Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a result of complex pathophysiological processes affecting the heart and blood vessels. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are evolutionarily conserved molecular chaperones that play key roles in maintaining protein homeostasis and cell survival under various stress conditions. Studies have shown the role of HSPs in diseases, including autoimmune disorders, liver, pancreatic, cancer, diabetes, and kidney disorders. Important findings regarding the role of HSPs in cardiovascular diseases include atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, deep vein thrombosis, and peripheral vascular disease. Several proteins related to HSPs have been identified in various molecular mechanisms, including autophagy, apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and fibrosis in cardiac disease. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the molecular biology and classification of HSPs, including extracellular HSPs, small HSPs, and co-chaperone molecules. We explored the roles of HSPs in regulated cell death mechanisms and in modulating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, we demonstrated the pathological and protective roles of specific HSPs by regulating gene expression in response to drugs and cytokines, including geldanamycin and geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), across various cardiovascular conditions, highlighting the potential for HSP-targeted therapies. Promising strategies, including small-molecule inhibitors, inducers, and gene therapies, such as Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) modulation, are discussed in the context of clinical relevance and therapeutic potential. However, despite promising experimental and clinical evidence, the translational application of HSPs remains limited by their context-dependent biological functions, the lack of standardized biomarker assays, heterogeneous clinical findings, and insufficient large-scale prospective validation. This narrative review was not prospectively registered, and received no external funding. It was conducted by searching PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar and Web of Science for relevant published articles. Understanding the multifaceted roles of HSPs offers new insights into cardiovascular disease mechanisms and paves the way for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant bacteria has intensified the need for alternative antimicrobial strategies in the post-antibiotic era. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), as evolutionarily conserved components of innate immunity, have attracted considerable attention due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, rapid mechanisms of action, and lower propensity for resistance development. This review summarizes the structural diversity, mechanisms of action, and structure-activity relationships (SAR) of AMPs that underpin their biological activity and guide the rational design of next-generation peptide therapeutics. It further discusses recent advances in peptide engineering, peptidomimetic design, machine learning-assisted discovery, innovative production platforms, and the application of CRISPR-Cas genome editing for production host optimization. In addition, the review highlights synergistic therapeutic strategies, current clinical progress, and the expanding applications of AMPs in medicine, food preservation, agriculture, and aquaculture. Despite these advances, challenges including limited stability, potential toxicity, manufacturing costs, and regulatory barriers continue to hinder widespread clinical translation of AMP-based therapeutics. By integrating recent experimental and computational advances with current translational challenges and future perspectives, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the field and highlights key directions for the rational development and clinical translation of next-generation antimicrobial peptides to combat antimicrobial resistance.

After publication of this article [1], minor production error is identified, an incorrect link was displayed under Heading 4. This error has now been corrected. The original article can be found online at: https://www.benthamscience.com/article/152908 Details of the errors and the corrections are provided here. Original: When calculating properties related to this function, such as the interaction energy between ligand and receptor in docking, instead of using the entire Cartesian space, the computational effort is substantially reduced since only the grid points are used for these calculations [14]. (https://doi.org/10.1002/jcc.21256). Corrected: When calculating properties related to this function, such as the interaction energy between ligand and receptor in docking, instead of using the entire Cartesian space, the computational effort is substantially reduced since only the grid points are used for these calculations [14].

After publication, the publisher noted that reference 16 was missing from the text of article [1]. This has now been corrected. The original article can be found online at: https://www.benthamscience.com/article/150920 Details of the error and a correction are provided here. Original: These peptides comprise between 40 and 70 percent hydrophobic amino acids and are abundant in positively charged amino acids, such as histidine, arginine, and lysine [15]. Corrected: These peptides comprise between 40 and 70 percent hydrophobic amino acids and are abundant in positively charged amino acids, such as histidine, arginine, and lysine [15,16].

