Conquering chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer: Exploring novel drug therapies and delivery approaches amidst desmoplasia and hypoxia.

Pancreatic cancer poses a significant challenge within the field of oncology due to its aggressive behaviour, limited treatment choices, and unfavourable outlook. With a mere 10% survival rate at the 5-year mark, finding effective interventions becomes even more pressing. The intricate relationship between desmoplasia and hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment further complicates matters by promoting resistance to chemotherapy and impeding treatment efficacy. The dense extracellular matrix and cancer-associated fibroblasts characteristic of desmoplasia create a physical and biochemical barrier that impedes drug penetration and fosters an immunosuppressive milieu. Concurrently, hypoxia nurtures aggressive tumor behaviour and resistance to conventional therapies. a comprehensive exploration of emerging medications and innovative drug delivery approaches. Notably, advancements in nanoparticle-based delivery systems, local drug delivery implants, and oxygen-carrying strategies are highlighted for their potential to enhance drug accessibility and therapeutic outcomes. The integration of these strategies with traditional chemotherapies and targeted agents reveals the potential for synergistic effects that amplify treatment responses. These emerging interventions can mitigate desmoplasia and hypoxia-induced barriers, leading to improved drug delivery, treatment efficacy, and patient outcomes in pancreatic cancer. This review article delves into the dynamic landscape of emerging anticancer medications and innovative drug delivery strategies poised to overcome the challenges imposed by desmoplasia and hypoxia in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Molecular insights in repurposing selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib against matrix metalloproteinases in potentiating delayed wound healing: a molecular docking and MMPB/SA based analysis of molecular dynamic simulations.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes that play a role in healing, including reducing inflammation, promoting fibroblast and keratinocyte migration, and modifying scar tissue. Due to their pleiotropic functions in the wound-healing process in diabetic wounds, MMPs constitute a significant cause of delayed wound closure. COX-2 inhibitors are proven to inhibit inflammation. The present study aims to repurpose celecoxib against MMP-2, MMP-8 and MMP-9 through in silico approaches, such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and MMPB/SA analysis. We considered five selective COX-2 inhibitors (celecoxib, etoricoxib, lumiracoxib, rofecoxib and valdecoxib) for our study against MMPs. Based on molecular docking study and hydrogen bonding pattern, celecoxib in complex with three MMPs was further analyzed using 1 µs (1000 ns) molecular dynamics simulation and MMPB/SA techniques. These studies identified that celecoxib exhibited significant binding affinity -8.8, -7.9 and -8.3 kcal/mol, respectively, against MMP-2, MMP-8 and MMP-9. Celecoxib formed hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic (π-π) interactions with crucial substrate pocket amino acids, which may be accountable for their inhibitory nature. The MMPB/SA studies showed that electrostatic and van der Waal energy terms favoured the total free binding energy component, while polar solvation terms were highly disfavored. The in silico analysis of the secondary structures showed that the celecoxib binding conformation maintains relatively stable along the simulation trajectories. These findings provide some key clues regarding the accommodation of celecoxib in the substrate binding S1' pocket and also provide structural insights and challenges in repurposing drugs as new MMP inhibitors with anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory wound-healing properties.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Human beta defensin-2 loaded PLGA nanoparticles impregnated in collagen-chitosan composite scaffold for the management of diabetic wounds.

Diabetic wound (DW) is the most devastating complication resulting in significant mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. The standard treatment of DW care fails to address the prerequisites of treating DW owing to its multifactorial pathophysiology. Henceforth, developing a single treatment strategy to handle all the loopholes may effectively manage DW. The objective of the current study was to formulate Human beta defensin-2 (HBD-2) loaded Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticle impregnated in collagen/chitosan (COL-CS) composite scaffolds for the accelerated healing of DW. Upon investigation, the developed biodegradable crosslinked scaffold possesses low matrix degradation, optimum porosity, and sustained drug release than the non-crosslinked scaffold. In vitro studies revealed that the HBD-2 COL-CS scaffold was biocompatible and accelerated cell migration and angiogenesis. The HBD-2 COL-CS scaffold showed significant antimicrobial activity in S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. The in vivo studies revealed that the HBD-2 COL-CS treated group accelerated healing compared to those in COL-CS and control groups. The ELISA results indicated a significant decrease in MMP-9, TNF-α, MPO, NAG, and NO with an increase in IL-10 in HBD-2 COL-CS treated group. The accelerated healing in HBD-2 COL-CS treated group might be due to the synergistic effects of PLGA (collagen synthesis and deposition and positive angiogenic effect), HBD-2 (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, positive angiogenic effect, cell proliferation, and migration), COL (established wound healer and stabilizer) and CS (antibacterial, controlled drug release).

