Quercetin and Its Nano-Based Formulations Against Skin Cancer: A Narrative Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nanotechnology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Skin cancer is a prevalent malignancy with limitations in conventional treatments.
• Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, exhibits anti-cancer properties but faces bioavailability challenges.
• Nanotechnology offers solutions to enhance quercetin's efficacy for skin cancer management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze skin cancer pathogenesis and quercetin's therapeutic potential.
• To evaluate quercetin alone and in nano-formulations in preclinical models.
• To explore nanotechnology strategies for overcoming current skin cancer treatment challenges.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of skin cancer, melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, quercetin, and nanotechnology.
• Searches conducted in Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scientific Information Databases.
• Data compilation and analysis of preclinical studies up to 2025.

Main Results:

• Quercetin inhibits skin cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by modulating key cellular pathways.
• Nano-based delivery systems (e.g., nanoparticles, nanogels, lipid carriers) improve quercetin's stability and skin permeation.
• Enhanced bioavailability and therapeutic effects of quercetin are observed with nano-formulations.

Conclusions:

• Integrating quercetin with nano-based formulations is a promising strategy for targeted skin cancer therapy.
• Preclinical findings support the potential of nano-formulated quercetin.
• Further clinical research is needed to validate these findings for patient treatment.