Nanoparticles have been used as promising carriers for targeted and controlled drug delivery by researchers due to their unique physicochemical properties, such as size, surface charge, and especially shape. Among these parameters, the shape of nanoparticles has attracted increasing attention because it significantly affects their interactions with biological barriers, including blood vessels, cell membranes, and extracellular matrix. The aim of this study is to investigate and analyze the effects of nanoparticle shape on drug delivery efficiency and to classify related articles based on clinical and experimental findings. A comprehensive review was conducted on 30 scientific articles, from which 22 studies published between 2010 and 2025 were selected that directly investigated the role of particle shape in drug delivery systems. While spherical nanoparticles have received the most attention, recent evidence suggests that rod-shaped, disc-like, and elongated structures may provide increased circulation time, improved tumor penetration, and more controlled drug release profiles. The findings suggest that precise engineering of nanoparticle morphology, along with size variations, is crucial for optimizing drug delivery performance. Overall, controlling the shape of nanoparticles offers a powerful strategy for improving therapeutic outcomes in the treatment of cancer and other complex diseases.

When released into an appropriate environment, mammalian spermatozoa begin to capacitate and then continue until fully capacitated and able to fertilize. During capacitation in vitro, some cells 'over-capacitate' and undergo spontaneous acrosome reactions; this would be highly undesirable in vivo since already acrosome-reacted spermatozoa are non-fertilizing. Recent studies have revealed that seminal plasma contains several small molecules that bind to specific receptors on the sperm plasma membrane and act as 'first messengers', causing biologically important changes in availability of the 'second messenger' cAMP. Fertilization promoting peptide (FPP), calcitonin and adenosine all regulate cAMP production, stimulating it in uncapacitated spermatozoa and then inhibiting it in capacitated cells; in contrast, angiotensin II stimulates cAMP throughout capacitation. The molecules that regulate cAMP appear to do so via G protein-modulated changes in membrane associated adenylyl cyclases (mACs). Both mouse and human spermatozoa have been shown to have Galphas and Galphai2, as well as several isoforms of mAC, located in the same regions as the specific receptors. Thus spermatozoa possess the required elements for several separate signal transduction pathways, many of which regulate mAC/cAMP and so maintain sperm fertilizing ability. In vivo, such responses could increase the chances of successful fertilization.