Chemical components, pharmacological properties, and nanoparticulate delivery systems of Brucea javanica

Meiwan Chen,^1,‡ Ruie Chen,^1,‡ Shengpeng Wang,¹ Wen Tan,¹ Yangyang Hu,¹ Xinsheng Peng,² Yitao Wang<sup>1

1</sup>State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China; ²School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Medical College, Dongguan, China

^‡These authors contributed equally to this work

Abstract: Brucea javanica has demonstrated a variety of antitumoral, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties. As a Chinese herbal medicine, Brucea javanica is mainly used in the treatment of lung and gastrointestinal cancers. Pharmacological research has identified the main antitumor components are tetracyclic triterpene quassinoids. However, most of these active components have poor water solubility and low bioavailability, which greatly limit their clinical application. Nanoparticulate delivery systems are urgently needed to improve the bioavailability of Brucea javanica. This paper mainly focuses on the chemical components in Brucea javanica and its pharmacological properties and nanoparticulate formulations, in an attempt to encourage further research on its active components and nanoparticulate drug delivery systems to expand its clinical applications. It is expected to improve the level of pharmaceutical research and provide a strong scientific foundation for further study on the medicinal properties of this plant.

Keywords: Brucea javanica, chemical components, pharmacology, nanoparticulate delivery systems