Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 16, Issue 29, 2009

Numerous cellular pathways have a significant impact in the growth and metastatic potential of tumors. Essential element of such pathways is the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a member of the HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases. One of the most important issues in cancer, which attracted the attention of clinical oncologists, is the potential use of targeted therapies. EGFR signaling pathway is implicated in th Read More

The matrix metalloproteinases are a family of nearly 30 enzymes that are intimately involved in tissue remodeling. Disease processes associated with the matrix metalloproteinases are generally related to imbalance between the inhibition and activation of matrix metalloproteinases resulting in excessive degradation of the extracellullar matrix. These include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tumor metastasis and congestive Read More

Despite substantial therapeutic advances, heart failure remains a syndrome associated with high morbidity and mortality. The management of heart failure remains challenging despite the recent different therapeutic advances. The emergence of cardiac biomarkers as increasingly effective clinical tools suggests the potential of a new approach to the management of patients with heart failure. A variety of circulating biomark Read More

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in the homeostasis of the cardiovascular system and in the development of cardiovascular diseases. An abnormal expression or over activation of the local RAS in the heart and vasculature system is one of the most common mechanisms in pathophysiological processes in cardiovascular diseases. This also provides a basis for medical prevention and t Read More

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose is a complex disease mainly caused by defects in hepatic glucose balance and the failure of pancreatic β-cells to secrete enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance. Glucokinase (GK) is a member of hexokinase family of enzymes that are responsible for the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate for further utilization in cells. It plays a key role Read More

Growing evidence emphasizes that the purine nucleoside adenosine plays an active role as local regulator in airway inflammation and pulmonary diseases. The notion that increased adenosine concentrations are associated with lung inflammation indicates the importance of this signaling pathway, which involves the activation of a family of cell surface G-protein coupled receptor subtypes named as A1, A2A, A2B and A3. R Read More

Nuclear steroid receptors (NSR) are ligand-activated transcription factors that play a key role in a variety of vital physiological phenomena including developmental or endocrine signaling, reproduction, and homeostasis. In addition, they are implicated in other important biological processes, such as apoptosis. Modulation of apoptosis by NSR is mostly associated with control of pro-apoptotic versus anti-apoptotic gene expression, a Read More

Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are very potent and most promising anti-AIDS drugs that specifically inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). However, to a great extent, the efficacy of NNRTI drugs is impaired by rapid emergence of drug-resistance mutations. Fortunately, detailed analysis of a wide range of crystal structures of HIV-1 RT/NNRTI complexes together with data on drug resistance Read More

In our review entitled ‘Determination of Human Serum α1-Acid Glycoprotein and Albumin Binding of Various Marketed and Preclinical Kinase Inhibitors’ in the Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2009, 16(16), 1964-1977. We wish to correct a research grant number OTKA T049721 in the acknowledgment section. Correct number is OTKA K69213. Acknowledgment section should now be read as: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This Read More