Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 16, Issue 32, 2009

The prevalence of chronic renal disease is increasing dramatically in industrialized nations. Recent surveys in Europe and the US show that about 10% of the total population are affected. Patients with end stage disease, necessitating dialysis or transplantation, are only the tip of the iceberg. Even with treatment these subjects suffer from a massive reduction in quality and quantity of life despite consuming a large proportion Read More

CRH and Urocortins 1, 2 and 3 comprise the, so far identified, members of the CRH family of peptides in humans. Their actions are mediated through two distinct receptors, CRHR1 and CRHR2, encoded by different genes. CRHlike peptides and their receptors have been identified in reproductive tissues, such as the ovary, uterus as well as fetal and placental membranes. The participation of the “CRH family” of peptid Read More

Coumarins are of many different structures. They constitute an important class of pharmacological agents possessing a range of different physiological activities including anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-HIV, anticoagulant, anti-bacterial, analgesic and comparative immune-modulation. Recently, coumarins have attracted intense research interest. Of great interest is the possibility that this class of m Read More

Nuclear Factor-Kappa B (NF-κB) is a transcription factor whose inappropriate activation may result in the development of a number of diseases including cancer, inflammation, neurodegeneration and AIDS. Recent studies on NF- κB mediated pathologies, made therapeutic interventions leading to its inhibition an emerging theme in pharmaceutical research. NF-κB resides in the cytoplasm and is activated by several time- Read More

Pharmacological suppression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and -2-mediated prostanoid biosynthesis by non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is used in the therapy of inflammation, fever, and pain. However, long-term application of these drugs is associated with severe side effects, mainly gastrointestinal injury and renal irritations, apparently due to impaired biosynthesis of physiologically relevant prostanoid Read More

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) are based on the hypothesis that changes in molecular structure reflect proportional changes in the observed response or biological activity. In order to successfully conduct QSAR studies certain conditions have to be met that are not frequently reported in the literature. This suggests that some authors are not aware of the principle flaws, occasional shortcomings, and Read More

Cisplatin is one of the chemotherapeutic agents used the most for testicular, ovarian and several other cancers. In order to overcome cisplatin resistance, other platinum (Pt) compounds have been developed and, in the last ten years, Pt-derivatives with reporting activity have also been synthesized. The first generation of reporting Pt-compounds was based on linking a fluorescent molecule (e.g. cyanine) to cisplatin, but Read More

p53 and its related genes, p73 and p63, are members of the p53 gene family. While p53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human tumors, p73 and p63 are rarely mutated or lost in cancers. Although p53-deficient cancer cells are often less responsive to chemotherapy, they are not completely drug resistant, suggesting that other apoptotic pathways are at work. Interestingly, several studies have shown that p73, and Read More