Herbal medicine exhibits a broad spectrum of potent anti-cancer properties, including the enhancement of tumor immune responses, reversal of multidrug resistance, regulation of autophagy and ferroptosis, as well as anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and anti-metastatic effects. This review systematically explores recent advances (primarily documented since 2019) in research on key anti-cancer compounds derived from herbal medicine, such as apigenin, artemisinin, berberine, curcumin, emodin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), ginsenosides, icariin, resveratrol, silibinin, triptolide, and ursolic acid (UA). These studies were sourced from scientific databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and Clinical Trials. The review focuses on the significant role that these natural products play in modern oncology, exploring their efficacy, mechanisms of action, and the challenges and prospects of integrating them into conventional cancer therapies. Furthermore, it highlights cutting-edge approaches in cancer research, such as the utilization of gut microbiota, omics technologies, synthetic derivatives, and advanced drug delivery systems (DDS). This review underscores the potential of these natural products to advance the development of novel anti-cancer treatments and support contemporary medicine. Additionally, recent multi-omics findings reveal how these compounds reshape transcriptional and metabolic networks, further broadening their therapeutic scope. Many natural products exhibit synergy with first-line chemotherapies or targeted therapies, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing side effects. Advanced nano-formulations and antibody-drug conjugates have also substantially improved their bioavailability, making them promising candidates for future translational research.

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for novel antitumor drugs. Natural products have long been a crucial source of anticancer agents. Among these, emodin (EMO), a multifunctional anthraquinone compound, exhibits significant anticancer effects but is hindered in clinical applications by challenges such as low solubility, rapid metabolism, poor bioavailability, and off-target toxicity. Nano drug delivery systems offer effective strategies to overcome these limitations by enhancing the solubility, stability, bioavailability, and targeting ability of EMO. While substantial progress has been made in developing EMO-loaded nanoformulations, a comprehensive review on this topic is still lacking. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing an overview of recent advancements in nanocarriers for EMO delivery and their anticancer applications. These carriers include liposomes, nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, nanogels, and others, with nanoparticle-based formulations being the most extensively explored. Nanoformulations encapsulating EMO have demonstrated promising therapeutic results against various cancers, particularly breast cancer, followed by liver and lung cancers. We systematically summarize the preparation methods, materials, and physicochemical properties of EMO-loaded nanopreparations, underscoring key findings on how nanotechnology improves the anticancer efficacy of EMO. This review provides valuable insights for researchers engaged in developing nano delivery systems for anticancer drugs.

Immunosenescence, the age-associated decline of the immune system, is pivotal in fostering drug resistance within the tumor microenvironment (TME). The accumulation of senescent immune cells and the release of pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors create a milieu that supports tumor survival and undermines therapeutic efficacy. Traditional cancer treatments often fail to address this underlying issue, leading to suboptimal outcomes. This article proposes an innovative strategy to overcome immunosenescence-induced drug resistance through the nanoparticle-mediated delivery of herbal-derived natural products (HDNPs), which possess senolytic and immunomodulatory properties capable of clearing senescent cells and rejuvenating immune function. Nanoparticle delivery systems enhance these compounds' stability, bioavailability, and targeted delivery to the TME and senescent immune cells. By harnessing the synergistic effects of HDNPs and nanotechnology, this approach offers a novel and multifaceted solution to drug resistance in cancer therapy. It holds the potential to restore immune surveillance, reduce pro-survival signaling in cancer cells, and enhance the efficacy of conventional treatments. This paradigm shift emphasizes the importance of addressing immunosenescence as a therapeutic target and paves the way for more effective and personalized cancer interventions.

Gastrointestinal malignancies are responsible for approximately 35% of all cancer-related deaths, underscoring the critical need to explore pharmacologically active molecules for chemoprevention. Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone), a natural compound derived from traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, has recently garnered significant attention for its potential anticancer properties. Emodin exerts its chemoprotective effects through a combination of antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative mechanisms. Research indicates that emodin inhibits cancer metastasis, disrupts cell cycle progression, and impairs cancer cell survival. These effects are mediated through the activation of the p38 MAPK/JNK1/2 signaling pathway, the upregulation of pro-apoptotic factors such as Bax/Bcl-2 and caspases, and the enhancement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels (Supplementary Fig. 1). To optimize emodin's therapeutic potential, it is crucial to further investigate its underlying mechanisms of action and develop advanced nano-targeted delivery systems to enhance its bioavailability. This review highlights emodin's promise as a chemopreventive agent for gastrointestinal cancers and emphasizes its potential for development into a novel clinical formulation.

