Multifaceted roles of pollen in the management of cancer.

Oral drug delivery of microparticles demonstrates shortcomings like aggregation, decreased loading capacity and batch-to-batch variation, which limits its scale-up. Later, porous structures gained attention because of their large surface-to-volume ratio, high loading capacity and ability to carry biomacromolecules, which undergo degradation in GIT. But there are pitfalls like non-uniform particle size distribution, the impact of porogen properties, and harsh chemicals. To circumvent these drawbacks, natural carriers like pollen are explored in drug delivery, which withstands harsh environments. This property helps to subdue the acid-sensitive drug in GIT. It shows uniform particle size distribution within the species. On the other side, they contain phytoconstituents like flavonoids and polysaccharides, which possess various pharmacological applications. Therefore, pollen has the capability as a carrier system and therapeutic agent. This review focuses on pollen's microstructure, composition and utility in cancer management. The extraction strategies, characterisation techniques and chemical structure of sporopollenin exine capsule, its use in the oral delivery of antineoplastic drugs, and emerging cancer treatments like photothermal therapy, immunotherapy and microrobots have been highlighted. We have mentioned a note on the anticancer activity of pollen extract. Further, we have summarised the regulatory perspective, bottlenecks and way forward associated with pollen.

Multifaceted applications of ulvan polysaccharides: Insights on biopharmaceutical avenues.

Ulvans are water-soluble sulfated polysaccharides predominantly found in the cell wall of green algae. They hold unique characteristics that are attributed to their 3D conformation, functional groups along with the presence of saccharides and sulfate ions. Traditionally, ulvans are widely used as food supplements and probiotics owing to the high content of carbohydrates. Despite their widespread usage in food industry, an in-depth understanding is required for extrapolating their potential application as a nutraceutical and medicinal agent which could be beneficial in promoting human health and well-being. This review emphasizes novel therapeutic avenues where ulvan polysaccharides can be used beyond their nutritional applications. A collection of literature points towards multifarious applications of ulvan in various biomedical fields. Structural aspects along with extraction and purification methods have been discussed. The underlying molecular mechanisms associated with its biomedical potential in different therapeutic fields like oncology, infectious diseases, inflammation, neuroprotection and tissue engineering, etc. have been unravelled. Challenges associated with clinical translation and future perspectives have been deliberated.

Polymer nanotherapeutics: A versatile platform for effective rheumatoid arthritis therapy.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an aggressive and severely debilitating disorder that is characterized by joint pain and cartilage damage. It restricts mobility in patients, leaving them unable to carry out simple tasks. RA presents itself with severe lasting pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints and may cause permanent disability in patients. Treatment regimens currently employed for rheumatoid arthritis revolve around keeping clinical symptoms like joint pain, inflammation, swelling and stiffness at bay. The current therapeutic interventions in rheumatoid arthritis involve the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and newer biological drugs that are engineered for inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. These conventional drugs are plagued with severe adverse effects because of their higher systemic distribution, lack of specificity and higher doses. Oral, intra-articular, and intravenous routes are routinely used for drug delivery which is associated with decreased patient compliance, high cost, poor bioavailability and rapid systemic clearance. All these drawbacks have enticed researchers to create novel strategies for drug delivery, the main approach being nanocarrier-based systems. In this article, we aim to consolidate the remarkable contributions of polymeric carrier systems including microneedle technology and smart trigger-responsive polymeric carriers in the management of rheumatoid arthritis along with its detailed pathophysiology. This review also briefly describes the safety and regulatory aspects of polymer therapeutics.