Graphical abstract

The dysregulation of Notch signaling is associated with a wide variety of different human cancers. Notch signaling activation mostly relies on the activity of the γ-secretase enzyme that cleaves the Notch receptors and releases the active intracellular domain. It is well-documented that γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) block the Notch activity, mainly by inhibiting the oncogenic activity of this pathway. To date, several GSIs have been introduced clinically for the treatment of various diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and various cancers, and their impacts on Notch inhibition have been found to be promising. Therefore, GSIs are of great interest for cancer therapy. The objective of this review is to provide a systematic review of in vitro and in vivo studies for investigating the effect of GSIs on various cancer stem cells (CSCs), mainly by modulation of the Notch signaling pathway. Various scholarly electronic databases were searched and relevant studies published in the English language were collected up to February 2020. Herein, we conclude that GSIs can be potential candidates for CSC-targeting therapy. The outcome of our study also indicates that GSIs in combination with anticancer drugs have a greater inhibitory effect on CSCs.

Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)‐conditioned medium (CM) offers a potential opportunity in the skin wound healing treatment. In this systematic review, an overview of the knowledge on this topic has been provided. A multistep search of the PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct database has been performed to identify papers on MSCs‐conditional media used in skin wound healing. Eligibility checks were performed based upon predefined selection criteria. Of the 485 articles initially identified, consequently, only 96 articles apparently related to MSC‐conditional media were initially assessed for eligibility. Finally, the 32 articles, strictly regarding the in vitro use of MSCs‐conditional media in skin wounds, were analysed. The information analysed highlights the efficacy of MSCs‐conditional media on skin wound healing in vitro models. The outcome of this review may be used to guide pre‐clinical and clinical studies on the role of MSCs‐conditional media in skin wound healing.