Personalized and accurate survival risk prognostication remains a significant challenge in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), despite extensive research on prognostic and predictive markers. Patients with PDAC are prone to muscle loss, fat consumption, and malnutrition, which is associated with inferior outcomes. This study investigated the use of three-dimensional (3D) anthropometric parameters derived from computed tomography (CT) scans and triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) in relation to overall survival (OS) outcomes in advanced PDAC patients. Additionally, a predictive model for 1 year OS was developed based on body components and hematological indicators.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 303 patients with locally advanced PDAC or synchronous metastases undergoing first-line chemotherapy, all of whom had undergone pretreatment abdomen-pelvis CT scans. Automatic 3D measurements of subcutaneous and visceral fat volume, skeletal muscle volume, and skeletal muscle density (SMD) were assessed at the L3 vertebral level by an artificial intelligence assisted diagnosis system (HY Medical). Various indicators including TyG-BMI, nutritional indicators [geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and prealbumin], and inflammation indicators [(C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR)] were also recorded. All patients underwent follow-up for at least 1 year and a dynamic nomogram for personalized survival prediction was constructed.

We included 211 advanced PDAC patients [mean (standard deviation) age, 63.4 ± 11.2 years; 89 women (42.2) %)]. Factors such as low skeletal muscle index (SMI) (P = 0.011), high visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VSR) (P < 0.001), high visceral fat index (VFI) (P < 0.001), low TyG-BMI (P = 0.004), and low prealbumin (P = 0.001) were identified as independent risk factors associated with 1 year OS. The area under the curve of the established dynamic nomogram was 0.846 and the calibration curve showed good consistency. High-risk patients (> 211.9 points calculated using the nomogram) had significantly reduced survival rates.

In this study, the proposed nomogram model (with web-based tool) enabled individualized prognostication of OS and could help to guide risk-adapted nutritional treatment for patients with unresectable PDAC or synchronous metastases.

Pancreatic cancer is a challenging disease with limited treatment options and a high mortality rate. Just few therapy advances have been made in recent years. Tumor microenvironment, immunosuppressive features and mutational status represent important obstacles in the improvement of survival outcomes. Up to now, first-line therapy did achieve a median overall survival of less than 12 months and this discouraging data lead clinicians all over the world to focus their efforts on various fields of investigation: 1) sequential cycling of different systemic therapy in order to overcome mechanisms of resistance; 2) discovery of new predictive bio-markers, in order to target specific patient population; 3) combination treatment, in order to modulate the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer; 4) new modalities of the delivery of drugs in order to pass the physical barrier of desmoplasia and tumor stroma. This review shows future directions of treatment strategies in advanced pancreatic cancer through a deep analysis of these recent macro areas of research.

Lung cancer is a major health concern worldwide owing to its high incidence and mortality rates. Therefore, identification of new therapeutic targets and strategies for lung cancer is critical for improving patient outcomes. Peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) promotes tumor growth and metastasis by catalyzing the citrullination of histones, making it a potential therapeutic target. Although PAD4 inhibitors have shown potential in the treatment of a variety of tumors, existing PAD4 inhibitors lack sufficient specificity and cause substantial systemic adverse reactions. To overcome these challenges, we developed novel YW403@Fe3O4-oxidized carboxymethyl chitosan (OCMC) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that enabled magnetically targeted drug delivery by binding the PAD4 inhibitor YW403 to a ferric oxide magnetic carrier.

In vitro experiments were conducted using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, Transwell assays, and flow cytometry to evaluate the activity of the MNPs. In vivo experiments involved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessments and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses to confirm the tumor targeting and iron metabolism of MNPs. Additionally, immunofluorescence staining was employed to further validate the expression of citrullinated histone H3 (H3cit).

The implementation of this approach enhanced the targeting efficiency of PAD4 inhibitors, consequently reducing the required dosage of chemotherapy and potentially facilitating MRI monitoring. In vitro experiments demonstrated that MNPs exhibited superior activity compared to free drugs when subjected to an applied magnetic field, due to increased uptake of MNPs by tumor cells. In vivo experiments revealed that the application of magnetic fields significantly improved the tumor targeting of MNPs without impacting iron metabolism. By suppressing the expression of citrullinated histone (H3cit), MNPs effectively inhibited tumor growth and metastasis.

