Collision of Chinese medicine and materials science: Interdisciplinary biomaterials' perspectives

The integration of materials science and Chinese medicine (CM) has emerged as a significant interdisciplinary field, playing a crucial role in enhancing the pharmacodynamics of CM and its derived small molecules. This field introduces novel concepts, like carrier-based CM delivery systems and carrier-free CM-based material systems, and here we present a detailed exposition of their respective merits and drawbacks. In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in research on carrier-based drug delivery systems for CM, which are designed to optimize administration routes, improve targeted delivery precision, and enable controlled drug release. Nonetheless, these systems face critical challenges including suboptimal drug payloads, prohibitive manufacturing costs, and compromised biocompatibility. The introduction of carrier-free CM-based material system addresses these shortcomings through inherent advantages including exceptional drug-loading capacity, full-bioactive components, and superior biocompatibility. Comparative analyses demonstrate that nanonization of the active components of herbal medicines can significantly improve the permeability, solubility, stability, and targeting of the active components themselves. The intrinsic therapeutic components, eco-friendly attributes, and sustainable regenerative capacity of CM, combined with the adjustable physicochemical properties of advanced materials create unique therapeutic advantages. The advancement and optimization of CM and materials science concept have significantly bolstered the clinical application of drugs, increasingly aligning with the personalized treatment model in clinical practice. We provide an overview of the future obstacles and potential development strategies in the realm of CM-materials science with the aspiration to propel sustainable development in both CM and materials science. Please cite this article as: Luo WK, Guo XH, Cao LN, Zheng J, Luo M, Wang Y. Collision of Chinese medicine and materials science: Interdisciplinary biomaterials' perspectives. J Integr Med. 2026; 24(2):140-153.