Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 15, Issue 18, 2008

Properties of benzimidazole and its derivatives have been studied for over hundred years; special interest of researchers triggered by the fact that 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole is a component of naturally occurring vitamin B12. Several antihelminthic, antacid and antibacterial drugs are known which have benzimidazole moiety as their essential constituent. Additionally, several bis- and trisbenzimidazole based systems are well-k Read More

Natural killer T (NKT) cells represent a unique T cell lineage. The NKT cells bearing an invariant TCR (iNKT cells) recognize a small variety of glycolipid antigens in the context of CD1d (non-classical MHC-I) presentation. CD1d-restricted iNKT cells play a regulatory role during an immune response by producing cytokines (IFN-γ, and IL-4). The identification of α-galactosyl-ceramide (α- GalCer), a marine sponge derivative as Read More

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form of motor neuron diseases (MND) characterized by progressive selective degeneration of motor neurons. Although several mutations underlying rare cases of familial ALS were identified during the last decade, the pathogenesis of ALS remains poorly understood. Various mechanisms have been suggested to contribute to disease pathology such as excitotoxicity, oxidativ Read More

Anticancer drugs are often nonselective antiproliferative agents (cytotoxins) that preferentially kill dividing cells by attacking their DNA at some level. The lack of selectivity results in significant toxicity to noncancerous proliferating cells. These toxicities along with drug resistance exhibited by the solid tumors are major therapy limiting factors that result into poor prognosis for patients. Prodrug and conjugate design involves th Read More

SSAO/VAP-1 is not only involved in the metabolism of biogenic and xenobiotic primary amines and in the production of metabolites with cytotoxic effects or certain physiological actions, but also plays a role, for example, as an adhesion molecule, in leukocyte trafficking, in regulating glucose uptake and in adipocyte homeostasis. Interest in the enzyme has been stimulated by the findings that the activities of the SSAOs are alt Read More

Epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies have established a positive correlation between green tea consumption and cardiovascular health. Catechins, the major polyphenolic compounds in green tea, exert vascular protective effects through multiple mechanisms, including antioxidative, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-thrombogenic, and lipid lowering effects. (1) Tea catechins pre Read More

Visfatin is a newly discovered adipocyte hormone with a direct relationship between plasma visfatin level and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Visfatin binds to the insulin receptor at a site distinct from that of insulin and causes hypoglycaemia by reducing glucose release from liver cells and stimulating glucose utilization in adipocytes and myocytes. Visfatin is upregulated by hypoxia, inflammation and hyperglycaemia and downregulated Read More