Herbal medicines have gained recognition among physicians and patients due to their lower adverse effects compared to modern medicines. They are extensively used to treat various diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular issues, chronic inflammation, microbial contamination, diabetes, obesity, and hepatic disorders, among others. Unfortunately, the clinical application of herbal medicines is limited by their low solubility and inadequate bioavailability. Utilizing herbal medicines in the form of nanocrystals (herbal medicine nanocrystals) has shown potential in enhancing solubility and bioavailability by reducing the particle size, increasing the specific surface area, and modifying the absorption mechanisms. Multiple studies have demonstrated that these nanocrystals significantly improve drug efficacy by reducing toxicity and increasing bioavailability. This review comprehensively examines therapeutic approaches based on herbal medicine nanocrystals. It covers the preparation principles, key factors influencing nucleation and polymorphism control, applications, and limitations. The review underscores the importance of optimizing delivery systems for successful herbal medicine nanocrystal therapeutics. Furthermore, it discusses the main challenges and opportunities in developing herbal medicine nanocrystals for the purpose of treating conditions such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disorders, mental and nervous diseases, and antimicrobial infections. In conclusion, we have deliberated regarding the hurdles and forthcoming outlook in the realm of nanotoxicity, in vivo kinetics, herbal ingredients as stabilizers of nanocrystals, and the potential for surmounting drug resistance through the utilization of nanocrystalline formulations in herbal medicine. We anticipate that this review will offer innovative insights into the development of herbal medicine nanocrystals as a promising and novel therapeutic strategy.

Fucoxanthin, a marine-derived carotenoid primarily sourced from algae and microalgae, holds significant potential for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. However, its highly unsaturated structure presents critical challenges, including structural instability, poor aqueous solubility, and limited bioavailability. These restrict its application despite its abundant natural availability. Recently, various controlled-release nanotechnologies have been applied to improve the properties of fucoxanthin formulations. In this review, we systematically summarized the bioactivities of fucoxanthin and highlighted recent advancements in controlled-release systems designed to address the limitations. These controlled-release systems mainly use natural or synthetic organic materials and are employed to develop various formulations, including emulsions, nanoparticles, nanofibers, and nanostructured lipid carriers. In addition, the emerging bioinspired drug delivery systems, particularly extracellular vesicles and cell-membrane-derived biomimetic systems, have gained prominence for their immunocompatibility and ability to penetrate physiological barriers, which is regarded as superior encapsulation vesicles for fucoxanthin. Focusing on innovations, we discussed the state-of-the-art delivery systems for fucoxanthin encapsulation and emphasized their roles in improving biosafety, enhancing bioavailability, preserving bioactivity, and optimizing therapeutic performance across various disease models. These insights will provide promising guidance for engineering controlled-release platforms and will aim to unlock fucoxanthin’s full potential in drug development and dietary supplement formulations.

Drug delivery systems have long faced a fundamental challenge: achieving high drug-loading efficiency, precise control over release, and in vivo safety simultaneously is a difficult task. Cellulose and its derivatives are abundant and renewable, exhibiting good biocompatibility, which makes them promising candidates for drug delivery materials. Representative derivatives, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and ethyl cellulose, as well as nanocellulose, including cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibrils, and bacterial nanocellulose, have enabled the development of diverse carrier formats, including hydrogels, aerogels, films, and particulate systems. Recent advances include pH-responsive bacterial nanocellulose/carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels for oral ibuprofen delivery, carboxylated nanocellulose/polyethylene glycol/β-cyclodextrin composite aerogels for gastric-selective release of imatinib, and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose-based microneedle patches for transdermal co-delivery of sumatriptan succinate and naproxen sodium. These examples highlight how cellulose-based systems can be engineered for site-selective delivery, sustained release, and multi-stimuli responsiveness. In this review, we summarize the structural features of cellulose derivatives and nanocellulose, discuss the design principles and release mechanisms of representative delivery platforms, and outline current challenges in manufacturability, safety evaluation, and clinical translation.

The treatment of skin diseases remains a significant clinical challenge. Cellulose and its derivatives have emerged as research hotspots in skin-related applications due to their excellent biocompatibility, structural modifiability, and biomimetic properties. This review systematically summarizes the diverse construction forms of cellulose-based materials, including films, nanofibrous scaffolds, hydrogels, and aerogels, with a focus on smart responsive systems tailored to various microenvironmental conditions. Their application progresses in acute/chronic wound healing, bacterial infections, burns, scar prevention, immunomodulation, and smart wearable monitoring are highlighted. The underlying mechanisms involving anti-infection, pro-regeneration, microenvironment modulation, and sensing are analyzed, aiming to provide insights for further exploration of cellulose-based materials in skin disease therapy and even smart wearable devices.