Current Drug Targets - Volume 20, Issue 6, 2019

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging problem in the world that has a significant impact on our society. AMR made conventional drugs futile against microorganisms and diseases untreatable. Plant-derived medicines are considered to be safe alternatives as compared to synthetic drugs. Active ingredients and the mixtures of these natural medicines have been used for centuries, due to their easy availability, low co Read More

AhR is an environmental response gene that mediates cellular responses to a variety of xenobiotic compounds that frequently function as AhR ligands. Many AhR ligands are classified as carcinogens or pro-carcinogens. Thus, AhR itself acts as a major mediator of the carcinogenic effect of many xenobiotics in vivo. In this concise review, mechanisms by which AhR trans-activates downstream target gene expression, modula Read More

One of the greatest challenges of cancer therapeutics nowadays is to find selective targets successfully. Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) is a selective tumor suppressor protein with an interesting therapeutic potential due to its specificity on inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. Par-4 activity and levels can be downregulated in several tumors and cancer cell types, indicating poor prognosis and treatment resistance. Efforts to Read More

The formation of biofilm by pathogenic bacteria is considered as one of the most powerful mechanisms/modes of resistance against the action of several antibiotics. Biofilm is formed as a structural adherent over the surfaces of host, food and equipments etc. and is further functionally coordinated by certain chemicals produced itself. These chemicals are known as quorum sensing (QS) signaling molecules and are invol Read More

Hypoxia, which occurs in most cancer cases, disrupts the efficacy of anticarcinogens. Fortunately, hypoxia itself is a potential target for cancer treatment. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs) can be selectively activated by reductase under hypoxia. Some promising HAPs have been already achieved, and many clinical trials of HAPs in different types of cancer are ongoing. However, none of them has been approved in clinic t Read More

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a multi-ligand pattern recognition receptor that is highly expressed in lung epithelial cells. It helps alveolar epithelial cells to maintain their morphology and specific architecture. However, in various pathophysiological conditions, pulmonary tissues express a supraphysiological level of RAGE and its ligands including advanced glycation end products, high mobility gr Read More

More than 70% of all breast cancer cases are estrogen receptor alpha-positive (ERα). ERα is a member of the nuclear receptor family, and its activity is implicated in the gene transcription linked to the proliferation of breast cancer cells, as well as in extranuclear signaling pathways related to the development of resistance to endocrine therapy. Protein-protein interactions and posttranslational modifications of ERα underlie c Read More