These findings provide new research ideas for the development of novel anti-tumor nanomaterials and are expected to yield breakthroughs in the treatment of lung cancer.

Emodin is a natural plant derivative with many therapeutic properties including anti-cancer, anti-apoptosis, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the delivery of Emodin is quite challenging due to its superhydrophobic properties. Furthermore, conventional systemic delivery approaches often result in side effects. Thus, alternative strategies are important for the successful delivery of Emodin. The goal of this study was to develop a novel Emodin drug depot utilizing peptide amyloids. For the peptides, an aggregation-prone amino acid domain of receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 3 (RIP3) protein was used. The RIP3/Emodin amyloid aggregates physicochemical characterization, cellular uptake, effects on toxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation were investigated. Studies reveal that Emodin-encapsulated RIP3 peptide amyloid aggregates were able to induce significant lung cancer cell toxicity compared to free Emodin. Further, aggregates alone did not exhibit toxicity and or oxidative stress. In addition, the formulation was able to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mediated inflammation in macrophage cells. Overall, the studies indicate the potential of RIP3 peptide amyloids as hydrophobic drug depots.

BackgroundPancreatic cancer places a substantial global health and economic burden. However, the epidemiological characteristics and chronological trends of pancreatic cancer in high-income Asia-Pacific have not been systematically analyzed.MethodsData obtained from the GBD 2021 database were used for this cross-country secondary analysis. We used Joinpoint regression to analyze the temporal trends of pancreatic cancer disease burden in the high-income Asia-Pacific. Age-period-cohort model was used to estimate and describe the impact of age, period, and cohort effects on health outcomes. Bayesian age-period-cohort model was used for the projection of pancreatic cancer incidence from 2022 to 2036.ResultsIn high-income Asia-Pacific, the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), mortality rate (ASMR), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) rate (ASDR) were estimated to be 11.2 (95% UI, 9.69-12.17), 9.56 (95% UI, 8.34-10.34), and 197.6 (95% UI, 178.87-210.6) per 100 000 population, respectively, in 2021, which were all higher than those in across Asia. From 1990 to 2002, the age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) trend was rather stable. Instead, the ASIRs trend went up gradually from 2002 to 2011 in both males (APC = + 1.03, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.20) and females (APC = + 1.64, 95% CI: 1.40, 1.89). ASIRs and ASMRs went up considerably with increasing age, especially over 60. The ASIRs in the high-income Asia-Pacific region are predicted to go down in the years ahead, from approximately 12.81 in 2021 to approximately 11.11 in 2036 for males, and from approximately 8.97 in 2021 to approximately 8.42 in 2036 for females.ConclusionA comprehensive upward trend in ASIRs, ASPRs, ASMRs, and ASDRs of pancreatic cancer was observed in the high-income Asia-Pacific between 1990 and 2021. Given the poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer, prevention strategies are paramount, especially for modifiable factors like smoking, alcohol drinking, and obesity.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a promising target for cancer therapy and imaging. Accurate detection of Hsp90 levels in tumors via noninvasive PET imaging might be beneficial for management. To achieve this, the precursor compound Dimer-Sansalvamide A (Dimer-San A) was PEGylated and modified by conjugating it with the bifunctional chelator 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (NOTA). The 18F-labeled PEGylated Dimer-SanA decapeptide (18F-PEGylated San A) was completed within 30 min using a two-step process. In vitro stability and specificity were assessed, including competition studies with the Hsp90 inhibitor 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG). MicroPET imaging was performed on PL45 tumor-bearing mice to evaluate probe accumulation and tumor-to-muscle ratios. Biodistribution studies determined the route of excretion. The probe resulted in a radiochemical yield of 23.11% with a purity exceeding 95%. In vitro, 18F-PEGylated San A exhibited high stability and selectively accumulated in Hsp90-positive PL45 cells, with binding effectively blocked by the Hsp90 inhibitor 17AAG, confirming its specificity. MicroPET imaging of PL45 tumor-bearing mice showed significant probe accumulation in tumor tissues at 1 and 2 h postinjection (4.06 ± 0.30 and 3.72 ± 0.61%ID/g, respectively), with optimal tumor-to-muscle ratios observed at 2 h postinjection (6.09 ± 1.92). While 18F-PEGylated San A demonstrates enhanced water solubility, as indicated by increased kidney uptake relative to liver accumulation. The study successfully incorporated PEG units to create the novel probe 18F-PEGylated San A targeting to Hsp90 without affecting its targeting capability, aimed at improving the pharmacokinetics and PET imaging of Hsp90 expression noninvasively.