Natural compounds such as herbal medicines and/or phyto-compounds from foods, have frequently been used to exert synergistic therapeutic effects with anti-brain disorder drugs, supplement the effects of nutrients, and boost the immune system. However, co-administration of natural compounds with the drugs can cause synergistic toxicity or impeditive drug interactions due to changes in pharmacokinetic properties (e.g., absorption, metabolism, and excretion) and various drug transporters, particularly brain transporters. In this review, natural compound-drug interactions (NDIs), which can occur during the treatment of brain disorders, are emphasized from the perspective of pharmacokinetics and cellular transport. In addition, the challenges emanating from NDIs and recent approaches are discussed.
Keywords: blood–brain barrier (BBB) and blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB); brain disorders; drug transporters; natural compound–drug interactions (NDIs); pharmacokinetics.