its application in cancer, type-2 diabetes mellitus, vascular disease, and the delivery system. Data sources: We performed a narrative review, based on relevant articles written in English from a PubMed search, using the following search terms: “resveratrol”, and “bioavailability” and “bone health” or “cancer”, or “cardiovascular”, or “diabetes” or “estrogen” or “weight management” or “metabolism”. Results: Cancer’s aggressive nature requires multiple therapies, but they often cause side effects. Resveratrol (RSV) is a promising cancer treatment due to its fewer adverse effects. It inhibits cancer cell growth and promotes cell death by targeting specific pathways. Recent studies also examine the relationship between polyphenol intake and diabetes markers in overweight/obese individuals with metabolic syndrome. Increased polyphenol intake may reduce these markers, particularly in those with pre-diabetes. However, findings vary due to study heterogeneity. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a critical factor in cardiovascular diseases. Phytochemical compounds, like resveratrol have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties that protect the cardiovascular system. Resveratrol prevents inflammation, reduces oxidative stress, and improves endothelial function, making it a promising therapy for cardiovascular diseases. To face the limitation like its low solubility and rapid metabolism, the drug delivery system has also been studied in this review. Various nanodelivery systems, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and inorganic nanoparticles, have shown promise in overcoming these challenges by improving solubility, biocompatibility, and therapeutic efficacy. Conclusions: While recent advancements in resveratrol’s application show promise, further research is needed to optimize nanoformulations, validate efficacy in vivo, and tackle challenges like scalability and toxicity. Overall, these developments offer a promising path to maximize resveratrol’s therapeutic potential in clinical settings.