Discovering pH triggered charge rebound surface modulated topical nanotherapy against aggressive skin papilloma

Application of biomacromolecule-based passive penetration enhancement technique in superficial tumor therapy: A review

Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) has shown great promise in superficial tumor therapy due to its noninvasive and avoidance of the first-pass effect. Especially, passive penetration enhancement technique (PPET) provides the technical basis for TDD by temporarily altering the skin surface structure without requiring external energy. Biomacromolecules and their derived nanocarriers offer a wide range of options for PPET development, with outstanding biocompatibility and biodegradability. Furthermore, the abundant functional groups on biomacromolecule surfaces can be modified to yield functional materials capable of targeting specific sites and responding to stimuli. This enables precise drug delivery to the tumor site and controlled drug release, with the potential to replace traditional drug delivery methods and make PPET-related personalized medicine a reality. This review focuses on the mechanism of biomacromolecules and nanocarriers with skin, and the impact of nanocarriers' surface properties of nanocarriers on PPET efficiency. The applications of biomacromolecule-based PPET in superficial tumor therapy are also summarized. In addition, the advantages and limitations are discussed, and their future trends are projected based on the existing work of biomacromolecule-based PPET.

Harnessing filamentous phages for enhanced stroke recovery

Stroke poses a critical global health challenge, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Existing treatments often miss vital timeframes and encounter limitations due to adverse effects, prompting the pursuit of innovative approaches to restore compromised brain function. This review explores the potential of filamentous phages in enhancing stroke recovery. Initially antimicrobial-centric, bacteriophage therapy has evolved into a regenerative solution. We explore the diverse role of filamentous phages in post-stroke neurological restoration, emphasizing their ability to integrate peptides into phage coat proteins, thereby facilitating recovery. Experimental evidence supports their efficacy in alleviating post-stroke complications, immune modulation, and tissue regeneration. However, rigorous clinical validation is essential to address challenges like dosing and administration routes. Additionally, genetic modification enhances their potential as injectable biomaterials for complex brain tissue issues. This review emphasizes innovative strategies and the capacity of filamentous phages to contribute to enhanced stroke recovery, as opposed to serving as standalone treatment, particularly in addressing stroke-induced brain tissue damage.

Advances in Natural Polymer-Based Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems for Tumor Therapy

As an alternative to traditional oral and intravenous injections with limited efficacy, transdermal drug delivery (TDD) has shown great promise in tumor treatment. Over the past decade, natural polymers have been designed into various nanocarriers due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and easy availability, providing more options for TDD. In addition, surface functionalization modification of the rich functional groups of natural polymers, which in turn are developed into targeted and stimulus-responsive functional materials, allows precise delivery of drugs to tumor sites and release of drugs in response to specific stimuli. It not only improves the treatment efficiency of tumor but also reduces the toxic and side effects to normal tissues. Therefore, the development of natural polymer-based TDD (NPTDD) systems has great potential in tumor therapy. In this review, the mechanism of NPTDD systems such as penetration enhancers, nanoparticles, microneedles, hydrogels and nanofibers prepared from hyaluronic acid, chitosan, sodium alginate, cellulose, heparin and protein, and their applications in tumor therapy are overviewed. This review also outlines the future prospects and current challenges of NPTDD systems for local treatment tumors.

Gel Formulations for Topical Treatment of Skin Cancer: A Review

Skin cancer, with all its variations, is the most common type of cancer worldwide. Chemotherapy by topical application is an attractive strategy because of the ease of application and non-invasiveness. At the same time, the delivery of antineoplastic agents through the skin is difficult because of their challenging physicochemical properties (solubility, ionization, molecular weight, melting point) and the barrier function of the stratum corneum. Various approaches have been applied in order to improve drug penetration, retention, and efficacy. This systematic review aims at identifying the most commonly used techniques for topical drug delivery by means of gel-based topical formulations in skin cancer treatment. The excipients used, the preparation approaches, and the methods characterizing gels are discussed in brief. The safety aspects are also highlighted. The combinatorial formulation of nanocarrier-loaded gels is also reviewed from the perspective of improving drug delivery characteristics. Some limitations and drawbacks in the identified strategies are also outlined and considered within the future scope of topical chemotherapy.

Progress in research and development of temozolomide brain-targeted preparations: a review

Gliomas are a heterogeneous group of brain tumours with high malignancy, for which surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment at present. However, the overall prognosis of gliomas remains poor because of their aggressiveness and high recurrence. Temozolomide (TMZ) has anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effects and is indicated for glioblastoma multiforme and recurrent mesenchymal astrocytoma. However, TMZ is disadvantaged by low efficacy and drug resistance, and therefore it is necessary to enhance the brain drug concentration of TMZ to improve its effectiveness and reduce the toxic and adverse effects from systemic administration. There have been many nano-formulations developed for the delivery of TMZ to gliomas that overcome the limitations of TMZ penetration to tumours and increase brain targeting. In this paper, we review the research progress of TMZ nano-formulations, and also discuss challenges and opportunities in the research and development of drug delivery systems, hoping that the data and information summarised herein could provide assistance for the clinical treatment of gliomas.

The role of internal and external stimuli in the rational design of skin-specific drug delivery systems

The concept of skin-specific drug delivery with a spatio-temporal control has just recently received concerns in dermatology. Inspired by the progress in smart materials and their perspective application in medicine science, development of stimuli responsive drug delivery systems with skin-specificity has become possible, which has led to a new era in the localized treatment of skin diseases. This review highlights both the internal and external stimuli that have been employed in this field, with a focus on their implication on the rational design of pharmaceutical formulations, especially those nanoscale drug carriers that are able to provide release of payloads with a precise spatio-temporal control in response to specific stimuli. Also, the strategy of dual stimuli responsive drug delivery systems will be discussed for further improvement of the efficacy of skin drug delivery. The prominent examples of the established approaches are described as comprehensive and current as possible. The review is expected to provide some inspiration for utilizing different stimuli for realizing the site-specific and on-demand drug delivery to the skin.

Nanocarriers for treatment of dermatological diseases: Principle, perspective and practices

Skin diseases are the fourth leading non-fatal skin conditions that act as a burden and affect the world economy globally. This condition affects the quality of a patient's life and has a pronounced impact on both their physical and mental state. Treatment of these skin conditions with conventional approaches shows a lack of efficacy, long treatment duration, recurrence of conditions, systemic side effects, etc., due to improper drug delivery. However, these pitfalls can be overcome with the applications of nanomedicine-based approaches that provide efficient site-specific drug delivery at the target site. These nanomedicine-based strategies are evolved as potential treatment opportunities in the form of nanocarriers such as polymeric and lipidic nanocarriers, nanoemulsions along with emerging others viz. carbon nanotubes for dermatological treatment. The current review focuses on challenges faced by the existing conventional treatments along with the topical therapeutic perspective of nanocarriers in treating various skin diseases. A total of 213 articles have been reviewed and the application of different nanocarriers in treating various skin diseases has been explained in detail through case studies of previously published research works. The toxicity related aspects of nanocarriers are also discussed.