Traumatic injury to the brain (TBI) results in a complex set of responses involving various symptoms and long-term consequences. TBI of any form can cause cognitive, behavioral and immunologic changes in later life, which underscores the problem of underdiagnosis of mild TBI that can cause long-term neurological deficits. TBI disrupts the blood–brain barrier (BBB) leading to infiltration of immune cells into the brain and subsequent inflammation and neurodegeneration. TBI-induced peripheral immune responses can also result in multiorgan damage. Despite worldwide research efforts, the methods of diagnosis, monitoring and treatment for TBI are still relatively ineffective. In this review, we delve into the mechanism of how TBI-induced central and peripheral immune responses affect the disease outcome and discuss recent developments in the continuing effort to combat the consequences of TBI and new ways to enhance repair of the damaged brain.

Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera, WS), belonging to the family Solanaceae, is an Ayurvedic herb known worldwide for its numerous beneficial health activities since ancient times. This medicinal plant provides benefits against many human illnesses such as epilepsy, depression, arthritis, diabetes, and palliative effects such as analgesic, rejuvenating, regenerating, and growth-promoting effects. Several clinical trials of the different parts of the herb have demonstrated safety in patients suffering from these diseases. In the last two decades, an active component of Withaferin A (WFA) has shown tremendous cytotoxic activity suggesting its potential as an anti-carcinogenic agent in treatment of several cancers. In spite of enormous progress, a thorough elaboration of the proposed mechanism and mode of action is absent. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the properties of WS extracts (WSE) containing complex mixtures of diverse components including WFA, which have shown inhibitory properties against many cancers, (breast, colon, prostate, colon, ovarian, lung, brain), along with their mechanism of actions and pathways involved.

Ocular diseases can deteriorate vision to the point of blindness and thus can have a major impact on the daily life of an individual. Conventional therapies are unable to provide absolute therapy for all ocular diseases due to the several limitations during drug delivery across the blood-retinal barrier, making it a major clinical challenge. With recent developments, the vast number of publications undergird the need for nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems in treating ocular diseases. The tool of nanotechnology provides several essential advantages, including sustained drug release and specific tissue targeting. Additionally, comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested a better uptake of nanoparticles across ocular barriers. Nanoparticles can overcome the blood-retinal barrier and consequently increase ocular penetration and improve the bioavailability of the drug. In this review, we aim to summarize the development of organic and inorganic nanoparticles for ophthalmic applications. We highlight the potential nanoformulations in clinical trials as well as the products that have become a commercial reality.

Combining chemotherapy with gene therapy has been one of the most promising strategies for the treatment of cancer. Noninvasive MRI with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) as a contrast agent is one of the most effective techniques for evaluating antitumor therapy. However, constructing a single system that can deliver efficiently gene, drug and SPIO to the cancer site remains a challenge. Herein, we report a chitosan functionalized magnetic graphene (CMG) nanoparticle platform for simultaneous gene/drug and SPIO delivery to tumor. The phantom and ex vivo MRI suggest CMG as a strong T₂ contrast-enhancing agent. CMGs are biocompatible as evaluated by the WST assay and predominantly accumulate in tumors as shown by biodistribution studies and MRI. The anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) loaded CMGs (DOX–CMGs) release DOX faster at pH 5.1 than at pH 7.4, and are more effective (IC₅₀ = 2 μM) in killing A549 lung cancer cells than free DOX (IC₅₀ = 4 μM). CMGs efficiently deliver plasmid DNA into A549 lung cancer cells and C42b prostate cancer cells. In addition, i.v. administration of plasmid DNA encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) encapsulated within DOX–CMGs into tumor-bearing mice has shown both GFP expression and DOX accumulation at the tumor site at 24 and 48 h after administration. These results indicate that CMGs provide a robust and safe theranostic platform, which integrates targeted delivery of both gene medicine and chemotherapeutic drug(s), and enhanced MR imaging of tumors. The integrated chemo- and gene-therapeutic and diagnostic design of CMG nanoparticles shows promise for simultaneous targeted imaging, drug delivery and real-time monitoring of therapeutic effects for cancer.