Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 13, Issue 8, 2006

The initiation, growth, and development of new blood vessels through angiogenesis are essential for tumor growth. Tumor masses require access to blood vessels for a sufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients to maintain growth and metastasis. Inhibiting tumor blood vessel formation as proposed by Judah Folkman in the early 1970s, therefore, offers promising therapeutic approaches for treating tumor afflicted patients. Read More

The ability to target RNA, mRNA and viral RNA in particular, for degradation is a powerful approach in molecular biology and pharmacology. Such approaches can be used in the study of gene function as in functional genomics, in the identification of disease-associated genes, and for the treatment of human diseases. This review provides a comprehensive up-to-date look at all the current available technologies used for th Read More

Nicotinamide, the amide form of niacin (vitamin B3), is the precursor for the coenzyme β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and plays a significant role during the enhancement of cell survival as well as cell longevity. Yet, these abilities of nicotinamide appear to be diametrically opposed. Here we describe the development of nicotinamide as a novel agent that is critical for modulating cellular metabolism, plasticit Read More

Luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), are generally composed of II-VI and III-V elements. Due to their quantum confinement of charge carriers in tiny spaces, QDs show some unique and fascinating optical properties, and are characterized as sharp and symmetrical emission spectra, high quantum yields, broad absorption spectra, good chemical and photo-stability and size dependen Read More

The new generation of antiviral drugs intended to counter HIV-1 entry into susceptible cells is emerging swiftly. The antiviral agents that inhibit HIV entry to the target cells (denoted as HIV entry inhibitors) are already in different phases of clinical trials. Operating early in the viral life cycle, they prevent viral entry, and have a novel, highly specific mechanism of action with a low toxicity profile. Entry inhibitors have different toxicit Read More

The term "epigenetics" is defined as "heritable changes in gene expression that occur without changes in DNA sequence". Recently, it has been revealed that DNA methylation and histone modifications such as acetylation, methylation and phosphorylation are epigenetic mechanisms according to this definition. In other words, these posttranslational modifications are important factors in determining when and where a Read More

Since the discovery of artificially produced radioisotopes in the 1930's, an estimated 10-12 million nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are currently performed each year only in the United States. Gamma emission imaging has been successfully applied to almost every organ of the body (brain, bone, heart, kidney, lung, neuroreceptors) as well as sites of inflammation, atherosclerosis, and thrombosis. F Read More

Recently, animal fatty acid synthase (FAS) is reported as a potential therapeutic target for obesity and cancer. Considerable interest has been developed in identifying novel inhibitors of the enzyme. It is found that tea polyphenols inhibit FAS in both reversible and irreversible manners. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin gallate (ECG) inhibit FAS with IC50 values of 52 μM and 42 μM mainly by reacting on the Read More