Current Indian Science - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2024

The unique physicochemical properties, low cost, low toxicity, and size- and shape-dependent magnetic properties of the ferrite-based nanoparticles make them an indispensable choice of material for various applications, including catalysis.

The objective of this review is to summarize the results of the most widely used ferrite nanoparticles such as NiFe2O4, CuFe2O4, CoFe2O4, ZnFe2O4, and MnFe2O4 as catalysts in organic reactions such as C–X (X = N, O, and S) coupling, oxidation, and N-heterocycles formation reactions.

This review includes a well-summarized compilation of the most widely used nanostructured ferrites such as NiFe2O4, CuFe2O4, CoFe2O4, ZnFe2O4, and MnFe2O4 as heterogeneous catalysts in selected organic reactions such as C–X (X = N, O, and S) coupling, oxidation, and N-heterocycles formation reactions. The nanostructured magnetic ferrite catalysts are reliable and extremely effective and facilitate the quick separation of catalysts, making the process sustainable.

The presentation of the review has been proposed anticipating new perspectives and insight in the field of catalysis and to investigate further development of novel ferrite materials on an industrial scale for practical applications.

Ubiquitous expression patterns of nuclear hormone and their receptors (NHRs) have their own roles in performing essential functions in controlling hormone responsive element-promoted gene transcription. In diseased states such as cancer, NHRs play crucial roles and hence targeting these receptors are essential as it gives us a window of opportunity for developing targeted anticancer therapeutics. In comparison to traditional chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapeutic drugs are hypothetically advantageous in terms of efficacy and safety and hence the idea of developing such targeted drugs are inclined to become a mainstream cancer treatment option. This review selectively compiles data regarding NHR-targeting, while majorly focusing on cancer treatment using anticancer small molecules and/or nanotherapeutics targeting estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, glucocorticoid receptor, and vitamin D receptor. In this study, we selectively emphasized on estrogen receptor. Herein, we mainly highlight the strategy of lipid-modification to convert respective receptor ligands into NHR-targeted anticancer molecules as well as nanotherapeutics. We focused on the strategy of chemical conjugation of those ligands with twin-aliphatic carbon chain-based cationic lipids. The strategy successfully led to the development of a new class of anticancer therapeutics. These are either small-molecule anticancer agents or self-aggregating nanotherapeutics. In spite of great anticancer output, the concept of NHR-targeted anti-cancer therapy still needs to overcome further hurdles before those are projected for clinical settings.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic syndrome that gradually leads to chronic microvascular or macrovascular complications. There are 2 types of DM: Insulin-dependent diabetes, commonly called type I DM, is an organ-specific autoimmune disorder that destroys the body’s pancreatic β cells, causing insulin deficiency, and can be treated through insulin replacement therapy. Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or type II DM, is caused by pancreatic cell dysfunction that affects a person’s ability to use insulin and can be treated with oral hypoglycaemics. Recent investigation confirms that combination therapy of metformin (biguanides), sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, and Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors not only reduces HbA1c glucose dependently but also provides better sustained glycaemic stability with good tolerability in comparison to monotherapy. Multi-particulate drug delivery provides targeted drug administration with high bioavailability and compressed dosage administration. In this review analysis, an effort has been made to explore the pathophysiology of type II DM and the importance of combination therapy using microspheres for the delivery of drugs for the management of type II DM.

Catalysis is an integral part of sustainable and green chemical processes. During the last two decades, the wonder 2D carbon material with honeycomb structure, graphene, and other functionalized graphenes have emerged as extremely versatile and robust nanomaterials in heterogeneous catalysis. The incredible catalytic efficacy of such carbon nanomaterials relies on their unique physicochemical properties, including large surface area, diverse catalytic active sites, multiple chemical functionalities, tunable electron density, synergistic effect, etc., making them noteworthy as metal-free catalysts and catalytic supports.

The article presents an overview of the catalytic applications of various graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs), either metal-free or embedded with metal/metal oxide NPs, in synthesizing medicinally privileged heterocyclic compounds. It also summarizes the general methodologies for preparing graphene and various GBNs, their chemical structures, characterization techniques, and discussions on the potential active sites that are responsible for wider catalytic activity. Overall discussions unequivocally establish a promising paradigm for uncovering more innovative graphene-based materials and their subsequent applications in diverse fields, including heterogeneous catalysis.

Bacterial and biofilm infections remain a leading cause of global mortality, prompting a shift beyond conventional antibiotic drug development due to the rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance. This mini-review delves into giving a brief understanding of the realm of metal-containing nanomaterials, emphasizing their potential in antimicrobial phototherapy free from bacterial resistance. The focus extends to transition metal-incorporated materials as a tool to induce photoredox properties akin to photoredox catalysis. Despite highlighting the promise of such materials, the review also addresses concerns regarding biosafety for their in vivo applications. Nonetheless, the utilization of multifaceted photoredox strategies leveraging diverse metal oxidation states, alongside the advantageous light-driven physicochemical attributes of nanosystems, show promise for combatting challenging pathogenic infections using inorganic materials.

