Andrographis paniculata Dosage Forms and Advances in Nanoparticulate Delivery Systems: An Overview

Andrographis paniculata is a well-known Asian medicinal plant with a major phytoconstituent of diterpene lactones, such as andrographolide, 14-deoxyandrographolide, and neoandrographolide. A World Health Organization (WHO) monograph on selected medicinal plants showed that A. paniculata extracts and its major diterpene lactones have promising anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimalarial, anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic activities. However, these active phytochemicals have poor water solubility and bioavailability when delivered in a conventional dosage form. These biological barriers can be mitigated if the extract or isolated compound are delivered as nanoparticles. This review discusses existing studies and marketed products of A. paniculata in solid, liquid, semi-solid, and gaseous dosage forms, either as an extract or isolated pure compounds, as well as their deficits in reaching maximum bioavailability. The pharmaceutics and pharmacological activity of A. paniculata as a nano-delivery system are also discussed.