Recent advances in nanoparticle formulation of oleanolic acid

Abstract

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a natural triterpenoid possessing anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antiviral, hepatoprotective and antihyperlipidemic effects. Research on the pharmacological activities and clinical applications of OA has made significant progress in the past decade, particularly in the areas such as isolation and purification, chemical modifications, pharmacological research, toxicity studies and clinical use of OA. However, due to its poor aqueous solubility, instability and low bioavailability, OA's clinical applications are still rather limited. Recently, nanoparticulate drug delivery as the biological dimension of nanotechnology has been developed, which may help generate useful formulations of OA for clinical applications. Nanoparticulate drug delivery system enhances the dissolution rate and bioavailability of OA, providing a feasible formulation method for clinical applications. © 2011 Chen et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.