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy, primarily due to the intrinsic development of chemoresistance. The most apparent histopathological feature associated with chemoresistance is the alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Natural dietary botanicals such as berberine (BBR) and emodin (EMO) have been shown to possess chemo-preventive potential by regulating ECM in various cancers. Herein, we further investigated the potential synergistic effects of BBR and EMO in enhancing anticancer efficacy by targeting ECM proteins in pancreatic cancer. Genomewide transcriptomic profiling identified that LAMB3 was significantly upregulated in PDAC tissue and highly associated with poor overall survival (OS, hazard ratio [HR], 2.99, 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.46-6.15; p = 0.003) and progress-free survival (PFS, HR, 2.59; 95 % CI, 1.30-5.18; p = 0.007) in PDAC. A systematic series of functional experiments in BxPC-3 and MIA-PaCa-2 cells revealed that the combination of BBR and EMO exhibited synergistic anti-tumor potential, as demonstrated by cell proliferation, clonogenicity, migration, and invasion assays (p < 0.05-0.001). The combination also altered the expression of key proteins involved in apoptosis, EMT, and EGFR/ERK1,2/AKT signaling. These findings were further supported by patient-derived organoids (PDOs), where the combined treatment resulted in fewer and smaller organoids compared to each compound individually (p < 0.05-0.001). Our results suggest that BBR combined with EMO exerts synergistic anti-cancer effects by modulating the EGFR-signaling pathway through interference with LAMB3 in PDAC.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) encompass a diverse group of chemically reactive molecules or ions distinguished by their substantial oxidative potential. Empirical studies have shown that the targeted administration of high toxic concentrations of ROS can effectively induce tumor cell death in various types. Numerous bioactive ingredients derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), recognized for their ROS-inducing properties, have demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity. Nonetheless, their clinical application has been hindered by challenges such as low solubility, limited bioavailability, and poor selectivity. Multifunctional nanoformulations possess the potential to overcome these challenges and enhance the anticancer efficacy of ROS-inducing active compounds. Through extensive searches of various academic databases and a thorough review and screening of relevant literature, this study aims to systematically summarize and generalize multiple active ingredients in TCM that induce ROS generation, along with their multifunctional nanoformulations, from various perspectives. The objective is to provide new insights and references for fundamental cancer research and clinical treatments. Furthermore, we acknowledge that although numerous active ingredients and their nanoformulations in TCM have demonstrated ROS-inducing and anti-tumor potentials, potentially offering novel strategies for tumor therapy, the underlying mechanisms require further comprehensive investigation.

This review explores the latest advancements in nanoporous materials and their applications in biomedical imaging and diagnostics. Nanoporous materials possess unique structural features, including high surface area, tunable pore size, and versatile surface chemistry, making them highly promising platforms for a range of biomedical applications. This review begins by providing an overview of the various types of nanoporous materials, including mesoporous silica nanoparticles, metal-organic frameworks, carbon-based materials, and nanoporous gold. The synthesis method for each material, their current research trends, and prospects are discussed in detail. Furthermore, this review delves into the functionalization and surface modification techniques employed to tailor nanoporous materials for specific biomedical imaging applications. This section covers chemical functionalization, bioconjugation strategies, and surface coating and encapsulation methods. Additionally, this review examines the diverse biomedical imaging techniques enabled by nanoporous materials, such as fluorescence imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) imaging, ultrasound imaging, and multimodal imaging. The mechanisms underlying these imaging techniques, their diagnostic applications, and their efficacy in clinical settings are thoroughly explored. Through an extensive analysis of recent research findings and emerging trends, this review underscores the transformative potential of nanoporous materials in advancing biomedical imaging and diagnostics. The integration of interdisciplinary approaches, innovative synthesis techniques, and functionalization strategies offers promising avenues for the development of next-generation imaging agents and diagnostic tools with enhanced sensitivity, specificity, and biocompatibility.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most recalcitrant cancers due to its late diagnosis, poor therapeutic response, and highly heterogeneous microenvironment. Nanotechnology has the potential to overcome some of the challenges to improve diagnostics and tumor-specific drug delivery but they have not been plausibly viable in clinical settings. The review focuses on active targeting strategies to enhance pancreatic tumor-specific uptake for nanoparticles. Additionally, this review highlights using actively targeted liposomes, micelles, gold nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles, and iron oxide nanoparticles to improve pancreatic tumor targeting. Active targeting of nanoparticles toward either differentially expressed receptors or PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) using peptides, antibodies, small molecules, polysaccharides, and hormones has been presented. We focus on microenvironment-based hallmarks of PDAC and the potential for actively targeted nanoparticles to overcome the challenges presented in PDAC. It describes the use of nanoparticles as contrast agents for improved diagnosis and the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents that target various aspects within the TME of PDAC. Additionally, we review emerging nano-contrast agents detected using imaging-based technologies and the role of nanoparticles in energy-based treatments of PDAC. This article is categorized under: Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanoscale Tools and Techniques in Surgery Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasms of the pancreas (SPN) share similar imaging findings with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with cystic changes (PDAC with cystic changes), which may result in unnecessary surgery.