Identification of novel protein kinase C-ßII inhibitors: virtual screening, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies.

Diabetic wounds (DWs) are the major end-stage manifestation encountered in diabetic patients. The two major pathways involved in the pathogenesis of DW are impaired angiogenesis and unnecessary NETosis, which are regulated by a common enzyme called protein kinase C (PKC)-ßII. PKC-ßII is a conventional isoform of PKC family that can be activated by calcium and diacylglycerol. PKC-ßII possesses a specific expression profile and plays a distinct role in various cellular and molecular functions. The pathogenic role of PKC-ßII and its involvement in the impairment of wound healing suggested that PKC-ßII plays a potential role in DW progression. Hence, there is a renewed interest in developing specific inhibitors of PKC-ßII. In the present study, receptor-based virtual screening was performed for the identification of potential PKC-ßII inhibitors using TimTec, Enamine, Zinc and Specs databases. A total of 595 candidate compounds were evaluated based on absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity, standard precision docking. Further, extra-precision docking and binding free energy calculations were carried out for top-ranked compounds. Based on Glide score and protein-ligand interactions, we have identified compound 1 as a potential inhibitor. Finally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was performed for top compound 1 using the Desmond module (Schrödinger suite) to identify the structural stability of the protein-ligand complex. Gratifyingly, MD trajectory analysis demonstrated the stable binding conformation of compound 1 with PKC-ßII enzyme. In silico approaches incorporated in this study provide a set of new putative PKC-ßII inhibitors which could be potential leads to develop DW therapeutics.

Biomedical applications of electrospun nanofibers in the management of diabetic wounds.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex disease that affects almost all the body's vital organs. Around 415 million people have been diagnosed with DM worldwide, and most of them are due to type 2 DM. The incidence of DM is estimated to increase by 642 million individuals by 2040. DM is considered to have many complications among which diabetic wound (DW) is one of the most distressing complication. DW affects 15% of people with diabetes and is triggered by the loss of glycaemic control, peripheral neuropathy, vascular diseases, and immunosuppression. For timely treatment, early detection, debridement, offloading, and controlling infection are crucial. Even though several treatments are available, the understanding of overlying diabetes-related wound healing mechanisms as therapeutic options has increased dramatically over the past decades. Conventional dressings are cost-effective; however, they are not productive enough to promote the overall process of DW healing. Thanks to tissue engineering developments, one of the promising current trends in innovative wound dressings such as hydrocolloids, hydrogels, scaffolds, films, and nanofibers which merges traditional healing agents and modern products/practices. Nanofibers prepared by electrospinning with enormous porosity, excellent absorption of moisture, the better exchange rate of oxygen, and antibacterial activities have increased interest. The application of these nanofibers can be extended by starting with a careful selection of polymers, loading with active therapeutic moieties such as peptides, proteins, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and stem cells, etc. to make them as potential dosage forms in the management of DWs. This review explains the potential applications of electrospun nanofibers in DW healing. A schematic view of role of nanofibers in diabetic wounds.

Growth Factor Loaded Thermo-Responsive Injectable Hydrogel for Enhancing Diabetic Wound Healing.

