Manar T. El-Morsy

Asthma is a chronic, etiologically diverse lung disease that contributes to worldwide morbidity and healthcare burdens. Although bronchodilators and corticosteroids remain the cornerstones of asthma treatment, their long-term use is associated with significant side effects. Furthermore, steroid resistance in severe asthma emphasizes the need for alternative therapeutic approaches. Nanotechnology has emerged as a viable alternative to these standard approaches, allowing for targeted, prolonged, and precise drug delivery. Nanozymes, or synthetic nanomaterials that imitate natural enzyme functions, are gaining popularity among nanomedicine platforms due to their redox-regulating and immunomodulatory properties. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the present landscape of nanozyme-based treatments for asthma, with a focus on carbon-based nanozymes, while discussing MOF-derived and single-atom nanozymes in terms of their physicochemical properties and potential applicability to airway inflammatory diseases. Moreover, we look at current advancements in nanozyme-enabled drug delivery systems, their biocompatibility profiles, and potential strategies for designing nanozyme therapies according to asthma endotypes. These findings establish nanozymes as a transformational and therapeutically promising platform for next-generation asthma treatment.

Brain tumors, particularly glioblastoma, remain among the most lethal cancers, with limited survival benefits from current genetic and molecular-targeted approaches. Emerging evidence reveals that beyond oncogenes and mutations, neuronal plasticity, long-term potentiation, synaptic remodeling, and neurotransmitter-driven signaling play a pivotal role in shaping tumor progression and therapeutic response. This convergence of neuroscience and oncology has given rise to the field of cancer neuroscience, which explores the bidirectional interactions between neurons and malignant cells. In this review, we summarize fundamental principles of neuronal plasticity, contrasting physiological roles with pathological reprogramming in brain tumors. We highlight how tumor cells exploit synaptic input, particularly glutamatergic signaling, to enhance proliferation, invasion, and integration into neural circuits. We further discuss how neuronal-driven feedback loops contribute to therapy resistance, including chemoresistance, radioresistance, and immune evasion, mediated through pathways such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), and calcium influx. The tumor microenvironment, including astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocyte-lineage cells, emerges as an active participant in reinforcing this neuron-tumor ecosystem. Finally, this review explores therapeutic opportunities targeting neuronal plasticity, spanning pharmacological interventions, neuromodulation approaches (transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), optogenetics), and computational/artificial intelligence frameworks that model neuron tumor networks to predict personalized therapy. Also, we propose future directions integrating connect omics, neuroinformatics, and brain organoid models to refine translational strategies.

This review explores the transformative impact of smart nanomaterials on modern dentistry, a field where precision at the molecular level is unlocking innovative solutions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive and prevalent liver cancer with a poor prognosis. Nanotechnology combined with natural products has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance HCC treatment efficacy. This review assesses the current literature on the application of nanotechnology in delivering natural products for HCC therapy. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies published up to the present articles focusing on nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems using natural products for HCC therapy, including different nanoparticle (NP) formulations and therapeutic interventions, were included. Natural products with anticancer properties have been encapsulated using various nanocarriers such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and quantum dots, which have improved drug stability, prolonged circulation time, and enhanced targeted delivery to HCC cells. These advancements have led to increased therapeutic efficacy and reduced side effects. Additionally, combining multiple natural products or integrating them with conventional therapies via nanocarriers enables personalized treatment approaches based on patient characteristics and molecular profiles. The integration of nanotechnology with natural products shows great potential for improving HCC treatment outcomes, representing a significant advancement in precision medicine for liver cancer and paving the way for more effective and personalized therapeutic strategies.

Recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention as versatile materials for drug delivery and personalized medicine.