Nano-oncology is a branch of biomedical research and engineering that focuses on using nanotechnology in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanomaterials are extensively employed in the field of oncology because of their minute size and ultra-specificity. A wide range of nanocarriers, such as dendrimers, micelles, PEGylated liposomes, and polymeric nanoparticles are used to facilitate the efficient transport of anti-cancer drugs at the target tumor site. Real-time labeling and monitoring of cancer cells using quantum dots is essential for determining the level of therapy needed for treatment. The drug is targeted to the tumor site either by passive or active means. Passive targeting makes use of the tumor microenvironment and enhanced permeability and retention effect, while active targeting involves the use of ligand-coated nanoparticles. Nanotechnology is being used to diagnose the early stage of cancer by detecting cancer-specific biomarkers using tumor imaging. The implication of nanotechnology in cancer therapy employs photoinduced nanosensitizers, reverse multidrug resistance, and enabling efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA molecules for therapeutic applications. However, despite recent advancements in nano-oncology, there is a need to delve deeper into the domain of designing and applying nanoparticles for improved cancer diagnostics.

Fungal endophytes have remarkable potential to produce bioactive compounds with numerous pharmacological significance that are used in various disease management and human welfare. In the current study, a total of eight fungal endophytes were isolated from the leaf tissue of Amoora rohituka, and out of which ethyl acetate (EA) extract of Penicillium oxalicum was found to exhibit potential antioxidant activity against DPPH, nitric oxide, superoxide anion and hydroxyl free radicals with EC₅₀ values of 178.30 ± 1.446, 75.79 ± 0.692, 169.28 ± 0.402 and 126.12 ± 0.636 µg/mL, respectively. The significant antioxidant activity of EA extract of P. oxalicum is validated through highest phenolic and flavonoid content, and the presence of unique bioactive components observed through high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting. Moreover, EA extract of P. oxalicum also displayed substantial anti-proliferative activity with IC₅₀ values of 56.81 ± 0.617, 37.24 ± 1.26 and 260.627 ± 5.415 µg/mL against three cancer cells HuT-78, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, respectively. Furthermore, comparative HPTLC fingerprint analysis and antioxidant activity of P. oxalicum revealed that fungal endophyte P. oxalicum produces bioactive compounds in a host-dependent manner. Therefore, the present study signifies that fungal endophyte P. oxalicum associated with the leaf of A. rohituka could be a potential source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anticancer activity.

Fungal endophytes have emerged as a promising source of secondary metabolites with significant potential for various applications in the field of biomedicine. The biosynthetic gene clusters of endophytic fungi are responsible for encoding several enzymes and transcriptional factors that are involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The investigation of fungal metabolic potential at genetic level faces certain challenges, including the synthesis of appropriate amounts of chemicals, and loss of the ability of fungal endophytes to produce secondary metabolites in an artificial culture medium. Therefore, there is a need to delve deeper into the field of fungal genomics and transcriptomics to explore the potential of fungal endophytes in generating secondary metabolites governed by biosynthetic gene clusters. The silent biosynthetic gene clusters can be activated by modulating the chromatin structure using chemical compounds. Epigenetic modification plays a significant role by inducing cryptic gene responsible for the production of secondary metabolites using DNA methyl transferase and histone deacetylase. CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing emerges an effective tool to enhance the production of desired metabolites by modulating gene expression. This review primarily focuses on the significance of epigenetic elicitors and their capacity to boost the production of secondary metabolites from endophytes. This article holds the potential to rejuvenate the drug discovery pipeline by introducing new chemical compounds.

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are a rich source of bioactive compounds that are immensely important due to their potential use in pharmacological and agricultural applications. Here, we have evaluated the antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) from three different species of Ocimum: O. gratissimum (EO1), O. tenuiflorum (EO2), and O. sanctum (EO3). The EOs were screened for antibacterial activity against pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The essential oils EO1 and EO3 showed significant growth inhibition of the tested bacteria. Likewise, all EOs exhibited antifungal potential against the broad-spectrum plant fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum that causes white-mould disease in plants. Moreover, the antimicrobial potential of the EOs correlates well with their antioxidant activity determined by DPPH free radical scavenging activity. The biochemical analysis of the EOs employing high-performance thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, revealed the presence of distinct phytoconstituents that might be responsible for their differential bioactivity. Furthermore, an in-silico evaluation of the candidate phytoconstituents using molecular docking analysis suggests their potential for antimicrobial applications. Altogether, our results clearly show that EO1 and EO3 possess promising antimicrobial properties, and therefore could be utilized as a potential antimicrobial agent.