Background: Diabetic wound (DW) is the most devastating complication resulting in significant mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. The objective of the current study was to formulate Epidermal Growth Factor loaded Chitosan nanoparticle impregnated with thermos-responsive injectable hydrogel with protease inhibitor. EGF, shown in all stages of wound healing from inflammation to proliferation and remodelling, combined with Doxycycline, a well-known anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial drug, could be a better strategy in diabetic wound healing. However, EGF's low stability makes it difficult to use. Methodology: The nanoparticles were prepared using the ionic gelation method. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and SEM studies. Further, the optimized nanoparticle batch was loaded into hydrogel with a protease inhibitor. The hydrogel was evaluated for morphology, protease degradation, in vitro drug release, anti-bacterial activity, cell migration, in vitro cell biocompatibility, and in vivo wound healing studies. Results and Conclusion: The particle size analysis of nanoparticles revealed the size (203 ± 1.236 nm), Zeta potential (+28.5 ± 1.0 mV), and entrapment efficiency of 83.430 ± 1.8%, respectively. The hydrogel showed good porous morphology, injectability, thermo-responsive, biocompatibility, and controlled drug release. In vitro anti-bacterial studies revealed the potential anti-bacterial activity of doxycycline against various microbes. In vivo data indicated that combining EGF and DOX considerably reduced inflammation time-dependent than single-agent treatment. Furthermore, histological studies corroborated these findings. After topical application of hydrogel, histopathology studies revealed significant collagen synthesis and a fully regenerated epithelial layer and advancement in all three stages (proliferation, remodelling, and maturation), which are required to improve the diabetic wound healing process by any dressing. These findings demonstrated that hydrogel promoted cutaneous wound healing in STZ-induced rats by suppressing inflammation at the wound site. Furthermore, histological studies corroborated these findings. After topical application of hydrogel, histopathology studies revealed significant collagen synthesis, a fully regenerated epithelial layer, and advancement in all three stages (proliferation, remodelling, and maturation), which are required to improve the diabetic wound healing process by any dressing. These findings demonstrated that hydrogel promoted cutaneous wound healing in STZ-induced rats by suppressing inflammation at the wound site.

Doxycycline Loaded Collagen-Chitosan Composite Scaffold for the Accelerated Healing of Diabetic Wounds.

One major complication of diabetes mellitus is diabetic wounds (DW). The prolonged phase of inflammation in diabetes obstructs the further stages of an injury leading to delayed wound healing. We selected doxycycline (DOX), as a potential drug of choice, due to its anti-bacterial properties along with its reported anti-inflammatory properties. The current study aims to formulate DOX loaded collagen-chitosan non-crosslinked (NCL) & crosslinked (CL) scaffolds and evaluate their healing ability in diabetic conditions. The characterization result of scaffolds reveals that the DOX-CL scaffold holds ideal porosity, a low swelling & degradation rate, and a sustained release of DOX compared to the DOX-NCL scaffold. The in vitro studies reveal that the DOX-CL scaffold was biocompatible and enhanced cell growth compared with CL scaffold treated and control groups. The anti-bacterial studies have shown that the DOX-CL scaffold was more effective than the CL scaffold against the most common bacteria found in DW. Using the streptozotocin and high-fat diet-induced DW model, a significantly (p≤0.05) faster rate of wound contraction in the DOX-CL scaffold treated group was observed compared to those in CL scaffold treated and control groups. The use of the DOX-CL scaffold can prove to be a promising approach for local treatment for DWs.

Preclinical models of diabetic wound healing: A critical review.

The treatment of diabetic wounds (DWs) is always challenging for the medical community because of its multifaceted pathophysiology. Due to practical and ethical considerations, direct studies of therapeutic interventions on human subjects are limited. Thus, it is ideal for performing studies on animals having less genetic and biological variability. An ideal DW model should progress toward reproducibility, quantifiable interpretation, therapeutic significance, and effective translation into clinical use. In the last couple of decades, various animal models were developed to examine the complex cellular and biochemical process of skin restoration in DW healing. Also, these models were used to assess the potency of developed active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulations. However, many animal models lack studying mechanisms that can appropriately restate human DW, stay a huge translational challenge. This review discusses the available animal models with their significance in DW experiments and their limitations, focusing on levels of proof of effectiveness in selecting appropriate models to restate the human DW to improve clinical outcomes. Although numerous newer entities and combinatory formulations are very well appreciated preclinically for DW management, they fail in clinical trials, which may be due to improper selection of the appropriate model. The major future challenge could be developing a model that resembles the human DW environment, can potentiate translational research in DW care.

Acellular Scaffolds as Innovative Biomaterial Platforms for the Management of Diabetic Wounds.

