Among the various compounds of natural origin, usnic acid (UA) is one of the best studied. It has several pharmacological activities, standing out as an antimicrobial, antitumor, antiviral, and antiparasitic agent, and despite these relevant properties, it is a toxic molecule. In this context, research has driven the development of innovative alternatives, such as their encapsulation in controlled release systems, an attractive tool for pharmaceutical nanotechnology. These systems allow the active ingredient to be released at the optimal yield speed and reduce the dosing regimen. Consequently, they are able to increase therapeutic efficacy by minimizing side effects. Given the above, this paper presents a review of the literature on chemical and biological properties, analytical methods, mechanism of action and toxicology of UA, and discusses the use of nanotechnology as a tool to overcome the obstacles of its pharmacological application.

在各种天然来源的化合物中，松萝酸（UA）是研究得最好的化合物之一。它具有多种药理活性，作为抗微生物，抗肿瘤，抗病毒和抗寄生虫剂脱颖而出，尽管具有这些相关特性，它还是一种有毒分子。在这种情况下，研究推动了创新替代品的开发，例如将其封装在控释系统中，这是药物纳米技术的一种有吸引力的工具。这些系统可使活性成分以最佳的生产速度释放并减少给药方案。因此，它们能够通过使副作用最小化来提高治疗功效。鉴于上述情况，本文对UA的化学和生物学性质，分析方法，作用机理和毒理学方面的文献进行了综述，