Starch has emerged as a new attractive biopolymer for use in pharmaceutical applications, owing to its distinctive physical, chemical and functional properties. This biopolymer has several potential advantages: it is biocompatible, low cost, non-toxic and easily isolated from plant sources. In the pharmaceutical field, starch is used as a raw material for developing various drug delivery platforms. Generally, cassava starch (tapioca) is obtained from the swollen roots of the perennial shrub Manihot esculenta and it contains a low amount of amylose in contrast to other varieties of starches. Because of this reason, cassava starch exhibits various prime benefits, including a low gelatinization temperature, higher swelling power and a relatively high viscosity paste, making it a preferable excipient for pharmaceutical applications. However, cassava starches in their native form are not effective for many applications because of their inefficiency in handling various processing requirements like high temperature and diverse pH. Their applicability can be enhanced by starch modification. These functional starches have demonstrated outstanding prospects as primary excipients in many pharmaceutical formulations. In this article, we discuss the potential application of cassava starches in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields, along with the toxicity assessment of modified cassava starches.

Objective: To manage the increasing burden of skin cancer cases globally and to replace conventional invasive treatments and their side effects, the present study is aimed to develop a transfersomal herbal gel of Green Tea Catechins (GTC) extracted from indigenous green tea and evaluate it for in vivo management of skin cancer in an experimental animal model. Methods: GTC-loaded transfersomes (GTCTF) were prepared by the thin-film hydration method. After optimizing the GTCTFs using the Box-Behnken design, they were characterized for zeta potential, structure, in vitro drug release, and in vitro skin permeation. Carbopol 940 gel was developed for the topical delivery of GTCTF and characterized for pH, viscosity, spreadability and in vitro skin permeation. In vitro MTT assay and in vivo chemopreventive and anticancer efficacy of the GTCTF gel were evaluated in mice. Results: The GTCTF has shown a particle size of 151.4±1.9 nm, entrapment efficiency of 68.25±0.06 %, and drug loading of 10.41±0.02 %. The in vitro MTT assay in B16F10 melanoma cell lines showed promising anticancer efficacy of the GTCTF. GTCTF gel was found suitable for topical delivery with favorable pH, viscosity, spreadability, and permeability and effective in preventing and curing skin cancer in mice, with a significant reduction of tissue biochemical parameters like TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Conclusion: Collectively, successful prevention and curing of the induced skin cancer in the experimental animal model by the GTCTF gel have established a novel herbal nanomedicine approach for the management of skin cancer.

The Extracellular Matrix (ECM) is an active component of the tumour microenvironment, which promotes tumour progression, metastasis, immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance. As a result of the pathological remodelling of the ECM in malignancy, the tissue has a novel tumour-specific signature, marked by altered composition, stiffness, and architecture that distinguishes it from normal tissue, where the ECM serves as a key, exploitable biomarker for cancer detection and intervention. Even though the importance of the ECM in the pathophysiology of cancer is well-established, the structural complexity of this biomarker has not been fully exploited in therapy. The recent advances in nanobiotechnology have provided unparalleled prospects of ECM-targeted oncologic interventions. This review critically evaluates pathological ECM remodelling in malignancy and its role in driving tumorigenesis. It examines state-of-the-art nanoimaging modalities for ECM biomarker detection, including quantum dots, gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene-based biosensors. Furthermore, it details innovative therapeutic strategies such as ECM-specific drug delivery systems, enzyme-responsive nanocarriers, and nano-inhibitors targeting matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and lysyl oxidases (LOX). We also discuss nanotechnological approaches to modulate the ECM for enhancing immune cell infiltration and highlight the synergistic potential of combining ECM-targeted nanotherapeutics with immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Ultimately, this review highlights how integrating nanobiotechnology with matrix biology can revolutionize cancer diagnostics, theranostics, and therapy. By enabling highly specific delivery to the tumour stroma and tackling salient challenges of ECM heterogeneity, biosafety, and clinical translation, this paradigm shift from tumor-centric to matrix-centric interventions holds promise for the future of precision oncology.