Diabetic wound (DW) is one of the leading complications of patients having a long history of uncontrolled diabetes. Moreover, it also imposes an economic burden on people suffering from wounds to manage the treatment. The major impending factors in the treatment of DW are infection, prolonged inflammation and decreased oxygen levels. Since these non-healing wounds are associated with an extended recovery period, the existing therapies provide treatment for a limited period only. The areas covered in this review are general sequential events of wound healing along with DW's pathophysiology, the origin of DW and success, as well as limitations of existing therapies. This systematic review's significant aspect is to highlight the fabrication, characterization and applications of various acellular scaffolds used to heal DW. In addition to that, cellular scaffolds are also described to a limited extent.

Exploring role of polysaccharides present in Ganoderma lucidium extract powder and probiotics as solid carriers in development of liquisolid formulation loaded with quercetin: A novel study.

Ganoderma lucidium extract powder (GLEP) contains various polysaccharides which are well known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Probiotics (PB) are well-established for providing a plethora of health benefits. Hence, use of mushroom polysaccharides and probiotics as carriers to solidify liquisolid formulation is anticipated to function as functional excipients i.e. as adsorbent that may provide therapeutic benefits. Quercetin (QUR) has been used as model lipophilic drug in this study. QUR loaded liquisolid compacts (LSCs) were formulated using Tween 80 as solvent. These were further solidified using a combination of PB and GLEP as carriers. Aerosil-200 (A-200) was used as coating agent. The formulation exhibited very good flow characteristics. Dissolution rate of raw QUR was found to be less than 10% in 60 min while in case of QUR loaded LSCs, more than 90% drug release was observed within 5 min. Absence of crystalline peaks of QUR in the DSC and PXRD reports of LSCs and their porous appearance in SEM micrographs indicate that QUR was successfully incorporated in the LSCs. The developed formulation was found to be stable on storage under accelerated stability conditions.

Overview of in situ gelling injectable hydrogels for diabetic wounds.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an endocrine disorder that causes increased blood glucose than usual due to insulin impairment. In DM, several complications arise in which diabetic wound (DW) is the most devastating complication. About 25% of patients with DM expected to develop DWs in their lifetime and undergo limb amputations. Even though several treatments such as surgery, debridement, wound dressings, advanced therapies were available, the overall conclusion has been that with very few exceptions, patients still suffer from limitations like pain, frequent dress changing, high rates of failure, and cost involvement. Further, the treatments involving the delivery of therapeutic agents in treating DWs have limited success due to abnormal levels of proteases in the DW environment. In this backdrop, in situ gelling injectable hydrogels have gained special attention due to their easy encapsulation of therapeutic medications and prolonged release, filling the wound defect areas, ease of handling, and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Though the in situ gelling injectable hydrogels are developed a couple of decades ago, their use for treating DW has not yet been explored thoroughly. Thus, in this review, we have covered the sequential events of DW healing, pathophysiology, current treatments, and its limitations, along with a particular emphasis on the mechanism of action of these in situ gelling injectable hydrogels treating DWs.

Ligand-based pharmacophore modeling and molecular dynamic simulation approaches to identify putative MMP-9 inhibitors.

MMP-9 is a calcium-dependent zinc endopeptidase that plays a crucial role in various diseases and is a ubiquitous target for many classes of drugs. The availability of MMP-9 crystal structure in combination with aryl sulfonamide anthranilate hydroxamate inhibitor facilitates to accentuate the computer-aided screening of MMP-9 inhibitors with the presumed binding mode. In the current study, ligand-based pharmacophore modeling and 3D-QSAR analysis were performed using 67 reported MMP-9 inhibitors possessing pIC50 in the range of 5.221 to 9.000. The established five-point hypothesis model DDHRR_1 was statistically validated using various parameters R 2 (0.9076), Q 2 (0.8170), and F value (83.5) at a partial least square of four. Hypothesis validation and enrichment analysis were performed for the generated hypothesis. Further, Y-scrambling and Xternal validation using mean-absolute error-based criteria were performed to evaluate the reliability of the model. Docking in the XP mode and binding free energy was calculated for 67 selected ligands to explore the key binding interactions and binding affinity against the MMP-9 enzyme. Additionally, high-throughput virtual screening was carried out for 2.3 million chemical molecules to explore the potential virtual hits, and their predicted activity was calculated. Thus, the results obtained aid in developing novel MMP-9 inhibitors with significant activity and binding affinity.