Protein-based drugs have great potential owing to their high specificity, compatibility, and low toxicity, but they are not widely applicable owing to enzymatic degradation, instability, and poor absorption. Nanostructured hybrid scaffolds comprising bioprinting platforms are a revolutionary approach to confronting such challenges. The combination of natural and artificial polymers with inorganic nanomaterials creates hybrid scaffolds that offer safe environments to improve peptide stability and controlled release. Bioprinting platforms increase spatial accuracy to create personalized drug-delivery platforms with a structure modeled on the extracellular matrix to support complex tissue functions. Recent studies have clarified the therapeutic potential of such platforms. For example, self-assembled peptide hydrogels together with three-dimensional printed polycaprolactone scaffolds have greatly improved osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration, reflecting their ability to stabilize peptides and support tissue repair. In similar studies, bioinks containing peptides have been used to create extracellular matrix-mimicry environments to improve cell adhesion and proliferation, reflecting their potential to support scaffold-peptide collaborations to improve drugdelivery functions. Aside from the peptide encapsulation approaches, the introduction of techniques such as electrospinning, microfluidics, and extrusion-based printing widens the window of opportunities for the design of hybrid nanoscaffolds that allow customized release profiles while maintaining peptide integrity. Key aspects include peptide-matrix interaction, scaffold degradation kinetics, and their biocompatibility, besides regulatory and translation challenges. Recent emerging directions like AI-guided scaffold design, bio-orthogonal chemistry, and stimuli-responsive nanomaterials also serve to improve prospects toward clinical applications. This review places hybrid bioprinted nanoscaffolds in the perspective of next-generation tools for peptide therapeutics with promising applications in cancer therapy, immunomodulation, and regenerative medicine.

Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is a crucial protein involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. It is important with respect to neuron health, regulation of α-syn protein synthesis, and its degradation. Numerous cellular pathways implicated in the process of autophagy, chaperone, and proteolysis play a vital role in the maintenance of α-syn protein homeostasis. Autophagy dysfunction defeats α-syn protein accumulation and neuroinflammation, as present in dementia with Lewy bodies and sporadic PD. Oxidative stress is another key factor that intensifies α-syn protein misfolding and aggregation, thereby leading to neurodegeneration. Involvement in the treatment of α-syn related disorders includes passive and active immunization, inhibitors of protein aggregation, gene silencing technology, modulators of synaptic function, and target drug delivery systems. Other α-syn related therapy approaches include the development of a novel herbal formulation focusing on the gut-brain axis and interventions designed to enhance protein quality control. As clinical trials move forward, minimizing challenges related to the target involved, biomarkers, and patient stratification is crucial to decoding these therapies into effective management. These insights not only advance our understanding of α-syn biology but also highlight the urgency of early and multi-targeted therapeutic interventions.

As a distinctive and sustainable raw material for pharmaceutical excipients, microalgae have emerged as a significant source of biopolymer compounds with immense functional and medicinal value. The pharmacoeconomic importance of key biopolymer compounds isolated from microalgae, such as fucoidan, ulvan, laminarin, and paramylon, having mucoadhesive, bioactive, and controlled release properties that meet the standards of advanced drug delivery systems, has been discussed in this review. Due to the compact cultivation requirements of microalgae that fix significant quantities of carbon dioxide from the environment, biopolymer compounds play an important role in the development of ecologically sustainable production practices. Also critically evaluated in this investigation are the advantages and limitations of industrial-scale cultivation practices of microalgae, which include closed bioreactor cultivation and open-pond cultivation procedures, for biopolymer applications. This study also discusses industrial applications that currently hinder the application of biopolymer compounds of microalgae to the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, the ability of such compounds to be applied in formulation science has been underscored by their multifaceted properties, from thickening, gelation, and film-forming to immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. The increased adoption of safer and more ecofriendly alternatives by the pharmaceutical industry to replace synthetic excipients has been facilitated by such compounds' ability to either complement or replace them. In order to incorporate microalgae-derived excipients into future pharmaceutical formulations, research on such compounds has been underscored as needed.

Three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds are essential in tissue engineering, providing optimal conditions for cellular proliferation, tissue repair, and regeneration. In oncology, these structures are crucial for correctly reproducing the in vivo milieu and effectively modelling the tumor microenvironment (TME). Recent advancements indicate that 3D scaffolds are very effective in preserving cell viability, improving connections between tumors and stroma, and properly replicating cellular communication. Developing sophisticated three-dimensional (3D) cell culture methods that accurately emulate the tumor microenvironment (TME) is essential, given the inherent constraints of traditional two-dimensional (2D) cultures and animal models. These advanced 3D in vitro cancer models provide significant advantages for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, improving our understanding of cancer development and therapy. This article examines the latest advancements in three-dimensional tissue scaffolds for cancer therapy. It discusses the potential impact of such shifts on the field and the types of cancer research and treatments that will be feasible in the future.