Seven membered heterocyclic Azepine and its derivatives have great pharmacological and therapeutic implications. In this review, the literature of the last fifty years has been exploited for the synthesis, reaction, and biological properties of these seven-member heterocyclic compounds. Most of the mechanisms involved the ring expansion of either five or six-membered compounds using various methods such as thermally, photo-chemically, and microwave irradiation. The systematically designed schemes involve the synthesis of different derivatives of azepine, azepinone, azepane, etc. using similar moieties by the different researchers. However, there is much work yet to be done in the biological section, as it is not explored and reported in the literature; therefore, N-containing seven-membered heterocycles still have much scope for the researchers.

Shikonin and its derivatives, isolated from traditional medicinal plant species of the genus Lithospermum, Alkanna, Arnebia, Anchusa, Onosma, and Echium belonging to the Boraginaceae family, have numerous applications in foods, cosmetics, and textiles. Shikonin, a potent bioactive red pigment, has been used in traditional medicinal systems to cure various ailments and is well known for its diverse pharmacological potential such as anticancer, antithrombotic, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-gonadotropic, antioxidants, antimicrobial and insecticidal. Herein, updated research on the natural sources, pharmacology, toxicity studies, and various patents filed worldwide related to shikonin and approaches to shikonin’s biogenic and chemical synthesis are reviewed. Furthermore, recent studies to establish reliable production systems to meet market demand, functional identification, and future clinical development of shikonin and its derivatives against various diseases are presented.

In the last decade, the whole scientific community has witnessed great advances and progression in the various fields of nanoscience. Among the different nanomaterials, zirconia nanomaterials have found numerous applications...

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Background: Recently, the application of cancer nanotechnology-based drug delivery to cancer cells has arisen as an important method to resolve multiple molecular, biophysical and biochemical obstacles, which the body is preparing to resist against the productive implementation of chemotherapeutic medications. Drug delivery technologies focused on nanoparticles which have resolved some of the drawbacks of conventional chemotherapy as, decreased drug viscosity, chemo-resistance, precise malignity, limited medicative measures with low oral bioactivity. Due to their adjustable size and surface properties, the half-life period of a drug can be increased in the bloodstream. Objective: The aim of the current study is collecting and documenting the data available on the drug delivery system for anticancer drugs. The present study includes some of the drug carriers like liposomes, carbon dots, micelles, carbon nanotubes, magnetic nanoparticles, etc. Methods: To write this review, an exhaustive literature survey was carried out using, relevant work published in various SCI, Scopus, and non-SCI indexed journals. The different search engines used to download the research/review papers are Google search, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scientific Information Database and Research Gate, etc. Results: Nanotechnology offers better pharmacokinetics, reduces the systematic toxicities related to the chemotherapies and a better route of drug administration. In the analysis, we critically highlight recent studies on carcinoma-fighting nanotechnology. Conclusion: In the present study, the different kinds of nano-based drug delivery systems have been discussed along with their characteristic features, the encapsulation of anticancer agents into different types of nanometre-sized vehicles and their general mechanism.