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Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer consisting of N -acetylglucosamine units and is primarily derived from the shells of marine crustaceans and the cell walls of organisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and algae). Being a biopolymer, its materialistic properties, such as biodegradability, and biocompatibility, make it a suitable choice for biomedical applications. Similarly, its deacetylated derivative, chitosan, exhibits similar biocompatibility and biodegradability properties, making it a suitable support material for biomedical applications. Furthermore, it has intrinsic material properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antitumor. Population studies have projected nearly 12 million cancer patients across the globe, where most will be suffering from solid tumors. One of the shortcomings of potent anticancer drugs is finding a suitable cellular delivery material or system. Therefore, identifying new drug carriers to achieve effective anticancer therapy is becoming essential. This paper focuses on the strategies implemented using chitin and chitosan biopolymers in drug delivery for cancer treatment.

The growth of cancerous cells and their responses towards substantial therapeutics are primarily controlled by inflammations (acute and chronic) and inflammation-associated products, which either endorse or repress tumor progression. Additionally, major signaling pathways, including NF-κB, STAT3, inflammation-causing factors (cytokines, TNF-α, chemokines), and growth-regulating factors (VEGF, TGF-β), are vital regulators responsible for the instigation and resolution of inflammations. Moreover, the conventional chemotherapeutics have exhibited diverse limitations, including poor pharmacokinetics, unfavorable chemical properties, poor targetability to the disease-specific disease leading to toxicity; thus, their applications are restricted in inflammation-mediated cancer therapy. Furthermore, nanotechnology has demonstrated potential benefits over conventional chemotherapeutics, such as it protected the incorporated drug/bioactive moiety from enzymatic degradation within the systemic circulation, improving the physicochemical properties of poorly aqueous soluble chemotherapeutic agents, and enhancing their targetability in specified carcinogenic cells rather than accumulating in the healthy cells, leading reduced cytotoxicity. Among diverse nanomaterials, polyester-based nanoparticulate delivery systems have been extensively used to target various inflammation-mediated cancers. This review summarizes the therapeutic potentials of various polyester nanomaterials (PLGA, PCL, PLA, PHA, and others)-based delivery systems targeting multiple signaling pathways related to inflammation-mediated cancer., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

The development of rapid, noninvasive diagnostics to detect lung diseases is a great need after the COVID-2019 outbreak. The nanotechnology-based approach has improved imaging and facilitates the early diagnosis of inflammatory lung diseases. The multifunctional properties of nanoprobes enable better spatial-temporal resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio in imaging. Targeted nanoimaging agents have been used to bind specific tissues in inflammatory lungs for early-stage diagnosis. However, nanobased imaging approaches for inflammatory lung diseases are still in their infancy. This review provides a solution-focused approach to exploring medical imaging technologies and nanoprobes for the detection of inflammatory lung diseases. Prospects for the development of contrast agents for lung disease detection are also discussed.

Cervical cancer (CC) caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the largest causes of malignancies in women worldwide. Cisplatin is one of the widely used drugs for the treatment of CC is rendered ineffective owing to drug resistance. This review highlights the cause of resistance and the mechanism of cisplatin resistance cells in CC to develop therapeutic ventures and strategies that could be utilized to overcome the aforementioned issue. These strategies would include the application of nanocarries, miRNA, CRIPSR/Cas system, and chemotherapeutics in synergy with cisplatin to not only overcome the issues of drug resistance but also enhance its anti-cancer efficiency. Moreover, we have also discussed the signaling network of cisplatin resistance cells in CC that would provide insights to develop therapeutic target sites and inhibitors. Furthermore, we have discussed the role of CC metabolism on cisplatin resistance cells and the physical and biological factors affecting the tumor microenvironments., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Polymeric micelles (PMs) have been explored pre-clinically for the delivery of chemotherapeutics to treat cancer. Their unique features, such as easy surface functionalization, stimuli-responsiveness, good stability, ability to modify drug release, enhanced permeation and retention effect, and potential to encapsulate more than one type of therapeutic molecules at a time, make them unique carriers for the targeted delivery or for enhancing the bioavailability of chemotherapeutics. PMs can also be used as theranostic nanocarriers for the mapping of drug therapy along with tumor imaging in patients with cancer. This review focuses on the limitations of existing treatment strategies and on innovative approaches employed for the functionalization of PMs for targeting cancer cells. In addition, the bottlenecks associated with the translation of PMs from the laboratory to clinics are also discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pulmonary diseases such as lung cancer, asthma and tuberculosis have remained one of the common challenges globally. Polymeric micelles (PMs) have emerged as an effective technique for achieving targeted drug delivery for a local as well as a systemic effect. These PMs encapsulate and protect hydrophobic drugs, increase pulmonary targeting, decrease side effects and enhance drug efficacy through the inhalation route. In the current review, emphasis has been placed on the different barriers encountered by the drugs given via the pulmonary route and the mechanism of PMs in achieving drug targeting. The applications of PMs in different pulmonary diseases have also been discussed in detail.

