Nanoparticles delivering herbal medicine to cancer cells.

Herbal Power Couple: How Nanotechnology Could Revolutionize Cancer Treatment

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Mira Elwood in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research explores how combining traditional Chinese medicine with advanced drug delivery systems can boost the effectiveness of cancer drugs while reducing side effects."


Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, pushing researchers to explore innovative treatment strategies. Combination therapy, which uses multiple drugs to attack cancer cells through different mechanisms, has emerged as a promising approach. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers a rich source of potential drug combinations, often with fewer side effects than conventional treatments.

One such TCM combination involves Evodiamine (EVO) and Berberine (BBR), derived from the Euodiae Fructus and Coptidis Rhizoma plants, respectively. This herbal pair has demonstrated synergistic antitumor effects against various cancer types. However, the poor solubility and potential toxicity of EVO and BBR have limited their clinical application. Now, scientists are using nanotechnology to overcome these challenges.

A recent study published in Molecular Pharmaceutics investigates a novel drug delivery system that encapsulates EVO and BBR within lipid-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). This system is designed to release the drugs in response to the specific conditions within a tumor, potentially maximizing their effectiveness while minimizing harm to healthy tissues.

The Science Behind the System: Targeted Drug Delivery

Nanoparticles delivering herbal medicine to cancer cells.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are tiny, porous particles with several advantages for drug delivery. They have a large surface area for loading drugs, exhibit good biocompatibility, and can be easily modified to target specific cells or tissues. In this study, researchers enhanced MSNs with two key features:

A temperature- and pH-responsive polymer coating: The MSNs are coated with a polymer that shrinks in response to the slightly acidic environment and elevated temperature characteristic of tumors. This shrinking action triggers the release of the encapsulated drugs.

  • BBR is loaded directly into the pores of the MSNs.
  • EVO is embedded within a lipid bilayer that surrounds the MSNs. This bilayer is modified with DSPE-PEG-2000, a compound that improves biocompatibility and prolongs circulation in the bloodstream.
This design allows for sequential drug release: First, the nanoparticles accumulate in the tumor due to their small size and the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, a phenomenon where nanoparticles preferentially accumulate in tumor tissue. Then, the lipid membrane fuses with the plasma membrane of cancer cells, releasing EVO into the cytoplasm. Finally, as the nanoparticles enter the acidic environment within the tumor cells, the polymer coating shrinks, releasing BBR from the MSNs.

A Promising Step Forward in Cancer Therapy

The results of this study are encouraging, demonstrating that the dual drug-loaded MSNs exhibit significant synergistic therapy effects in vitro (in cell cultures) and in vivo (in mice). The nanoparticles effectively inhibited tumor growth, cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels that feed tumors).

Importantly, the study also found that the nanoparticles showed lower systemic toxicity compared to either drug alone, the free drug combination, or Taxol, a common chemotherapy drug. This suggests that the targeted delivery system can reduce the harmful side effects often associated with cancer treatment.

While further research is needed, this innovative approach holds great promise for improving the treatment of cancer by combining the benefits of traditional medicine with the precision of nanotechnology. The temperature- and pH-sensitive lipid-coated MSNs offer a novel platform for delivering both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs directly to tumor cells, potentially leading to more effective and less toxic cancer therapies.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

What role do mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) play in delivering cancer drugs in this new approach?

The study utilizes mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) as a delivery system. These tiny particles have a large surface area to carry Evodiamine (EVO) and Berberine (BBR). They're coated with a temperature- and pH-responsive polymer, triggering drug release in the specific environment of tumors. The lipid bilayer surrounding the MSNs also improves biocompatibility, ensuring the drugs reach their target effectively.

2

How are Evodiamine (EVO) and Berberine (BBR) loaded and released from the mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) to target cancer cells?

Evodiamine (EVO) is embedded within a lipid bilayer that surrounds the mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), which is further modified with DSPE-PEG-2000 to improve biocompatibility and circulation. Berberine (BBR) is loaded directly into the pores of the MSNs. This allows for a sequential release, where EVO is released first upon membrane fusion and then BBR is released in the acidic tumor environment, maximizing their combined effect.

3

What is the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, and how does it contribute to the effectiveness of this targeted drug delivery system?

The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect is a key phenomenon where nanoparticles, like the drug-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), preferentially accumulate in tumor tissue due to the leaky vasculature and impaired lymphatic drainage common in tumors. This targeted accumulation helps to deliver Evodiamine (EVO) and Berberine (BBR) directly to the cancer cells, increasing drug concentration where it's needed most and reducing exposure to healthy tissues.

4

Why is the combination of Evodiamine (EVO) and Berberine (BBR) considered a 'synergistic' approach to cancer treatment?

The combination of Evodiamine (EVO) and Berberine (BBR) shows synergistic antitumor effects, meaning their combined impact is greater than the sum of their individual effects. This synergy allows for lower doses of each drug to be used, potentially reducing the risk of side effects. By attacking cancer cells through multiple pathways simultaneously, they can more effectively inhibit tumor growth, migration, and invasion.

5

What are the potential implications and limitations of this research, and what future steps are needed to translate it into clinical application?

This research, while promising, is still in its early stages. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the dual drug-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) *in vitro* (in cell cultures) and *in vivo* (in mice). Further research is needed to determine its safety and efficacy in humans. Future steps would involve clinical trials to assess the long-term effects and optimize the delivery system for various cancer types and individual patient needs. The research doesn't cover specific cancer types and personalized treatment plans.

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