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This article reviews the current status of phytosomal research and its potential …
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Phytomedicines, complex chemical mixtures prepared from plants, have been used in medicine since ancient times and continue to have widespread popular use. Most of the bioactive constituents of herbal drugs are water soluble molecules However, water soluble phytoconstituents like many flavonoids are poorly absorbed(1) either due to their multiple-ring large size molecules which can not be absorbed by simple diffusion, or due to their poor miscibility with oils and other lipids, severely limiting their ability to pass across the lipid-rich outer membranes of the enterocytes of the small intestine. Water-soluble phytoconstituent molecules (mainly polyphenoles) can be converted into lipid-compatible molecular complexes, which are called phytosomes. Phytosomes are more bioavailable as compared to simple herbal extracts owing to their enhanced capacity to cross the lipid rich biomembranes and finally reaching the blood(2). The lipid-phase substances employed to make phytoconstituents, lipid-compatible are phospholipids from soy, mainly phosphatidylcholine (PC). Phospholipids are complex molecules that are used in all known life forms to make cell membranes. They are cell membrane building blocks, making up the matrix into which fit a large variety of proteins that are enzymes, transport proteins, receptors, and other biological energy converters. In humans and other higher animals the phospholipids are also employed as natural digestive aids and as carriers for both fat-miscible and watermiscible nutrients. They are miscible both in water and in oil/ lipid environments, and are well absorbed orally. Phospholipids are small lipid molecules in which the glycerol is bonded only to two fatty acids, instead of three as in triglycerides, with the remaining site occupied by a phosphate group(3). Most of the bioactive constituents of phytomedicines are flavonoids (e.g., anthocyanidins from bilberry, catechins from green tea, silymarin from milk thistle). However, many flavonoids are poorly absorbed. (1) The poor absorption of flavonoid nutrients is likely due to two factors. First, they are multiple-ring molecules too large to be absorbed by simple diffusion, while they are not absorbed actively, as occurs with some vitamins and minerals. Second, flavonoid molecules typically have poor miscibility with oils and other lipids, severely limiting their ability to pass across the lipid-rich outer membranes of the enterocytes of the small intestine.The phytosome process has been applied to many popular herbal extract including Ginkgo biloba, grape seed, hawthorn, milk thistle (Silybum marianum), green tea (Thea sinensis) and ginseng (Panax ginseng). The flavonoid and terpenoid components of these herbal extracts lend themselves quite well for the direct binding to phosphatidylcholine. The present article reviews the various aspects and the latest trends of phytosomal research on a variety of plant materials for potential therapeutic uses.
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