Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 16, Issue 4, 2009

Stem cells are defined by their unique property to self-renew and starting from one single cell to generate all the different progenies required for tissue regeneration. In adults, stem cells are still present in the majority of tissues and organs where they are responsible for continuous organs and tissues homeostasis. Adult stem cells have been isolated in various tissues and all share common specific characteristics (localizatio Read More

Nitric oxide (NO) is a diffusible, short-lived, diatomic free radical ubiquitously produced by mammalian cells. The generation of NO from L-arginine is enzymatically regulated by three different isoforms of NO synthases. The NO signaling pathway involves mainly the activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase to produce cyclic GMP (cGMP) as a second messenger and downstream mediator. In addition, the free radical activity of NO can Read More

RNA polymerase (RNAP) currently represents an important target for the development of new antibacterial agents. RNAP is a nucleotidyl transferase enzyme able to generate an RNA copy of a DNA or RNA template chain, controlling initiation and termination of transcription. RNAP is found in nature in all eukaryotes, prokaryotes and archaea, as well as in many viruses. Bacterial RNAP is a large molecule (about 400kD Read More

The term “neuroactive steroid” (NAS) refers to steroids which, independent of their origin, are capable of modifying neural activities. These steroids positively or negatively modulate the function of members of the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily. Those with positive allosteric actions on the γ-amino butyric acid type A receptor (GABAA receptor) have been shown to be potent anticonvulsants, anxiolytics, and antistress agents Read More

Inhibition of carbohydrate processing enzymes is a topic of great interest, as these enzymes are involved in a plethora of key biochemical events, such as digestion, lysosomal catabolism of glycoconjugates and post-translational glycoprotein processing. Among the most potent inhibitors of such enzymes, iminosugars have emerged as versatile tools for medicinal chemists, especially those in quest for new therapeutic agent Read More

Obesity is an increasingly serious socioeconomic and clinical problem. Between 1/4 - 1/3 of population in the developed countries can be classified as obese. Four major etiological factors for development of obesity are genetic determinants, environmental factors, food intake and exercise. Obesity increases the risk of the development of various pathologic conditions including: insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus, cardiovascul Read More