Hyperlipidaemia is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and remains a global health concern. Although conventional lipid-lowering drugs are effective, their long-term use is often associated with adverse effects, prompting interest in safer dietary alternatives. Flavonoids, such as quercetin, naringenin, and catechins, have gained attention for their hypolipidemic and cardioprotective properties. This narrative review summarizes the current evidence on the therapeutic potential of quercetin, catechins, naringenin, and their bioactive metabolites in the management of hyperlipidaemia. The literature was identified through comprehensive searches of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2015 and March 2026 using combinations of the keywords flavonoids, quercetin, catechins, naringenin, metabolites, hyperlipidaemia, dyslipidaemia, lipid metabolism, cardiovascular disease, and gut microbiota. Original research articles, clinical studies, experimental investigations, and high-quality review articles published in English were considered, while duplicate, non-English, and unrelated reports were excluded from the study. Evidence indicates that flavonoids and their metabolites modulate multiple pathways involved in lipid homeostasis, including the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase, activation of AMPK and PPARα, suppression of SREBP-1c, enhancement of LDL receptor expression, regulation of gut microbiota, and attenuation of oxidative stress and inflammation. Despite encouraging preclinical and clinical findings, limited bioavailability, extensive metabolism, inter-individual variability, and insufficient long-term clinical evidence remain important challenges. Overall, flavonoids and their metabolites represent promising adjunctive dietary strategies for improving lipid metabolism and reducing cardiovascular risk. However, welldesigned randomized clinical trials and advanced delivery systems are needed to establish their therapeutic efficacy and clinical applicability.

Graves' Disease (GD) is the leading cause of autoimmune hyperthyroidism and is still considered a challenging clinical condition. Antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, and thyroidectomy have long been used as main treatments. These approaches are generally effective in restoring euthyroidism and controlling thyroid function, even if they cannot target the underlying autoimmune mechanisms implicated in the disease. As a result, relapses after medical therapy remain frequent, whereas definitive treatments often lead to permanent hypothyroidism and the need for a lifelong thyroid hormone replacement. New results in the study of immunological mechanisms underlying GD have led to the development of targeted therapies. Targeted strategies are based on key components of disease pathogenesis, such as the thyrotropin receptor, B lymphocytes, co-stimulatory immune pathways, the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor, and neonatal Fc receptors. A pivotal step in the development of targeted mechanism-based therapies for GD has been reached with the approval of teprotumumab. Several targeted therapies have been evaluated, such as K1-70, iscalimab, rituximab, tocilizumab, batoclimab, and the antigen-specific immunotherapy ATX-GD-59. This review highlights the limitations of currently available treatment options by examining the most promising emerging therapies and the future horizons for precision medicine in GD. Advances in the therapeutic landscape offer disease-modifying strategies that could complement and potentially replace current treatment strategies.

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent neuropsychiatric conditions worldwide and represent a major public health burden. Although conventional pharmacological treatments are effective, their long-term use is often limited by adverse effects, including sedation, dependence, and cognitive impairment, prompting growing interest in medicinal plants as alternative or adjunct therapies. This review summarizes current evidence on selected medicinal plants, including Bacopa monnieri, Crocus sativus, Withania somnifera, and Piper methysticum, with emphasis on their pharmacological mechanisms, therapeutic efficacy, and safety profiles in anxiety management. Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that these plants exert anxiolytic effects through modulation of neurotransmitter systems, particularly γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), serotonin, and dopamine pathways, as well as regulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. In addition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may contribute to neuroprotection and improved stress resilience. Clinical findings indicate that certain herbal preparations may offer benefits comparable to conventional therapies for mild to moderate anxiety, often with fewer adverse effects. However, variability in study design, lack of standardized formulations, and insufficient long-term safety data remain significant limitations. Therefore, well-designed randomized controlled trials and mechanistic investigations are required to establish efficacy, safety, and standardization. Overall, medicinal plants show promising potential as complementary or alternative therapeutic options for anxiety disorders, provided their use is supported by rigorous scientific validation.