To investigate the value of computed tomography (CT) in differentiation of SPN from PDAC with cystic changes.

This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging findings of 32 patients diagnosed with SPN and 14 patients diagnosed with PDAC exhibiting cystic changes, confirmed through pathological diagnosis. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed, including assessment of age, sex, tumor size, shape, margin, density, enhancement pattern, CT values of tumors, CT contrast enhancement ratios, "floating cloud sign," calcification, main pancreatic duct dilatation, pancreatic atrophy, and peripancreatic invasion or distal metastasis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify relevant features to differentiate between SPN and PDAC with cystic changes, and receiver operating characteristic curves were obtained to evaluate the diagnostic performance of each variable and their combination.

When compared to PDAC with cystic changes, SPN had a lower age (32 years vs 64 years, P < 0.05) and a slightly larger size (5.41 cm vs 3.90 cm, P < 0.05). SPN had a higher frequency of "floating cloud sign" and peripancreatic invasion or distal metastasis than PDAC with cystic changes (both P < 0.05). No significant difference was found with respect to sex, tumor location, shape, margin, density, main pancreatic duct dilatation, calcification, pancreatic atrophy, enhancement pattern, CT values of tumors, or CT contrast enhancement ratios between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the combination was 0.833 (95% confidence interval: 0.708-0.957) with 78.6% sensitivity, 81.3% specificity, and 80.4% accuracy in differentiation of SPN from PDAC with cystic changes.

A larger tumor size, "floating cloud sign," and peripancreatic invasion or distal metastasis are useful CT imaging features that are more common in SPN and may help discriminate SPN from PDAC with cystic changes.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the gastrointestinal tumors with the lowest survival rate and the worst prognosis. At the time of diagnosis, the majority of patients have missed the opportunity for radical surgical resection and opt for chemotherapy as their primary treatment choice. And drug resistance emerges during the application of the most widely used chemotherapeutic regimens such as modified FOLFIRINOX regimen, gemcitabine monotherapy or 5-Fluorouracil combination therapy, which further reduces the therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, it is urgent to explore better treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer. In recent years, more and more studies have found that natural products have significant anti-pancreatic cancer properties. In this paper, we reviewed the possible mechanisms by which natural products inhibit the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, including the possible mechanisms of targeting the inhibition of the growth and proliferation regulatory pathways of pancreatic cancer cells, inducing apoptosis and autophagy of pancreatic cancer cells, inhibiting the EMT process of pancreatic cancer cells, and inhibiting the angiogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Meanwhile, natural products have also hindered the progress of their basic and clinical research due to the complexity of their composition and the limitation of biological extraction technology. Further exploration of the specific molecular mechanisms of natural products to inhibit the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, optimization of purification and preparation techniques, and enrichment of basic and clinical trials to verify their efficacy and safety may be the future direction of natural products in the field of anti-pancreatic cancer research.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) stands out as one of the most formidable malignancies and exhibits an exceptionally unfavorable clinical prognosis due to the absence of well-defined diagnostic indicators and its tendency to develop resistance to therapeutic interventions. The primary objective of this present study was to identify extracellular matrix (ECM)-related hub genes (HGs) and their corresponding molecular signatures, with the intent of potentially utilizing them as biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic applications.