Integral membrane proteins are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention due to their crucial roles in cellular functions and their involvement in various diseases. However, targeting these proteins for degradation has posed significant challenges due to their complex structures and diverse functions. The emergence of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC) represents a groundbreaking paradigm shift in drug development, offering a novel approach to address the degradation of integral membrane proteins. This review explores the innovative application of PROTAC technology in inducing the degradation of integral membrane proteins. PROTACs are molecules that have two roles: they bring together specific target proteins and E3 ubiquitin ligases, which help with ubiquitination and the degradation of proteins by proteasomes. As PROTACs are made up of separate parts, they can be put together to make custom molecules that can target difficult targets, such as integral membrane proteins. This review covers recent developments and advancements in the design and optimisation of PROTACs tailored for integral membrane protein degradation. Furthermore, it also discusses the problems that come up when trying to target membrane proteins and how PROTACs solve these problems by using ligands that can pass cell membranes and specifically interact with target proteins. It delves into the potential therapeutic implications of degrading integral membrane proteins using PROTACs and elucidates the impact of this novel approach in treating diseases that involve aberrant membrane protein expression or function by highlighting specific examples and case studies.

Chronic wounds generally take a lot of time to recover, which becomes a cause of worry for the patient and also makes it difficult to manage them. Chronic wound affects the minds of millions of people worldwide, which results in a high mortality rate. Nanomedicine has emerged as a promising tool in addressing this issue of chronic wounds. Nanomedicine in chronic wound healing holds the potential to revolutionize wound care by offering various personalized treatments and improving patient outcomes. Advanced wound dressings and nanofibresscaffolds promote tissue regeneration, which also accelerates wound closure. Nanomedicine is also able to provoke the various cellular and molecular mechanisms that are involved in the wound microenvironment, showing the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and angiogenetic effects. The gene therapy and various inflammation modulations using this emerging tool of nanotechnology show promising results in managing the various chronic wounds. Nanomedicine offers innovative approaches to address these challenges. Nanomedicine also plays a crucial role in tissue engineering, which can also be used for chronic wound treatment. Nanotechnology has enabled the various development of advanced wound dressings and has improved various properties. Nanomedicine also uses antimicrobial nanomaterials, such as silver nanoparticles, to combat the various infections in chronic wounds. The main aim of the review is to provide a concise overview of nanomedicine as a recent tool in healing chronic wounds and also its various opportunities for curing chronic wounds.

The review explores the vital dimensions of pharmacovigilance (PV) and adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting in the healthcare industry, highlighting their importance for public health and patient safety. The review follows the development of PV from its historical beginnings in India, highlighting significant turning points and legislative frameworks that have influenced modern practices. Sibutramine, a well-known medication, is investigated to highlight the significance of watchful PV systems. Meanwhile, ADR reporting is significant in healthcare because it directly impacts public health and patient safety. However, there is still a need to address issues like healthcare providers' ignorance and underreporting. The suggested solution is to establish Regional Reporting Centres (RRCs), with successful models demonstrating the benefits they provide, including improved data collection and regional assistance. Despite the advantages, setting up RRCs has its share of difficulties, such as coordination and resource allocation. Effective RRC implementation improves ADR reporting, as shown by case studies and success stories. In order to improve ADR reporting and PV procedures, the research ends with suggestions for the future that call for more regulatory assistance, more training for healthcare workers, and public awareness campaigns.

Oxidation of alcohols in an oxidant-free condition, commonly known as the acceptorless dehydrogenation (AD) reaction, has recently emerged as one of the widely used processes in synthetic organic chemistry. Alcohol acts as an excellent chemical precursor that produces a variety of dehydrogenated value-added products such as carbonyls, acids, acetals, and several coupling products, followed by the concomitant evolution of molecular hydrogen gas. AD reaction of alcohol, therefore, can be considered as a vital reaction for the hydrogen economy using alcohols as a liquid hydrogen carrier. Over the past decade, the growing importance of AD reactions has set the way for the continuous development of various homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic systems. With the advantage of reusability and recyclability, heterogeneous catalysts have now become more promising and significant in the catalytic domain. This review aims to make an overview of the transition metal-based heterogeneous catalytic system of acceptorless alcohol dehydrogenation reaction reported till December, 2023.

The technological advances in mass spectrometry and associated computational tools have enabled the development of proteome atlases and comprehensive catalogs of proteome snapshots that have gradually transformed biomedical research. These proteome catalogs in specific biological contexts, which focused initially on model organisms, have now expanded their scope to encompass diverse organisms, tissues, and experimental conditions. These atlases, such as the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), Peptide Atlas, and Global Proteome Machine Database (GPMDB), etc. provide invaluable insights into protein expression, subcellular localization, interactions, modifications, and functions. They aid in understanding biological processes, identifying disease biomarkers, and discovering novel therapeutic targets. Despite their potential, proteome atlases face challenges like data completeness, integration with other omics data, and ethical considerations. Addressing these challenges is vital for further progress. Proteome atlases serve as indispensable resources, driving biomedical discovery and innovation.