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Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies with high mortality. Gemcitabine (GEM)‐based chemotherapy is the most important treatment. However, the development of GEM resistance leads to chemotherapy failure. Previous studies demonstrated the anticancer activity of ginsenoside Rg3 in a variety of carcinomas through modulating multiple signaling pathways. In the present study, 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry apoptosis assay, Western blotting assay, xenograft experiment, and immunohistochemistry assay were performed in GEM‐resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines. Ginsenoside Rg3 inhibited the viability of GEM‐resistant pancreatic cancer cells in a time‐dependent and concentration‐dependent manner through induction of apoptosis. The level of long noncoding RNA cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) and PTEN expression was upregulated by the ginsenoside Rg3 treatment, and CASC2/PTEN signaling was involved in the ginsenoside Rg3‐induced cell growth suppression and apoptosis in GEM‐resistant pancreatic cancer cells. Ginsenoside Rg3 could be an effective anticancer agent for chemoresistant pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental problems caused by the development of nanotechnology have threatened human health. Investigating the biomedical effects of nanomaterials can help to solve these environmental safety issues. In studies on the biomedical effects of nanomaterials, several types of novel nanoscale probes that allow reliable, sensitive, accurate and rapid biomedical detection have emerged. We summarize recent developments in three categories of these nanoprobes, including noble metal nanocluster probes, carbon-based nanostructured probes, and unnatural amino acid-based probes. Besides reviewing the utility of different nanoprobes in cell imaging and protein detection, we also discuss the molecular mechanism of nanoprobe detection. Perspectives of novel nanoprobe design based on molecular details of biomedical detection are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]