Pain and Inflammatory Biomarkers: Phytoactive Therapeutics and Drug Delivery Advances

Pain and inflammation are complex physiological processes involving multiple molecular interactions and cellular responses. Biomarkers such as cytokines, neuropeptides, oxidative stress markers, and genetic polymorphisms have become valuable tools for diagnosis, prognosis, and the development of personalized therapeutic approaches. This review highlights the diverse classes of biomarkers associated with nociceptive, neuropathic, and nocieplastic pain, while explaining their mechanistic roles in pain signaling and modulation. In addition, recent progress in biomarker-focused drug delivery systems is discussed, including transdermal patches, nanoparticles, and gene-based therapies. The integration of biomarker research with advanced delivery technologies offers significant potential to optimize pain management strategies and enhance patient outcomes.