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The simultaneous delivery of oligonucleotides and small molecules has garnered significant interest in cancer therapy. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment is hindered by limited efficacy and significant side effects. Homo sapiens microRNA-34a (hsa-miR-34a) has tumor suppressor properties and like small molecule 3-methyl adenine (3MA) can inhibit autophagy. Besides, 3MA has been shown to enhance anticancer effects in combination therapies. In the present study, a novel modified-cellulose-dialdehyde (MDAC) nanocarrier responsive to lysosomal pH was designed to co-load hsa-miR-34a polyplexes and 3MA and evaluate its antitumor efficacy against HCC. Polyplexes containing hsa-miR-34a and poly L lysine (PLL) with an optimal N/P ratio exhibited a zeta potential of +9.28. These polycations significantly modulated the surface charge of 3MA MDAC for optimal cell-membrane transport and dramatically increased their stability. The PLL-miR34a/3MA MDAC NPs had loading efficiency of around 99.7 % for miR-34a and 35 % for 3MA. Comply with pH dependency, PLL-miR34a polyplex/3MA MDAC NPs worked very efficiently on the inhibiting the expression of autophagy genes (p < 0.05), preventing the formation of autophagosomal vacuoles, reducing rate of cell survival, anti-migratory effects (>100 %), and triggering apoptosis (67.15 %) in HepG2. Our cellulose-based nanocarrier may demonstrate potential for enhancing therapeutic efficacy of combination therapies headed for future clinical translation in HCC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This review highlights the role of miRNAs in various diseases affecting major organ systems. miRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules that regulate numerous genes. Dysregulation of miRNAs is linked to many pathological conditions due to their involvement in gene silencing and cellular pathways. We discuss miRNA expression patterns, their physiological and pathological roles, and how changes in miRNA levels contribute to disease. Notably, miRNAs like miR-499 and miR-21 are implicated in heart failure and atherosclerosis. miRNA dysregulation is also associated with colorectal and gastric cancers, influencing tumorigenesis and chemoresistance. In neurological diseases, miRNAs exhibit diverse profiles that affect neurodevelopment and degeneration. Additionally, miRNAs modulate cell function in reproductive organs, impacting fertility and cancer progression. miRNAs such as miR-192 and miR-204 serve as biomarkers for nephropathy and acute kidney injury. These miRNAs are involved in skeletal muscle diseases, contributing to conditions like osteoporosis and sarcopenia. miRNAs function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in cancer, highlighting their potential in diagnostics and therapy. Further research is needed to develop miRNA-based diagnostics and treatments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Thrombin, a key factor in the coagulation cascade, is a valuable biomarker of great importance for the prognosis, diagnosis, and monitoring of various diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Due to the increasing attention to the development of point-of-care testing (POCT) options, various types of biosensors have been invented to enhance the accuracy and speed of detection of important biomarkers such as thrombin. Implementation of aptamers in biosensors (aptasensors) improves the target recognition capacity due to the high-affinity binding nature of aptamers. Herein, this review presents recent studies of aptasensors for thrombin detection based on different detection mechanisms encompassing optical biosensors, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), electrochemical detection, piezoelectric detection, and lateral flow assay., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been identified as a significant cause of mortality worldwide. In recent years, extensive research has been conducted to understand the underlying mechanisms of autophagy in the pathogenesis of the disease, with the aim of developing novel therapeutic agents. Targeting autophagy with conventional therapies in invasive HCC has opened up new opportunities for treatment. However, the emergence of resistance and the immunosuppressive tumor environment highlight the need for combination therapy or specific targeting, as well as an efficient drug delivery system to ensure targeted tumor areas receive sufficient doses without affecting normal cells or tissues. In this review, we discuss the findings of several studies that have explored autophagy as a potential therapeutic approach in HCC. We also outline the potential and limitations of standard therapies for autophagy modulation in HCC treatment. Additionally, we discuss how different combination therapies, nano-targeted strategies, and oncolytic virotherapy could enhance autophagy-based HCC treatment in future research., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a significant global health challenge, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as pivotal regulators of HCC pathogenesis, influencing key processes such as self-renewal, angiogenesis, glycolysis, autophagy, and metastasis. This article integrates findings from a comprehensive literature review and bioinformatics analysis to elucidate the role of miRNAs in HCC. We discuss how dysregulation of miRNAs can drive HCC initiation, progression, and metastasis by modulating various signaling pathways and target genes. Moreover, leveraging high-throughput technology and bioinformatics tools, we identify key miRNAs involved in multiple cancer hallmarks, offering insights into potential combinatorial therapeutic strategies. Through our analysis considering p-values and signaling pathways associated with key features, we unveil miRNAs with simultaneous roles across critical cancer characteristics, providing a basis for the development of high-performance biomarkers. The microRNAs, miR-34a-5p, miR-373-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-214-5p, miR-195-5p, miR-139-5p were identified to be shared microRNAs in stemness, angiogenesis, glycolysis, autophagy, EMT, and metastasis of HCC. However, challenges such as miRNA stability and delivery hinder the translation of miRNA-based therapeutics into clinical practice. This review underscores the importance of further research to overcome existing barriers and realize the full potential of miRNA-based interventions for HCC management., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Liver cancer is one of the deadliest types worldwide and early diagnosis is highly important for successful treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop rapid, sensitive, simple, and inexpensive analytical tools for its detection. MicroRNAs (miRNA) represent unique biomarkers whose expression in biofluids is strongly associated with cancer in general and miR-21, -31, -122, -145, -146a, -200c, -221, -222, and -223 in liver cancer, specifically. Various biosensors for miRNA detection have been developed. These include electrochemical biosensors based on amperometric, potentiometric, conductometric and impedimetric technology. Furthermore, the use of advanced nanomaterials with enhanced chemical stability, conductivity and electrocatalytic activity have greatly increased the sensitivity and specificity of these devices. The present review focuses on recent advances in electrochemical biosensors for miRNA detection in liver cancer., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Lung cancer has been one of the leading causes of death over the past century. Unfortunately, the reliance on conventional methods to diagnose the phenotypic properties of tumors hinders early-stage cancer diagnosis. However, recent advancements in identifying disease-specific nucleotide biomarkers, particularly microRNAs, have brought us closer to early-stage detection. The roles of miR-155, miR-197, and miR-182 have been established in stage I lung cancer. Recent progress in synthesizing nanomaterials with higher conductivity has enhanced the diagnostic sensitivity of electrochemical biosensors, which can detect low concentrations of targeted biomarkers. Therefore, this review article focuses on exploring electrochemical biosensors based on microRNA in lung cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRs) are sensitive molecular diagnostic tools that can serve as highly accurate biomarkers in many disease states in general and cancer specifically. MiR-based electrochemical biosensors can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, making them suitable for clinical use and mass production for point-of-care use. This paper reviews nanomaterial-enhanced miR-based electrochemical biosensors in pancreatic cancer detection, analyzing both labeled and label-free approaches, as well as enzyme-based and enzyme-free methods., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)