Dendrimer: An update on recent developments and future opportunities for the brain tumors diagnosis and treatment.

A brain tumor is an uncontrolled cell proliferation, a mass of tissue composed of cells that grow and divide abnormally and appear to be uncontrollable by the processes that normally control normal cells. Approximately 25,690 primary malignant brain tumors are discovered each year, 70% of which originate in glial cells. It has been observed that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) limits the distribution of drugs into the tumour environment, which complicates the oncological therapy of malignant brain tumours. Numerous studies have found that nanocarriers have demonstrated significant therapeutic efficacy in brain diseases. This review, based on a non-systematic search of the existing literature, provides an update on the existing knowledge of the types of dendrimers, synthesis methods, and mechanisms of action in relation to brain tumours. It also discusses the use of dendrimers in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours and the future possibilities of dendrimers. Dendrimers are of particular interest in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours because they can transport biochemical agents across the BBB to the tumour and into the brain after systemic administration. Dendrimers are being used to develop novel therapeutics such as prolonged release of drugs, immunotherapy, and antineoplastic effects. The use of PAMAM, PPI, PLL and surface engineered dendrimers has proven revolutionary in the effective diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours.

Recent Advances in Cancer Vaccines: Challenges, Achievements, and Futuristic Prospects.

Cancer is a chronic disease, and it can be lethal due to limited therapeutic options. The conventional treatment options for cancer have numerous challenges, such as a low blood circulation time as well as poor solubility of anticancer drugs. Therapeutic cancer vaccines emerged to try to improve anticancer drugs' efficiency and to deliver them to the target site. Cancer vaccines are considered a viable therapeutic technique for most solid tumors. Vaccines boost antitumor immunity by delivering tumor antigens, nucleic acids, entire cells, and peptides. Cancer vaccines are designed to induce long-term antitumor memory, causing tumor regression, eradicate minimal residual illness, and prevent non-specific or unpleasant effects. These vaccines can assist in the elimination of cancer cells from various organs or organ systems in the body, with minimal risk of tumor recurrence or metastasis. Vaccines and antigens for anticancer therapy are discussed in this review, including current vaccine adjuvants and mechanisms of action for various types of vaccines, such as DNA- or mRNA-based cancer vaccines. Potential applications of these vaccines focusing on their clinical use for better therapeutic efficacy are also discussed along with the latest research available in this field.

Protease loaded permeation enhancer liposomes for treatment of skin fibrosis arisen from second degree burn.

Cysteine protease (papain) is a plant derived enzyme and due to its collagenolytic activity has potential in fibrosis reduction. However, a major hurdle in its use as fibrosis reducing agent is to overcome stratum corneum skin barrier via topical application, owing to its hydrophilic and high molecular weight and protein nature which is prone to degradation. The aim of the present study was to develop a penetration enhancer incorporated drug delivery system, i.e. propylene glycol (PG) liposomes, loaded with papain for application in fibrosis therapy. Papain loaded PG-liposomes were prepared by the solvent injection method and characterized by size, shape, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, drug release and stability. Papain conformational changes due to process stress were evaluated by electrophoresis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Biological evaluation was carried out in rodents by skin irritation and percent fibrosis reduction assays following induction of fibrosis arisen due to controlled second degree burn. Papain loaded PG-liposomes had mean vesicle size 180±30.3, zeta potential -25±1, polydispersity index 0.181 and 85±4.3% entrapment efficiency. Cumulative drug release after 8h was found to be 74.26±3.0%. SDS-PAGE and fluorescence spectroscopic studies confirmed the stability of papain after incorporation in PG-liposomes. Fibrosis reduction studies in animal models revealed that PG-liposomes incorporated papain improved fibrosis reduction significantly in comparison to conventional liposomes and free papain solution (p <0.05). Data suggest that propylene glycol incorporated liposomal system enhances papain proteolytic and collagenolytic activity along with a reduction in skin irritancy via preventing direct contact of papain with skin, improves papain therapeutic fibrosis reduction potential, an approach that may provide an efficient alternative for protease mediated fibrosis reduction in a variety of demanding circumstances.

Proteins and peptides: The need to improve them as promising therapeutics for ulcerative colitis.

The present review briefly describes the nature, type and pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis, and explores the potential use of peptides and proteins in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, especially ulcerative colitis. Intestinal absorption and the barrier mechanism of peptide and protein drugs are also discussed, with special emphasis on various strategies which make these drugs better therapeutics having high specificity, potency and molecular targeting ability. However, the limitation of such therapeutics are oral administration, poor pharmacokinetic profile and decreased bioavailability. The recent findings illustrated in this review will be helpful in designing the peptide/protein drugs as a promising treatment of choice for ulcerative colitis.