Cationic nanocarriers: A potential approach for targeting negatively charged cancer cell

Cancer, a widespread and lethal disease, necessitates precise therapeutic interventions to mitigate its devastating impact. While conventional chemotherapy remains a cornerstone of cancer treatment, its lack of specificity towards cancer cells results in collateral damage to healthy tissues, leading to adverse effects. Thus, the quest for targeted strategies has emerged as a critical focus in cancer research. This review explores the development of innovative targeting methods utilizing novel drug delivery systems tailored to recognize and effectively engage cancer cells. Cancer cells exhibit morphological and metabolic traits, including irregular morphology, unchecked proliferation, metabolic shifts, genetic instability, and a higher negative charge, which serve as effective targeting cues. Central to these strategies is the exploitation of the unique negative charge characteristic of cancer cells, attributed to alterations in phospholipid composition and the Warburg effect. Leveraging this distinct feature, researchers have devised cationic carrier systems capable of enhancing the specificity of therapeutic agents towards cancer cells. The review delineates the underlying causes of the negative charge in cancer cells and elucidates various targeting approaches employing cationic compounds for drug delivery systems. Furthermore, it delves into the methods employed for the preparation of these systems. Beyond cancer treatment, the review also underscores the multifaceted applications of cationic carrier systems, encompassing protein and peptide delivery, imaging, photodynamic therapy, gene delivery, and antimicrobial applications. This comprehensive exploration underscores the potential of cationic carrier systems as versatile tools in the fight against cancer and beyond.

Natural Products-Based Nanoformulations: A New Approach Targeting CSCs to Cancer Therapy

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) lead to the occurrence and progression of cancer due to their strong tumorigenic, self-renewal, and multidirectional differentiation abilities. Existing cancer treatment methods cannot effectively kill or inhibit CSCs but instead enrich them and produce stronger proliferation, invasion, and metastasis capabilities, resulting in cancer recurrence and treatment resistance, which has become a difficult problem in clinical treatment. Therefore, targeting CSCs may be the most promising approach for comprehensive cancer therapy in the future. A variety of natural products (NP) have significant antitumor effects and have been identified to target and inhibit CSCs. However, pharmacokinetic defects and off-target effects have greatly hindered their clinical translation. NP-based nanoformulations (NPNs) have tremendous potential to overcome the disadvantages of NP against CSCs through site-specific delivery and by improving their pharmacokinetic parameters. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of NPNs targeting CSCs in cancer therapy, looking forward to transforming preclinical research results into clinical applications and bringing new prospects for cancer treatment.

Recent Advances in Garcinia cambogia Nutraceuticals in Relation to Its Hydroxy Citric Acid Level. A Comprehensive Review of Its Bioactive Production, Formulation, and Analysis with Future Perspectives

Garcinia cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr. (known as Malabar tamarind) is a popular traditional herbal medicine and is one of the well-known folk medicines reported for the treatment of obesity and incorporated in several nutraceuticals worldwide. These effects are mediated by a myriad of bioactive compounds with most effects attributed to its hydroxy citric acid (HCA) content. This review aims to present a holistic overview on novel trends in the production of G. cambogia bioactive components and how extraction optimization is important to ensure best product quality with its reported nanoformulations with particular emphasis on HCA content. Further, an overview of the different analytical approaches used for quality control assessment of G. cambogia plant and its nutraceuticals is presented highlighting both advantages and limitations. Moreover, analytical approaches for detecting G. cambogia metabolites in biological fluids with emphasis on HCA level to determine its pharmacokinetics and proof of efficacy are presented for the first time.