Current Drug Targets - Volume 21, Issue 13, 2020

The detection of the Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein by immunohistochemistry is currently the only approved test predictive of response to drugs targeting the PD1/PDL1 axis. The role of this test is debated since several reagents have been used as companion diagnostics for different drugs on diverse immunostaining platforms. In addition, different scoring systems for PD-L1 immunohistochemistry have been Read More

The immune system is important to control tumor development and progression in humans. However, tumor cells and cells of the tumor microenvironment can induce immune escape mechanisms including activation of immune checkpoints such as PD-1/PD-L1. Based on this knowledge, new immune therapies, including PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibition, have been developed and are already recommended as a stand Read More

Wound research is an evolving science trying to unfold the complex untold mechanisms behind the wound healing cascade. In particular, interest is growing regarding the role of microorganisms in both acute and chronic wound healing. Microbial burden plays an important role in the persistence of chronic wounds, ultimately resulting in delayed wound healing. It is therefore important for clinicians to understand the evolution of in Read More

Background: The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is crucial for all cellular processes and is, therefore, a critical target for the investigation and development of novel strategies for cancer treatment. In addition, approximately 30% of newly synthesized proteins never attain their final conformations due to translational errors or defects in post-translational modifications; therefore, they are also rapidly eliminated by th Read More

Iron, which is described as the most basic component found in nature, is hard to be assimilated by microorganisms. It has become increasingly complicated to obtain iron from nature as iron (II) in the presence of oxygen oxidized to press (III) oxide and hydroxide, becoming unsolvable at neutral pH. Microorganisms appeared to produce organic molecules known as siderophores in order to overcome this condition. Siderop Read More

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating mental disorders around the world. It is characterized by neuroanatomical or biochemical changes. The role of the fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) system in schizophrenia has received considerable attention in recent years. Various changes in the gene expression and/or level of FGFs have been implicated in the etiology, symptoms and progression of schizophrenia. For example, st Read More

Fluoroquinolones are one of the world’s most valuable and popularly used categories of antimicrobial agents. This paper attempts to review the substantial progress of fluoroquinolones from their discovery to black box warning. Antibiotic drug choice will remain difficult in the presence of increasing resistance, but the introduction of fluoroquinolones has created a new and exciting era in antimicrobial treatment. These are Read More

Defects in brain functions associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases benefit insignificantly from existing options, suggesting that there is a lack of understanding of pathological mechanisms. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is such a nearly untreatable, allied to age neurological deterioration for which only the symptomatic cure is available and the agents able to mould progression of the disease, is still far away. Read More

Berberine (Brb) is one of the well-known naturally occurring compounds exclusively found in Berberis vulgaris and other members of this family, such as Berberis aristata, Berberis aroatica, and Berberis aquifolium. This plant-derived natural compound has a variety of therapeutic impacts, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-tumor. Multiple studies have demonstrated that Brb has great anti-infla Read More