Advances in peptide-based drug delivery systems

Drug delivery systems (DDSs) are designed to deliver drugs to their specific targets to minimize their toxic effects and improve their susceptibility to clearance during targeted transport. Peptides have high affinity, low immunogenicity, simple amino acid composition, and adjustable molecular size; therefore, most peptides can be coupled to drugs via linkers to form peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) and act as active pro-drugs. PDCs are widely thought to be promising DDSs, given their ability to improve drug bio-compatibility and physiological stability. Peptide-based DDSs are often used to deliver therapeutic substances such as anti-cancer drugs and nucleic acid-based drugs, which not only slow the degradation rate of drugs in vivo but also ensure the drug concentration at the targeted site and prolong the half-life of drugs in vivo. This article provides an profile of the advancements and future development in functional peptide-based DDSs both domestically and internationally in recent years, in the expectation of achieving targeted drug delivery incorporating functional peptides and taking full advantage of synergistic effects.

Prospects in the application of ultrasensitive chromosomal aneuploidy detection in precancerous lesions of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is a prevalent malignant tumor within the digestive system, with over 40% of new cases and deaths related to GC globally occurring in China. Despite advancements in treatment modalities, such as surgery supplemented by adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapeutic agents, the prognosis for GC remains poor. New targeted therapies and immunotherapies are currently under investigation, but no significant breakthroughs have been achieved. Studies have indicated that GC is a heterogeneous disease, encompassing multiple subtypes with distinct biological characteristics and roles. Consequently, personalized treatment based on clinical features, pathologic typing, and molecular typing is crucial for the diagnosis and management of precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC). Current research has categorized GC into four subtypes: Epstein-Barr virus-positive, microsatellite instability, genome stability, and chromosome instability (CIN). Technologies such as multi-omics analysis and gene sequencing are being employed to identify more suitable novel testing methods in these areas. Among these, ultrasensitive chromosomal aneuploidy detection (UCAD) can detect CIN at a genome-wide level in subjects using low-depth whole genome sequencing technology, in conjunction with bioinformatics analysis, to achieve qualitative and quantitative detection of chromosomal stability. This editorial reviews recent research advancements in UCAD technology for the diagnosis and management of PLGC.

Milk-derived small extracellular vesicles: a new perspective on dairy nutrition

Milk contains bioactive compounds that have multiple essential benefits. Milk-derived small extracellular vesicles (M-sEVs) have emerged as novel bioactive milk components with various beneficial biological functions and broad applications. The M-sEVs from different mammalian sources have similar composition and bioactive functions. The digestive stability and biocompatibility of the M-sEVs provide a good foundation for their physiological functions. Evidence suggests that M-sEVs promote intestinal, immune, bone, neural, liver, and heart health and show therapeutic effects against cancer, indicating their potential for use in functional foods. In addition, M-sEVs can be developed as natural delivery carriers owing to their superior structural characteristics. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between the specific components and functions of M-sEVs, standardize their extraction processes, and refine relevant clinical trials to advance the future applications of M-sEVs. This review summarizes the structure and composition of M-sEVs isolated from different milk sources and discusses several common extraction methods. Since the introduction of M-sEVs for digestion and absorption, studies have been conducted on their biological functions. Furthermore, we outline the theoretical industrial production route, potential application scenarios of M-sEVs, and the future perspectives of M-sEV research.

Possible pharmaceutical applications can be developed from naturally occurring phenanthroindolizidine and phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloids

Naturally occurring phenanthroindolizidine and phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloids (PIAs and PQAs) are two small groups of herbal metabolites sharing a similar pentacyclic structure with a highly oxygenated phenanthrene moiety fused with a saturated or an unsaturated N-heterocycle (indolizidine/quinolizidine moieties). Natural PIAs and PQAs only could be obtained from finite plant families (such as Asclepiadaceae, Lauraceae and Urticaceae families, etc.). Up to date, more than one hundred natural PIAs, while only nine natural PQAs had been described. PIA and PQA analogues have been applied to the development of potent anticancer agents all along because of their excellent cytotoxic activity. However, in the last two decades, other great biological properties, such as anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities were revealed successively by different pharmacological assays. Especially because of their potent antiviral activity against coronavirus (TGEV, SARS CoV and MHV) and tobacco mosaic virus, PIA and PQA analogues have attracted much pharmaceutical attention again, some of them have been used to present interesting targets for total or semi synthesis, and structure-activity relationship (SAR) study for the development of antiviral agents. In this review, natural PIA and PQA analogues obtained in the last two decades with their herbal origins, key spectroscopic characteristics for structural identification, biological activity with possible SARs and application prospects were systematically summarized. We hope this paper can stimulate further investigations on PIA and PQA analogues as an important source for potential drug discovery.