Cancer is a major stress for public well‐being and is the most dreadful disease. The models used in the discovery of cancer treatment are continuously changing and extending toward advanced preclinical studies. Cancer models are either naturally existing or artificially prepared experimental systems that show similar features with human tumors though the heterogeneous nature of the tumor is very familiar. The choice of the most fitting model to best reflect the given tumor system is one of the real difficulties for cancer examination. Therefore, vast studies have been conducted on the cancer models for developing a better understanding of cancer invasion, progression, and early detection. These models give an insight into cancer etiology, molecular basis, host tumor interaction, the role of microenvironment, and tumor heterogeneity in tumor metastasis. These models are also used to predict novel cancer markers, targeted therapies, and are extremely helpful in drug development. In this review, the potential of cancer models to be used as a platform for drug screening and therapeutic discoveries are highlighted. Although none of the cancer models is regarded as ideal because each is associated with essential caveats that restraint its application yet by bridging the gap between preliminary cancer research and translational medicine. However, they promise a brighter future for cancer treatment.

The over-growth and coagulation of nanoparticles is prevented using capping agents by the production of stearic effect that plays a pivotal role in stabilizing the interface. This strategy of coating the nanoparticles’ surface with capping agents is an emerging trend in assembling multipurpose nanoparticles that is beneficial for improving their physicochemical and biological behavior. The enhancement of reactivity and negligible toxicity is the outcome. In this review article, an attempt has been made to introduce the significance of different capping agents in the preparation of nanoparticles. Most importantly, we have highlighted the recent progress, existing roadblocks, and upcoming opportunities of using surface modified nanoparticles in nanomedicine from the drug and gene delivery, bioimaging, and biosensing perspectives.

The photoinduced synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was carried out to unveil the effects of change in wavelength of photons. ZnO NPs were synthesized by the coprecipitation technique exposed to different light regimes [dark environment, daylight, and blue-, green-, yellow-, and red-colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs)] at room temperature. X-ray diffractogram (XRD) revealed the wurtzite structure of ZnO NPs. A small change in the size of ZnO NPs (17.11–22.56 nm) was observed with the variation in wavelength of lights from 350 to 700 nm. Spherical to hexagonal disks and rodlike surface morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The elemental composition and surface chemistry of NPs were studied by energy-dispersive X-ray diffractive (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Maximum free radical quenching activity, cation radical scavenging, and total antioxidant capacity were found in ZnO NPs synthesized under green light (28.78 ± 0.18, 30.05 ± 0.21%, and 36.55 ± 2.63 μg AAE/mg, respectively). Daylight-synthesized NPs (DL-ZNPs) showed the greatest total reducing potential (15.81 ± 0.33 μg AAE/mg) and metal-chelating activity (37.77 ± 0.31%). Photoinduced ZnO NPs showed significant enzyme inhibitory effects on amylase, lipase, and urease by red-light NPs (87.49 ± 0.19%), green-light NPs (91.44 ± 0.29%), and blue-light NPs (92.17 ± 0.34%), respectively. Photoinduced ZnO NPs have been employed as nanozymes and found to exhibit intrinsic peroxidase-like activity as well. Blue-light-synthesized ZnO NPs displayed the strongest antibacterial activity (23 mm) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This study can be considered as a novel step toward the synthetic approach using LEDs to synthesize ZnO NPs with specific physicochemical properties and extends a great prospect in the environmental chemistry, food safety, and biomedical fields as nanozyme, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-α-amylase, antiurease, and antilipase agents.

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