Cancer continues to be one of the most challenging diseases to be treated and is one of the leading causes of deaths around the globe. Cancers account for 13% of all deaths each year, with cancer-related mortality expected to rise to 13.1 million by the year 2030. Although, we now have a large library of chemotherapeutic agents, the problem of non-selectivity remains the biggest drawback, as these substances are toxic not only to cancerous cells, but also to other healthy cells in the body. The limitations with chemotherapy and radiation have led to the discovery and development of novel strategies for safe and effective treatment strategies to manage the menace of cancer. Researchers have long justified and have shed light on the emergence of nanotechnology as a potential area for cancer therapy and diagnostics, whereby, nanomaterials are used primarily as nanocarriers or as delivery agents for anticancer drugs due to their tumor targeting properties. Furthermore, nanocarriers loaded with chemotherapeutic agents also overcome biological barriers such as renal and hepatic clearances, thus improving therapeutic efficacy with lowered morbidity. Theranostics, which is the combination of rationally designed nanomaterials with cancer-targeting moieties, along with protective polymers and imaging agents has become one of the core keywords in cancer research. In this review, we have highlighted the potential of various nanomaterials for their application in cancer therapy and imaging, including their current state and clinical prospects. Theranostics has successfully paved a path to a new era of drug design and development, in which nanomaterials and imaging contribute to a large variety of cancer therapies and provide a promising future in the effective management of various cancers. However, in order to meet the therapeutic needs, theranostic nanomaterials must be designed in such a way, that take into account the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics properties of the drug for the development of effective carcinogenic therapy., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Complexes of Mn(II), Fe(III), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Pt(II) with 2,6-diacetylpyridine bis(N4-azacyclic thiosemicarbazones), abbreviated as H2L, have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic moments (300-78 K) and spectral studies. On the basis of these studies, a distorted six-coordinate structure for Fe(L)Cl and a distorted five-coordinate structure for M(L) (M = Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), or Pt(II] are suggested. The ligands undergo deprotonation and appear to coordinate through the thione sulphur, the imine nitrogen and pyridyl nitrogen. All the ligands and metal complexes were screened for their antitumor activity against P 388 lymphocytic leukemia test system in mice, and it was found that a few of them possess significant activity at the dosages used.

Complexes of Mn(III), Fe(III), Fe(II), Co(III), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Pt(II) with S-methyl-N-(l-isoquinolyl) methylendithiocarbazate (N-N-SH) were isolated and characterized by elemental analysis, conductance measurement, magnetic susceptibilities, and spectroscopic studies. On the basis of these studies, a highly distorted, high-spin, chloro-bridged, polymeric octahedral structure for [Mn(N-N-S)Cl2]; a distorted, low-spin, monomeric octahedral structure for [Fe(N-N-S)2]; a distorted, high-spin, octahedral structure for [Ni(N-N-S)2]; and a square-planar structure for [M(N-N-S)X] (M = Ni, Cu, Pt or Zn and X = Cl- or -OAc) are suggested. With Fe(III), the complex [Fe(N-N-S)2][FeCl4] was isolated while the Co(II) was oxidized to yield the Co(III) ion as [Co(N-N-S)2]2[CoCl4]. All these complexes were screened for their antitumor activity against P 388 lymphocytic leukemia test system in mice. Except for Mn(III), Fe(III), and Co(III) complexes, all were found to possess significant activity; the Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes showed a T/C% value of 160 and 195, respectively, at their optimum dosages.

Complexes of Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Pt(II) with 3- and 5-substituted salicylaldehyde 2-pyridinylhydrazones (XSPH, X = H, 3-NO2, 3-CH3O, 5-Br, 5-Cl, 5-CH3, or 5-NO2) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, conductance measurements, magnetic moments (300-78 K), and spectral studies. On the basis of these studies a monomeric, high-spin, distorted octahedral structure for Mn(XSPH)2 and Fe(XSPH)2, a dimeric, high-spin, five-coordinate structure for Co(XSBH)Cl, a dimeric, low-spin, five-coordinate structure for Ni(XSPH)Cl and Zn(XSPH)(OAc), and a square-planar structure for M(XSPH)Cl.H2O (M = Cu(II) or Pt(II] complexes are suggested. The polycrystalline ESR spectra of Cu(II) complexes are isotropic and suggest dx2-y2 ground state in square-planar stereochemistry. Mössbauer spectral results indicate distorted octahedral structure for iron(II) complexes. All the metal(II) complexes have been screened for their antitumor activity against P388 lymphocytic leukemia test system in mice and have been found to possess no significant activity at the dosages used.

Complexes of iron(II) and iron(III) with 1-formylisoquinoline thiosemicarbazone (1-iqtsc-H), 4-methyl-5-amino-1-formylisoquinoline thiosemicarbazone (4-Me-5-NH2-1-iqtsc-H) and 4-(m-aminophenyl)-2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (4-m-NH2ph-2-pytsc-H) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, conductance measurements, magnetic susceptibilities (from room temperature down to liquid N2 temperature), and Mössbauer, electronic, and infrared spectral studies. On the basis of these studies, a highly distorted, high-spin, five-coordinate structure for Fe(HL)SO4 (HL = 1-iqtsc-H, 4-Me-5-NH2-1-iqtsc-H or 4-m-NH2ph-2-pytsc-H) and a distorted, low-spin, octahedral structure for Fe(HL)Cl2 are suggested. The EPR spectra of iron(III) complexes show that all have dxy low-spin ground state. All these complexes have been screened for their antitumor activity against the P 388 lymphocytic leukemia test system in mice and have been found to possess significant activity at the dosages employed.