Development of Nanotechnological Approaches to Improving the Antimalarial Potential of Natural Substances

Malaria is one of the diseases that is a serious threat to global health, with millions of cases reported worldwide in recent years. The treatment of malaria is still a challenge due to its complex pathogenesis, resistance to many of the antimalarial drugs, and adverse toxicity. Nowadays, the possibilities of applying new natural molecules alone or in combination is being researched. However, many of these substances possess low aqueous solubility, which limits their bioavailability. The solubility of such substances could be improved by applying various techniques for their nanoencapsulation, e.g., incorporation in nanocapsules, liposomes, lipid nanoparticles, etc. The current review emphasizes studies on the nanoencapsulation of some of the well-known natural antimalarial agents (quinine, artemisinin) as well as substances with newly demonstrated antimalarial potential (piperine, quercetin, etc.). The review also discusses the opportunity to simultaneously load two natural agents in nanoparticles. Special focus is given to the metal nanoparticles (e.g., silver, gold, etc.) obtained by green synthesis from plants.