Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a significant factor contributing to serious vision loss in adults above 50. The presence of posterior segment barriers serves as chief roadblocks in the delivery of drugs to treat AMD. The conventional treatment strategies use is limited due to its off-targeted distribution in the eye, shorter drug residence, poor penetration and bioavailability, fatal side effects, etc. The above-mentioned downside necessitates drug delivery using some cutting-edge technology including diverse nanoparticulate systems and microneedles (MNs) which provide the best therapeutic delivery alternative to treat AMD efficiently. Furthermore, cutting-edge treatment modalities including gene therapy and stem cell therapy can control AMD effectively by reducing the boundaries of conventional therapies with a single dose. This review discusses AMD overview, conventional therapies for AMD and their restrictions, repurposed therapeutics and their anti-AMD activity through different mechanisms, and diverse barriers in drug delivery for AMD. Various nanoparticulate-based approaches including polymeric NPs, lipidic NPs, exosomes, active targeted NPs, stimuli-sensitive NPs, cell membrane-coated NPs, inorganic NPs, and MNs are explained. Gene therapy, stem cell therapy, and therapies in clinical trials to treat AMD are also discussed. Further, bottlenecks of cutting-edge (nanoparticulate) technology-based drug delivery are briefed. In a nutshell, cutting-edge technology-based therapies can be an effective way to treat AMD.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the chief causes of infertility in women of reproductive age. Several drugs belonging to the oral contraceptive class have been approved for the treatment of PCOS. Nonetheless, the capability to target only a few symptoms of PCOS and fatal side effects are key hurdles to their use. Therefore, repurposing existing drugs can be promising in managing PCOS efficiently. Drugs from different pharmacological classes like antidiabetics (metformin, rosiglitazone, pioglitazone, and semaglutide), statins (simvastatin and atorvastatin), antiandrogen drugs (finasteride and flutamide), etc. demonstrated significant potential in managing PCOS. The present review offers a comprehensive overview of all the medications examined as potential repurposed options for the efficient treatment of PCOS. The pathogenesis of PCOS, existing therapies for PCOS and their challenges, drug repurposing and its significance is also explained. The small-molecular drugs from various pharmacological classes and different phytoceuticals repurposed against PCOS are discussed along with their anti-PCOS activity mechanisms. Moreover, novel drug targets responsible for PCOS and opportunities for drug repurposing are briefed. The repurposed drugs in clinical trials for PCOS and drug repurposing challenges are discussed. Thus, drug repurposing can serve as a potential way to effectively treat PCOS, reducing the extent of infertility and improving the quality of life of women.
Skin cancer remains one of the most prominent types of cancer. Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer are commonly found together, with melanoma being the more deadly type. Skin cancer can be effectively treated with chemotherapy, which mostly uses small molecular medicines, phytoceuticals, and biomacromolecules. Topical delivery of these therapeutics is a non-invasive way that might be useful in effectively managing skin cancer. Different skin barriers, however, presented a major obstacle to topical cargo administration. Transferosomes have demonstrated significant potential in topical delivery by improving cargo penetration through the circumvention of diverse skin barriers. Additionally, the transferosome-based gel can prolong the residence of drug on the skin, lowering the frequency of doses and their associated side effects. However, the choice of appropriate transferosome compositions, such as phospholipids and edge activators, and fabrication technique are crucial for achieving improved entrapment efficiency, penetration, and regulated particle size. The present review discusses skin cancer overview, current treatment strategies for skin cancer and their drawbacks. Topical drug delivery against skin cancer is also covered, along with the difficulties associated with it and the importance of transferosomes in avoiding these difficulties. Additionally, a summary of transferosome compositions and fabrication methods is provided. Furthermore, topical delivery of small molecular drugs, phytoceuticals, and biomacromolecules using transferosomes and transferosomes-based gel in treating skin cancer is discussed. Thus, transferosomes can be a significant option in the topical delivery of drugs to manage skin cancer efficiently.