Current Drug Targets - Volume 14, Issue 3, 2013

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Rapid advances in the treatment of acute MI have significantly improved short-term outcomes in patients, due in large part to successes in preventing myocardial cell death and limiting infarct area during the time of ischemia and subsequent reperfusion. Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) play key roles in post-MI cardiac remodeling a Read More

Varicose veins (VVs) are a common venous disease of the lower extremity characterized by incompetent valves, venous reflux, and dilated and tortuous veins. If untreated, VVs could lead to venous thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and chronic venous leg ulcers. Various genetic, hormonal and environmental factors may lead to structural changes in the vein valves and make them incompetent, leading to venous reflux, increase Read More

Preeclampsia is an important syndrome complicating pregnancy. While the pathogenesis of preeclampsia is not entirely known, poor placental perfusion leading to widespread maternal endothelial dysfunction is accepted as a major mechanism. It has been suggested that altered placental expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may cause shallow cytotrophoblastic invasion and incomplete remodeling of the spiral Read More

A group of proteases, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are well known for their capacity to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Particularly MMP-2 and MMP-9 contribute to the degradation and reorganization of the ECM components and are involved in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular remodeling. Imbalanced MMP activity promotes vascular smooth muscle cells and migration and proliferation and endot Read More

Acute pulmonary embolism is a critical condition associated with increased mortality. Lung embolization causes acute pulmonary hypertension and right ventricle afterload. Global heart ischemia supervenes and may lead to severe shock and death. In this article, we reviewed current literature supporting the idea that abnormal matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity contributes to acute pulmonary embolism-induced hemodyn Read More

Clonazepam was initially licensed as an anti-epileptic agent, but its use in a wide variety of psychiatric conditions, including panic disorder (PD) has now been well established. This overview evaluates the current role of clonazepam alone or in combination with antidepressants and/or behavioral therapy in the treatment of PD. We review the data establishing the use of clonazepam in the treatment of PD as well as new informatio Read More

Kisspeptin is a 54-amino acid peptide which is encoded by the KiSS-1 gene and activates the G protein-coupled receptor GPR54. Evidence suggests that this system is a key regulator of mammalian and human reproduction. Animal studies have shown that GPR54-deficient mice have abnormal sexual development. Central and peripheral administration of kisspeptin stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis whilst Read More

Cardiac diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Heart functions are regulated by autonomic nervous systems through their transmitters and modulators, binding to cell surface receptors. Among them, the cardiac M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M3-mAChR) has been studied for more than 2 decades since its first discovery in mammalian heart in 1990s. The location and pathophysiol Read More

Tacrine was the first drug approved by FDA for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, its use was restricted in function of side effects observed in some patients. Investigations on the structural basis by which tacrine inhibits cholinesterases activity brought new perspectives for the design of more potent analogs with fewer side effects. This review discusses the recent advances on the development of tacrine-structu Read More