Three microarray datasets were sourced from the NCBI database to acquire upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), while MatrisomeDB was employed for filtering ECM-related genes. Subsequently, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established using the STRING database. The created network was visually inspected through Cytoscape, and HGs were identified using the CytoHubba plugin tool. Furthermore, enrichment analysis, expression pattern analysis, clinicopathological correlation, survival analysis, immune cell infiltration analysis, and examination of chemical compounds were carried out using Enrichr, GEPIA2, ULCAN, Kaplan Meier plotter, TIMER2.0, and CTD web platforms, respectively. The diagnostic and prognostic significance of HGs was evaluated through the ROC curve analysis.

Ten genes associated with ECM functions were identified as HGs among 131 DEGs obtained from microarray datasets. Notably, the expression of these HGs exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher in PC, demonstrating a clear association with tumor advancement. Remarkably, higher expression levels of these HGs were inversely correlated with the likelihood of patient survival. Moreover, ROC curve analysis revealed that identified HGs are promising biomarkers for both diagnostic (AUC > 0.75) and prognostic (AUC > 0.64) purposes. Furthermore, we observed a positive correlation between immune cell infiltration and the expression of most HGs. Lastly, our study identified nine compounds with significant interaction profiles that could potentially act as effective chemical agents targeting the identified HGs.

Taken together, our findings suggest that COL1A1, KRT19, MMP1, COL11A1, SDC1, ITGA2, COL1A2, POSTN, FN1, and COL5A1 hold promise as innovative biomarkers for both the diagnosis and prognosis of PC, and they present as prospective targets for therapeutic interventions aimed at impeding the progression PC.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is among the major causes of dementia in the elderly and exerts tremendous clinical, psychological and socio-economic constraints. Currently, there are no effective disease-modifying/retarding anti-AD agents. Emodin is a bioactive phytochemical with potent multimodal anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifibrillogenic properties. In particular, emodin may result in significant repression of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying AD. The purpose of this review is to accumulate and summarize all the primary research data evaluating the therapeutic actions of emodin in AD pathogenesis. Methodology: The search, selection, and retrieval of pertinent primary research articles were systematically performed using a methodically designed approach. A variety of keyword combinations were employed on online scholarly web-databases. Strict preset inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select the retrieved studies. Data from the individual studies were summarized and compiled into different sections, based upon their findings. Results: Cellular and animal research indicates that emodin exerts robust multimodal neuroprotection in AD. While emodin effectively prevents tau and amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomerization, it also mitigates their neurotoxicity by attenuating neuroinflammatory, oxidative, and bioenergetic defects. Evidences for emodin-mediated enhancements in memory, learning, and cognition were also found in the literature. Conclusion: Emodin is a potential anti-AD dietary supplement; however, further studies are warrantied to thoroughly understand its target players and mechanisms. Moreover, human clinical data on emodin-mediated amelioration of AD phenotype is largely lacking, and must be addressed in the future. Lastly, the safety of exogenously supplemented emodin must be thoroughly evaluated.

The multidisciplinary approaches in treatment of cancer appear to be essential in term of bringing benefits of several disciplines and their coordination in tumor elimination. Because of the biological and malignant features of cancer cells, they have ability of developing resistance to conventional therapies such as chemo- and radio-therapy. Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a malignant disease of gastrointestinal tract in which chemotherapy and radiotherapy are main tools in its treatment, and recently, nanocarriers have been emerged as promising structures in its therapy. The bioresponsive nanocarriers are able to respond to pH and redox, among others, in targeted delivery of cargo for specific treatment of PC. The loading drugs on the nanoparticles that can be synthetic or natural compounds, can help in more reduction in progression of PC through enhancing their intracellular accumulation in cancer cells. The encapsulation of genes in the nanoparticles can protect against degradation and promotes intracellular accumulation in tumor suppression. A new kind of therapy for cancer is phototherapy in which nanoparticles can stimulate both photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy through hyperthermia and ROS overgeneration to trigger cell death in PC. Therefore, synergistic therapy of phototherapy with chemotherapy is performed in accelerating tumor suppression. One of the important functions of nanotechnology is selective targeting of PC cells in reducing side effects on normal cells. The nanostructures are capable of being surface functionalized with aptamers, proteins and antibodies to specifically target PC cells in suppressing their progression. Therefore, a specific therapy for PC is provided and future implications for diagnosis of PC is suggested.

