The increase in cancer cases is undoubtedly affecting the development of new therapeutic approaches. Polymeric nanoparticles are of great interest. Due to their relatively small size, the possibility of incorporating into them medicinal substances and the ease with which their physicochemical properties may be manipulated, they are being used as anticancer drug delivery systems. The aim of this review is to focus on the use of nanoscale polymeric particles in the treatment of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and glioblastoma multiforme, and to consider their potential use in cancer gene therapy. According to several reports, the use of polymer nanoparticles as drug carriers is promising in solid tumors. With their application, it is possible to precisely deliver medicinal substances to the tumor structure, to overcome the blood–brain barrier in the case of brain tumors, to reduce the side effects of anticancer agents on normal cells and to achieve a therapeutic effect with a lower drug dose. Additionally, a number of reports indicate that they can also be used in combination with other methods of cancer treatment, mainly radiotherapy.

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a specialized structure essential for proper vision, which is constantly exposed to oxidative damage. With aging, this damage accumulates within the RPE cells, causing various diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Numerous antioxidant substances are used to prevent this process in humans, including lutein. This study aims to determine the differences in the expression patterns of pyroptosis genes in senescent human retinal pigment epithelial cell line ARPE-19 exposed to lutein. Changes in the expression of pyroptosis-related genes were assessed by oligonucleotide microarrays, and the results were validated by real-time RT-qPCR. The microarray analysis showed seven transcripts were differentially expressed both in the H2O2-treated cells versus the controls and in the lutein/H2O2-treated cells compared to the H2O2-treated cells (FC > 2.0). Depending on the used lutein, H2O2, or co-treatment of ARPE-19 cells, statistically significant differences in the expression of TXNIP, CXCL8, BAX, and CASP1 genes were confirmed by the RT-qPCR (p < 0.05). A STRING database analysis showed that the proteins encoded by the analyzed genes form a strong interaction network (p < 0.001). These data indicate that lutein modulates the expression level of pyroptosis-related genes, which may be useful for the development of new methods preventing pyroptosis pathway activation in the future.

Genes associated with the TGFβ isoforms are involved in a number of different cancers, and their effect on the progression of brain tumors is also being discussed. Using an oligonucleotide microarray method, we assessed differences in expression patterns of genes in astrocytic brain tumor sections from 43 patients at different stages of disease. Quantitative mRNA assessment of the three TGFβ isoforms was also performed by real-time RT-qPCR. Oligonucleotide microarray data were analyzed using the PL-Grid Infrastructure. The microarray analysis showed a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in TGFβ1 and TGFβ2 expression in G3/G4 stage relative to G2, whereas real-time RT-qPCR validation confirmed this change only for the TGFβ2 isoform (p < 0.05). The oligonucleotide microarray method allowed the identification of 16 differential genes associated with TGFβ isoforms. Analysis of the STRING database showed that the proteins encoded by the analyzed genes form a strong interaction network (p < 0.001), and a significant number of proteins are involved in carcinogenesis. Differences in expression patterns of transcripts associated with TGFβ isoforms confirm that they play a role in astrocytic brain tumor transformation. Quantitative assessment of TGFβ2 mRNA may be a valuable method to complement the diagnostic process in the future.

Chemoprevention is one of the ways to fight colorectal cancer, which is a huge challenge in oncology. Numerous pieces of evidence indicate that chronic inflammation in the course of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (UC) is a significant cancer risk factor. Epidemiologic studies suggest that long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including mesalazine, has beneficial effects on colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Mesalazine is a first-line therapy for UC and is also widely used for maintaining remission in UC. Data showed that mesalazine has antiproliferative properties associated with cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition but can also act through COX-independent pathways. This review summarizes knowledge about mesalazine’s molecular mechanisms of action and chemopreventive effect by which it could interfere with colorectal cancer cell proliferation and survival.