BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are now the second leading cause of death among cancer patients. Heart injury in patients with terminal cancer can lead to significant deterioration of left ventricular morphology and function. This specific heart condition is known as cancer-induced cardiac cachexia (CICC) and is characterized by cardiac dysfunction and wasting. However, an effective pharmacological treatment for CICC remains elusive.
CONCLUSIONS: The development and progression of CICC are closely related to pathophysiological processes, such as protein degradation, oxidative responses, and inflammation. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomers offer unique advantages in reversing heart injury, which is the end-stage manifestation of CICC except the regular treatment. This review outlines significant findings related to the impact of eleven TCM monomers, namely Astragaloside IV, Ginsenosides Rb1, Notoginsenoside R1, Salidroside, Tanshinone II A, Astragalus polysaccharides, Salvianolate, Salvianolic acids A and B, and Ginkgolide A and B, on improving heart injury. These TCM monomers are potential therapeutic agents for CICC, each with specific mechanisms that could potentially reverse the pathological processes associated with CICC. Advanced drug delivery strategies, such as nano-delivery systems and exosome-delivery systems, are discussed as targeted administration options for the therapy of CICC.
CONCLUSIONS: This review summarizes the pathological mechanisms of CICC and explores the pharmacological treatment of TCM monomers that promote anti-inflammation, antioxidation, and pro-survival. It also considers pharmaceutical strategies for administering TCM monomers, highlighting their potential as therapies for CICC.

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The field of cancer therapy has witnessed a transformative shift with the emergence of biomimetic nanoscale drug delivery systems. These innovative platforms draw inspiration from nature\'s intricate designs and have the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment by precisely targeting tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues. In this critical appraisal, we explore the current advances in biomimetic nanosystems, examining their principles, diverse natural inspirations, benefits, and challenges. Biomimetic nanoscale systems, including liposomes, exosome-based carriers, virus-mimetic nanoparticles, and cell-membrane-coated nanoparticles, have demonstrated the ability to overcome the complexities of the tumor microenvironment. They offer enhanced target specificity, improved cellular uptake, and prolonged circulation, addressing limitations associated with conventional chemotherapy. We assess recent breakthroughs and discuss the potential impact of biomimetic nanosystems on oncology, emphasizing their versatility in encapsulating various therapeutic payloads, from small molecules to nucleic acids and immunotherapeutics. While these systems hold great promise, we also scrutinize safety concerns, scalability issues, and the necessity for rigorous clinical validation. In conclusion, biomimetic nanoscale drug delivery systems represent a promising avenue in the quest for more effective and targeted cancer therapies. This appraisal provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field, highlighting its potential to shape the future of cancer treatment and underscoring the importance of continued research and development efforts in this dynamic and transformative domain.

Diabetic kidney disease, known as diabetic nephropathy (DN), is a widespread severe diabetes complication leading to kidney failure. Due to the lack of efficacious therapies, this study endeavors to enhance DN therapeutic effectiveness of ferulic acid (FRA), a natural phenolic with poor oral bioavailability, by developing a transdermal kidney-targeted spanlastic formulation. Spanlastics (SP) nanovesicles were prepared using Span 60 and Labrasol or Brij35 as edge activators (EA). Cationic guar (CG) and hyaluronic acid (HA) were employed as coatings. The formulations were assessed for entrapment efficiency (EE), particle size (PS) and zeta potential (ZP). A 21 × 31 factorial optimization of FRA spanlastic formulations revealed the desirable nanoformula was FRA-L-H-SP comprising Labrasol and hyaluronate coating. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), Diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity, in-vitro release, and rat skin ex-vivo permeation assessed this formula and the uncoated one (FRA-L-SP). Biochemical indicators and histopathology for diabetes and kidney injury were evaluated in the Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DN rat model. Results showed significant improvements after treatment with FRA-L-H-SP compared to FRA-L-SP and free FRA, with decreased blood glucose, creatinine, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) levels and increased insulin, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and sirtuins (SIRT). This enhancement can be acknowledged as passive targeting of SP and active targeting properties of hyaluronic to cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) receptors, revealing the potential to improve DN pathophysiology.

Non-viral nanoparticles (NPs) have seen heightened interest as a delivery method for a variety of clinically relevant nucleic acid cargoes in recent years. While much of the focus has been on lipid NPs, non-lipid NPs, including polymeric NPs, have the possibility of improved efficacy, safety, and targeting, especially to non-liver organs following systemic administration. A safe and effective systemic approach for intracellular delivery to the lungs could overcome limitations to intratracheal/intranasal delivery of NPs and improve clinical benefit for a range of diseases including cystic fibrosis. Here, engineered biodegradable poly (beta-amino ester) (PBAE) NPs are shown to facilitate efficient delivery of mRNA to primary human airway epithelial cells from both healthy donors and individuals with cystic fibrosis. Optimized NP formulations made with differentially endcapped PBAEs and systemically administered in vivo lead to high expression of mRNA within the lungs in BALB/c and C57 B/L mice without requiring a complex targeting ligand. High levels of mRNA-based gene editing were achieved in an Ai9 mouse model across bronchial, epithelial, and endothelial cell populations. No toxicity was observed either acutely or over time, including after multiple systemic administrations of the NPs. The non-lipid biodegradable PBAE NPs demonstrate high levels of transfection in both primary human airway epithelial cells and in vivo editing of lung cell types that are targets for numerous life-limiting diseases particularly single gene disorders such as cystic fibrosis and surfactant deficiencies.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Despite significant advances in current drug therapies, issues such as poor drug targeting and severe side effects persist. In recent years, nanomedicine has been extensively applied in the research and treatment of CVDs. Among these, biomembrane-modified biomimetic nanodrug delivery systems (BNDSs) have emerged as a research focus due to their unique biocompatibility and efficient drug delivery capabilities. By modifying with biological membranes, BNDSs can effectively reduce recognition and clearance by the immune system, enhance biocompatibility and circulation time in vivo, and improve drug targeting. This review first provides an overview of the classification and pathological mechanisms of CVDs, then systematically summarizes the research progress of BNDSs in the treatment of CVDs, discussing their design principles, functional characteristics, and clinical application potential. Finally, it highlights the issues and challenges faced in the clinical translation of BNDSs.