How to enhance active targeting efficiency remains a challenge. Multivalent interactions play a crucial role in improving the binding ability between ligands and receptors. It is hypothesized that nanoparticles bearing a flat conformation attain simultaneous formation of multiple ligand-receptor bindings, which could be vividly metaphorized by the "Hook&Loop" rationale. In this study, spherical, rod-shaped and disk-shaped folic acid-modified red blood cell membrane-coated biomimetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (FRMSNs) were prepared to verify the shape-based multivalent interactions. The fundamental concepts of multivalent interactions have been proved by a series of both in vitro and in vivo evaluations. Physical characterization confirmed the morphology, shape and surface features of FRMSNs. Strengthened binding and internalization of disk-shaped FRMSNs by K562 cells stresses the merits of multivalent interactions. Whereas Bio-TEM visually demonstrates the proposed "plane" contact of disk-shaped particles with cells, quantification further confirmed strengthened "plane" binding affinity with folate binding proteins owing to multivalent interactions. In K562 xenograft mice, doxorubicin-loaded disk-shaped FRMSNs effectively slowed down chronic myeloid leukemia progression. It is concluded that disks favor multivalent interactions which leads to enhanced active targeting efficiency.

Cancer is a complex disease associated with a combination of abnormal physiological process and exhibiting dysfunctions in multiple systems. To provide effective treatment and diagnosis for cancer, current treatment strategies simultaneously focus on various tumor targets. Based on the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanocarriers have been shown to exhibit excellent potential for cancer therapy. Compared with nanoparticles with single functions, multifunctional nanoparticles are believed to be more aggressive and potent in the context of tumor targeting. However, the development of multifunctional nanoparticles is not simply an upgraded version of the original function, but involves a sophisticated system with a proper backbone, optimized modification sites, simple preparation method, and efficient function integration. Despite this, many well-designed multifunctional nanoparticles with promising therapeutic potential have emerged recently. Here, to give a detailed understanding and analyzation of the currently developed multifunctional nanoparticles, their platform structures with organic or inorganic backbones were systemically generalized. We emphasized on the functionalization and modification strategies, which provide additional functions to the nanoparticle. We also discussed the application combination strategies that were involved in the development of nanoformulations with functional crosstalk. This review thus provides an overview of the construction strategies and application advances of multifunctional nanoparticles.

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging has emerged as a noninvasive, inexpensive, and ionizing-radiation-free monitoring tool for assessing tumor growth and treatment efficacy. In particular, ultrasound switchable fluorescence (USF) imaging has been explored with improved imaging sensitivity and spatial resolution in centimeter-deep tissues. This study achieved size control of polymer-based and indocyanine green (ICG) encapsulated USF contrast agents, capable of accumulating at the tumor after intravenous injections. These nanoprobes varied in size from 58 nm to 321 nm. The bioimaging profiles demonstrated that the proposed nanoparticles can efficiently eliminate the background light from normal tissue and show a tumor-specific fluorescence enhancement in the BxPC-3 tumor-bearing mice models possibly via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. In vivo tumor USF imaging further proved that these nanoprobes can effectively be switched 'ON' with enhanced fluorescence in response to a focused ultrasound stimulation in the tumor microenvironment, contributing to the high-resolution USF images. Therefore, our findings suggest that ICG-encapsulated nanoparticles are good candidates for USF imaging of tumors in living animals, indicating their great potential in optical tumor imaging in deep tissue.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) can be applied to targeted drug delivery, targeted diagnosis and treatment of tumors due to their easy preparation, good biocompatibility, low biotoxicity, high imaging quality, high magnetothermal sensitivity and stable targeting after certain surface modifications. However, the complexity of the mechanism of action and their properties has led to there being few clinical applications of IONPs. This review first describes the targeting mechanisms of IONPs and their toxicity issues, then discusses the applications of IONP targeting studies in tumor MRI. Finally, the applications of IONP targeting in tumor therapy are listed. The authors show the advantages of targeting IONPs and hope that the review will increase the possibility of converting IONPs from biomedical applications to clinical applications.