Anti-aging Strategies and Topical Delivery of Biopolymer-based Nanocarriers for Skin Cancer Treatment

Environmental factors like UV radiation and epigenetic changes are significant factors for skin cancer that trigger early aging. This review provides essential information on cancer development concerning aging, the receptors involved, and the therapeutic targets. Biopolymers like polysaccharide, polyphenols, proteins, and nucleic acid plays a vital role in the regulation of normal cell homeostasis. Therefore, it is pertinent to explore the role of biopolymers as antiaging formulations and the possibility of these formulations being used against cancer via topical administrations. As UV radiation is one of the predominant factors in causing skin cancer, the association of receptors between aging and cancer indicated that insulin receptor, melatonin receptor, toll-like receptor, SIRT 1 receptor, tumor-specific T cell receptor and mitochondria-based targeting could be used to direct therapeutics for suppression of cancer and prevent aging. Biopolymer-based nanoformulations have tremendously progressed by entrapment of drugs like curcumin and resveratrol which can prevent cancer and aging simultaneously. Certain protein signaling or calcium and ROS signaling pathways are different for cancer and aging. The involvement of mitochondrial DNA mutation along with telomere shortening with a change in cellular energetics leading to genomic instability in the aging process can also induce mitochondrial dysfunction and epigenetic alterations leading to skin cancer. Therefore, the use of biopolymers as a topical supplement during the aging process can result in the prevention of cancer.