Liver cancer is one of the aggressive primary tumors as evident by high rate of incidence and mortality. Conventional treatments (e.g. chemotherapy) suffer from various drawbacks including wide drug distribution, low localized drug concentration, and severe off-site toxicity. Therefore, they cannot satisfy the mounting need for safe and efficient cancer therapeutics, and alternative novel strategies are needed. Nano-based drug delivery systems (NDDSs) are among these novel approaches that can improve the overall therapeutic outcomes. NDDSs are designed to encapsulate drug molecules and target them specifically to liver cancer. Thus, NDDSs can selectively deliver therapeutic agents to the tumor cells and avoid distribution to off-target sites which should improve the safety profile of the active agents. Nonetheless, NDDSs should be well designed, in terms of the preparing materials, nanocarriers structure, and the targeting strategy, in order to accomplish these objectives. This review discusses the latest advances of NDDSs for cancer therapy with emphasis on the aforementioned essential design components. The review also entails the challenges associated with the clinical translation of NDDSs, and the future perspectives towards next-generation NDDSs.

The tumor stroma plays a crucial role in tumor progression, and the interactions between the extracellular matrix, tumor cells, and stromal cells collectively influence tumor progression and the efficacy of therapeutic agents. Currently, utilizing components of the tumor stroma for drug delivery is a noteworthy strategy. A number of targeted drug delivery systems designed based on tumor stromal components are entering clinical trials. Therefore, this paper provides a thorough examination of the function of tumor stroma in the advancement of targeted drug delivery systems. One approach is to use tumor stromal components for targeted drug delivery, which includes certain stromal components possessing inherent targeting capabilities like HA, laminin, along with targeting stromal cells homologously. Another method entails directly focusing on tumor stromal components to reshape the tumor stroma and facilitate drug delivery. These drug delivery systems exhibit great potential in more effective cancer therapy strategies, such as precise targeting, enhanced penetration, improved safety profile, and biocompatibility. Ultimately, the deployment of these drug delivery systems can deepen our comprehension of tumor stroma and the advanced development of corresponding drug delivery systems.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and treatment of head and neck tumors present significant challenges due to their infiltrative nature and diagnostic hindrances such as the blood-brain barrier. The intricate anatomy of the head and neck region also complicates the clear identification of tumor boundaries and assessment of tumor characteristics.
OBJECTIVE: This review aims to explore the efficacy of molecular imaging techniques that employ targeted contrast agents in head and neck cancer imaging. Head and neck cancer imaging benefits significantly from the combined advantages of CT and MRI. CT excels in providing swift, high-contrast images, enabling the accurate localization of tumors, while MRI offers superior soft tissue resolution, contributing to the detailed evaluation of tumor morphology in this region of the body. Many of these novel contrast agents have integration of dual-modal, triple-modal, or even dual-tissue targeting imaging, which have expanded the horizons of molecular imaging. Emerging contrast agents for the purpose of MRI and CT also include the widely used standards in imaging such as gadolinium and iodine-based agents, respectively, but with peptide, polypeptide, or polymeric functionalizations. Relevance for patients. For patients, the development and use of these targeted contrast agents have potentially significant implications. They benefit from the enhanced accuracy of tumor detection and characterization, which are critical for effective treatment planning. Additionally, these agents offer improved imaging contrast with the added benefit of reduced toxicity and bioaccumulation. The summarization of preclinical nanoparticle research in this review serves as a valuable resource for scientists and students working towards advancing tumor diagnosis and treatment with targeted contrast agents.

Targeted cancer therapy (TCT) is gaining increased interest because it reduces the risks of adverse side effects by specifically treating tumor cells. TCT testing has traditionally been performed using two-dimensional (2D) cell culture and animal studies. Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platforms have been developed to recapitulate cancer in vitro, as cancer-on-a-chip (CoC), and used for chemotherapeutics development and testing. This review explores the use of CoCs to both develop and test TCTs, with a focus on three main aspects, the use of CoCs to identify target biomarkers for TCT development, the use of CoCs to test free, un-encapsulated TCTs, and the use of CoCs to test encapsulated TCTs. Despite current challenges such as system scaling, and testing externally triggered TCTs, TCToC shows a promising future to serve as a supportive, pre-clinical platform to expedite TCT development and bench-to-bedside translation.