Nanocapsules as smart natural product drug delivery systems: recent advances and future directions

In the field of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, bioactive compounds play vital roles as fortifying ingredients and drug components. As these products are naturally acquired from plant resources, their stability and functionality have to be preserved essentially. Of late, these bioactive components have been effectively preserved as capsules through the process of nanoencapsulation, which has been reported to successfully maintain their shelf life and structures and prolong their functional ability. Here, the authors had attempted to elaborate reported studies on the materials used in the fabrication of nanocapsules (NCs), several modes of nanoencapsulation, the analytical methods to assess the characteristics of NCs, and the natural product bioactives that are encapsulated, and their utilisation in various pharmacological applications. This article significantly discussed how these NCs are remarkable in targeted drug delivery and sustained drug release. The present review throws a limelight on the challenges that were faced during their production and commercialisation. In addition, current strategies to overcome the disadvantages in the process were also emphasised. Overall, this review article will substantially serve as a comprehensive resource to understand nanoencapsulation and implement it with state-of-the-art technologies to enhance the nutritive, mechanical, and functional properties of the bioactive compounds for consumption and biomedical applications.