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers of Pioglitazone Loaded Collagen/Chitosan Composite Scaffold for Diabetic Wound Healing.

Diabetic wound is a major problem that often needs amputation of the concerned organ in patients suffering from diabetes. In diabetes, the prolonged phase of inflammation obstructs the further phases of healing which, in turn, lead to improper healing of the wounds in diabetes. Pioglitazone (Pio) hydrochloride is an antidiabetic drug with reported anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to develop a Pio-nanostructured lipid carrier (Pio-NLC)-loaded collagen/chitosan (COL-CS) scaffold and evaluate its healing ability in diabetic wounds. The results of characterization of composite scaffolds reveal that cross-linked scaffolds possess optimum porosity, low matrix degradation, and sustained drug release compared with noncross-linked scaffolds. The in vitro studies reveal that the Pio-NLC-COL-CS scaffold was biocompatible and enhanced cell growth compared with control and NLC-COL-CS. Using the streptozotocin-induced diabetic wound model, significantly (p < 0.001) higher rates of wound contraction in Pio-NLC-COL-CS scaffold-treated group were observed in comparison with that in control and NLC-COL-CS-treated group. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results indicate a significant (p < 0.001) decrease of matrix metalloproteinases-9 levels in the Pio-NLC-COL-CS-treated group compared with those in control group. Use of nanostructured lipid carrier (Pio-NLC-COL-CS) scaffold can prove to be a promising strategy for local treatment for diabetic wounds.

Multivariate response surface methodology assisted modified QuEChERS extraction method for the evaluation of organophosphate pesticides in fruits and vegetables cultivated in Nilgiris, South India.

An effective, simple and sensitive analytical method has been developed employing liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry and validated for estimation of five organophosphate pesticides at trace levels in six fruits and twelve vegetables. Plackett-Burman design and central composite design was used to screen and optimize the significant factors in modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) extraction method. The method evaluation was done by matrix-matched calibration with linearity ranging from 5 to 500 µg/L with a correlation coefficient more than 0.990. The detection and quantification limit ranged from 0.1 to 1.0 µg/kg and 0.5 to 5 µg/kg, respectively. The mean recoveries were in the range of 76.89-110.30 % with the relative standard deviation less than 13.26% for all pesticides. Further, the method developed was applied to analyze real samples cultivated in the hill areas of Nilgiris, South India.

Experimental design in pesticide extraction methods: A review.

The sample extraction process is considered as the essential step in the pesticide residue analysis, as it provides the base for the detection of the pesticides in trace level. Various factors need to be optimized during the extraction of pesticides due to the complexity of the matrix which is time-consuming and tedious. Therefore, the use of experimental design in the optimization process proves to be effective with minimum experiments and cost. This paper is aimed to overview the experimental designs that are frequently used for screening (full factorial, fractional factorial, Plackett-Burman Design) and optimizing (central composite design, Box-Behnken design, Taguchi design, Doehlert design, D-optimal design) the most influential factors to provide a sequential understanding of the linear and complex interactions in the pesticide extraction methods. Further, a systematic approach has been discussed about the use of experimental designs in pesticide extraction and also the softwares used for application-oriented readers.

Smart niosomes of temozolomide for enhancement of brain targeting.

Drug delivery to the brain is challenging because of the low permeability of blood-brain barrier, and therefore, optimum concentration of chemotherapeutics in the target area specifically for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, opens a new path of research. To achieve the goal, the oral alkylating agent temozolomide was incorporated into niosomes, and the surface was modified with chlorotoxin, a small 36 amino acid peptide discovered from the venom of scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus. Active targeting using nanosized particles facilitates an increase in the accumulation of drugs in the cerebri by 3.04-folds. Temozolomide-loaded niosomes were prepared using conventional thin-film hydration method and characterized. Niosomes coated with chlorotoxin were produced with the size of 220 ± 1.45 nm with an entrapment efficiency of 79.09 ± 1.56%. Quantitative tissue distribution studies indicate enhanced permeation of the drug into the brain because of surface modification with less deposition in the highly perfused organs.

Pluronic lecithin organogel of 5-aminosalicylic acid for wound healing.

