The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is an important bridge in the switch from extracellular signals to intracellular responses. Alterations of signaling cascades are found in various diseases, including cancer, as a result of genetic and epigenetic changes. Numerous studies focused on both the homeostatic and the pathologic conduct of MAPK signaling; however, there is still much to be deciphered in terms of regulation and action models in both preclinical and clinical research. MAPK has implications in the response to cancer therapy, particularly the activation of the compensatory pathways in response to experimental MAPK inhibition. The present paper discusses new insights into MAPK as a complex cell signaling pathway with roles in the sustenance of cellular normal conduit, response to cancer therapy, and activation of compensatory pathways. Unfortunately, most MAPK inhibitors trigger resistance due to the activation of compensatory feed-back loops in tumor cells and tumor microenvironment components. Therefore, novel combinatorial therapies have to be implemented for cancer management in order to restrict the possibility of alternative pathway activation, as a perspective for developing novel therapies based on integration in translational studies.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Therefore, for the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of lung cancer, efficient preventive strategies and new therapeutic strategies are needed to face these challenges. Natural bioactive compounds and particular flavonoids compounds have been proven to have an important role in lung cancer prevention and of particular interest is the dose used for these studies, to underline the molecular effects and mechanisms at a physiological concentration. The purpose of this review was to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding relevant molecular mechanisms involved in the pharmacological effects, with a special focus on the anti-cancer role, by regulating the coding and non-coding genes. Furthermore, this review focused on the most commonly altered and most clinically relevant oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and microRNAs in lung cancer. Particular attention was given to the biological effect in tandem with conventional therapy, emphasizing the role in the regulation of drug resistance related mechanisms.

The circular economy action plan involves principles related to food waste reduction and integration of recovered nutrients to the market. In this context, the present study aims to highlight the valuable bioactive components found in tomato processing by-products (carotenoids, phenolic compounds and fatty acids) influenced by industrial pre-treatments, particularly cold break (CB) process at 65–75 °C and hot break (HB) process at 85–95 °C. The fatty acid profile of the tomato seed oil was examined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), individual carotenoid and phenolic compositions were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the viscoelastic properties were evaluated by rheological measurements. The physicochemical properties revealed appropriate characteristics of the tomato seed oil to fit the standards of generally accepted edible oils, for both CB and HB derived samples, however, significant qualitative and quantitative differences were detected in their phenolic composition and carotenoids content. Lycopene (37.43 ± 1.01 mg/100 mL) was a major carotenoid in the examined samples, linoleic acid was the main fatty acid (61.73%) detected in the tomato seed oil and syringic acid appeared to be one of two major phenolic acids detected in the samples of CB process. Our findings extend the boundaries of tomato processing industry by validating that tomato seed oil is a bioactive rich edible oil with additional health benefits, which can be integrated in functional food products.

The accumulation of high amounts of petro-based plastics is a growing environmental devastation issue, leading to the urgent need to innovate eco-safe packaging materials at an equivalent cost to save the environment. Among different substitutes, starch-based types and their blends with biopolymers are considered an innovative and smart material alternative for petrol-based polymers because of their abundance, low cost, biodegradability, high biocompatibility, and better-quality film-forming and improved mechanical characteristics. Furthermore, starch is a valuable, sustainable food packaging material. The rising and growing importance of designing starch-based films from various sources for sustainable food packaging purposes is ongoing research. Research on “starch food packaging” is still at the beginning, based on the few studies published in the last decade in Web of Science. Additionally, the functionality of starch-based biodegradable substances is technically a challenge. It can be improved by starch modification, blending starch with other biopolymers or additives, and using novel preparation techniques. Starch-based films have been applied to packaging various foods, such as fruits and vegetables, bakery goods, and meat, indicating good prospects for commercial utilization. The current review will give a critical snapshot of starch-based films’ properties and potential applicability in the sustainable smart (active and intelligent) new packaging concepts and discuss new challenges and opportunities for starch bio composites.