Atorvastatin is a well-established first-line medication for treating dyslipidemia, but has significant drawbacks of low aqueous solubility, extensive first-pass metabolism, and limited oral bioavailability. Over recent years, lipid-based nanocarriers have emerged as a viable platform to improve atorvastatin's pharmacokinetic profile by enhancing solubility, facilitating absorption via the lymphatic system, and providing a controlled drug release profile. This review provides a comprehensive overview of four primary lipid-based delivery systems: solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), liposomes, and self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS), and their specific application to atorvastatin. Each type of delivery system is reviewed in detail, including composition, drug loading and release mechanisms, encapsulation efficiency, physical characteristics (particle size, surface charge), and in vivo performance. Comparative evaluations indicate that NLCs and SNEDDS achieve the highest bioavailability enhancements (up to five-fold) via improved solubilization and lymphatic transport, whereas SLNs provide superior stability and controlled release, and liposomes offer versatile encapsulation yet limited shelf stability. Additionally, this review integrates current competitive patent opportunities, formulation optimization strategies, and translational research findings from both preclinical and clinical studies. Collectively, these findings show that thoughtful lipid-carrier design can significantly improve atorvastatin's pharmacokinetic profile and ultimately enable the development of large-scale, patient-focused oral lipid formulations.

Hyperpigmentation is a dermatological condition characterized by excessive melanin production, resulting in skin darkening. Intrinsic and extrinsic mediators, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation, hormonal changes, inflammation, and genetic predisposition, contribute to hyperpigmentation pathogenesis. The current review thoroughly examines the biological processes involved in hyperpigmentation, with particular emphasis on its signaling pathways, particularly the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), wingless-related integration site (Wnt)/β-catenin, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), thereby providing mechanistic insights that may facilitate the development of effective treatments. The review also evaluates the safety, toxicity, and therapeutic efficacy of TYR inhibitors, arbutin, azelaic acid, ellagic acid, kojic acid, resveratrol, and the melanosome inhibitor niacinamide, for managing hyperpigmentation. Additionally, the review summarizes the in vitro and in vivo studies of these agents and other emerging plant extracts. Recent advances in the use of plant extracts for hyperpigmentation have shown promising efficacy; nevertheless, their translation into clinical and commercial applications remains limited. This limited translation might be attributed to the challenges related to standardization and the paucity of clinical evidence regarding long-term safety. Moreover, ongoing studies on natural anti-hyperpigmentation agents have highlighted the critical role of patent analyses in the advancement of biomedical research. This review provides a strategic direction for researchers to assess the safety, efficacy, and toxicity profiles of natural anti-hyperpigmentation agents.

Osteoarthritis therapy remains a big challenge since no causative treatment options are available so far. Current preclinical studies report that extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells have high potential to change disease evolution and protect the cartilage matrix. Extracellular vesicles are diverse nanoscale, membrane-bound particles that mediate and regulate intercellular communication. Their therapeutic efficacy in terms of clinical translation is highly dependent on the status of mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to respond to different aspects of the injury microenvironment. Recent research has explored the use of diverse stimuli to enhance stem cell secretion and improve the biological activity of released extracellular vesicles. The most common approach to influence the profile and biological activities of mesenchymal stem cell-derived factors is to recreate a pro-inflammatory environment mimicking an in vivo pathological setting, but other promising methods also deserve to be investigated. This narrative review summarizes and discusses recent strategies aimed at enhancing the regenerative and supportive effect of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles by improving the secretion capacity of cells via different stimulation, with a focus on the development and clinical translation of engineered vesicles for joint disorders. Relevant literature was identified through searches of PubMed and Web of Science for peer-reviewed articles published between 2018 and 2026, with priority given to experimental, translational, and clinical studies investigating MSCEVs in OA and approaches for modifying their production, cargo, targeting, or delivery.