5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is an aminosalicylate anti-inflammatory drug, which is also known as mesalazine or mesalamine. Currently employed in treating inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, inflamed anus or rectum, and maintain remission in Crohn's disease. Evidence from the researchers highlighted its significant re-epithelization in allergic asthma, aphthous, and gastric ulcerative conditions. The objective of the study was to formulate the pluronic lecithin organogel (PLO) containing 5-ASA and evaluate its wound-healing ability in a full thickness excision wound rat model. The data obtained from in silico docking studies revealed 5-ASA is having an affinity towards the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) specifically towards beta1. Among various formulations prepared (F1 to F8), F1, and F6 have shown a maximum in vitro drug release with optimum pH and viscosity. From MTT assay it was found that selected PLO formulations showed no toxicity and enhanced cell proliferation in HaCaT cell lines. In vivo wound-healing studies in albino Wistar rats has revealed that PLO accelerates wound closure and reepithelization to the statistically significant level on day 3 (p < .05) in comparison with untreated wounds. In conclusion, the overall results suggest that 5-ASA PLO gel is a potential therapeutic option for the treatments of wounds, however, further studies are highly warrened to determine the various mechanisms of 5-ASA in regulating the cell migration and reepithelization in wound healing to outspread its use in clinics.

Ameliorating the in vivo antimalarial efficacy of artemether using nanostructured lipid carriers.

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a fatal neurological complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection that affects children (below five years old) in sub-Saharan Africa and adults in South-East Asia each year having the fatality rate of 10-25%. The survivors of CM also have high risk of long term neurological or cognitive deficits. The objective of the present investigation was to develop optimised nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) of artemether (ARM) for enhanced anti-malarial efficacy of ARM. NLCs of ARM were prepared by a combination of high speed homogenisation (HSH) and probe sonication techniques. Preliminary solubility studies for ARM showed highest solubility in trimyristin (solid lipid), capmul MCM NF (liquid lipid) and polysorbate 80 (surfactant). Trimyristin and capmul showed superior miscibility at a ratio of 70:30.The optimised NLC formulation has the particle size (PS) of: 48.59 ± 3.67 nm, zeta potential (ZP) of: -32 ± 1.63 mV and entrapment efficiency (EE) of: 91 ± 3.62%. In vitro cell line (human embryonic kidney fibroblast cell line (HEK 293 T)) cytotoxicity studies showed that prepared formulation was non-toxic. The results of in vivo studies in CM induced mice prevented the recrudescence of parasite after administration of NLCs of ARM. Additionally, NLCs of ARM showed better parasite clearance, higher survival (60%) in comparison to ARM solution (40%). Also it was observed that lesser entrapment of Evans blue stain (prepared in PBS as solution) in the NLCs of ARM treated brains of C57BL/6 mice than ARM solution treated mice. Hence NLCs of ARM may be a better alternative for improving therapeutic efficacy than ARM solution.

Affibody molecules for molecular imaging and targeted drug delivery in the management of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the leading reasons for the morbidity and mortality of cancer related death globally. The modern therapies are basically the combination of the breast-preserving surgeries or ablation with or without node biopsy or destroying the carcinoma cells adjuvant with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal or biological therapies depending upon the nature of the receptor of the cancerous cells, nature of the lymph node, as well as the tendency of the recurrence. For decade's carcinoma management suffered by the limitation of imagining, targeting and penetrability problem associated with management and cure of this deadly disease leads to unwanted chemo-toxicity and side effects. Alike other antibody mimetics, affibodies are designed with the combinatorial protein engineering approaches which are small and robust protein scaffolds retaining the favorable folding and stability. Affibody is one of the significantly important tools for imaging and diagnosis of the affinity specific over expressed proteins in the breast cancer management. The review summarizes the various affibody strategies uses in the management of breast cancer.

Nanocarrier based approaches for targeting breast cancer stem cells.

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are heterogeneous subpopulation of tumour initiating cells within breast tumours. They are spared even after chemotherapy and responsible for tumour relapse. Targeting BCSCs is, therefore, necessary to achieve radical cure in breast cancer. Despite the availability of agents targeting BCSCs, their clinical application is limited due to their off-target effects and bioavailability issues. Nanotechnology based drug carriers (nanocarriers) offer various advantages to deliver anti-BCSCs agents specifically to their target sites by overcoming their bioavailability issues. In this review, we describe various strategies for targeting BCSCs using nanocarriers.