Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 18, Issue 34, 2011

It is now accepted that cancer initiation, progression, and invasion occur in a dynamic microenvironment, where many cell types interact with tumor cells, including stromal cells, the intratumoral vasculature, macrophages and dendritic cells, the various types of lymphocytes such as NK cells, B and T cells, regulatory T-cells. The complex communications between all these cell populations involve interplay between soluble Read More

In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), BCR-ABL-mediated oncogenic signaling can be successfully targeted with the BCRABL- inhibitors imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib leading to complete cytogenetic (Philadelphia chromosome not detectable upon cytogenetic testing of bone marrow) and even complete molecular (BCR-ABL not detectable by PCR in peripheral blood) responses. However, CML apparently can not be cured b Read More

Survival of patients affected by Multiple Myeloma (MM), a B-cell tumor of malignant plasma cells, has dramatically improved, owing to the recent introduction of the proteasome inhibitor (PI) Bortezomib and of the immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs). This major advance originates from accumulating knowledge on MM biology, leading to the development of drugs targeting not only MM cells, but also their microenvironme Read More

There is increasing evidence that statins, inhibitors of 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, can effectively be used not only in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, but also in other human disorders; indeed, statins have strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, so that they can influence the onset and outcome of inflammation and autoimmunity. On the other hand, it has been shown that Read More

Gamma delta (&ggr:δ) T cells are intrinsically important for preventing the development and progression of hematologic cancers. These innate T cells are particularly suited for the application of cancer therapy due to the fact they: 1) recognize transformed cells independent of antigen processing or presentation by classical MHC molecules, and 2) embody the anti-tumour effector functions of both NK cells and cytotoxic Read More

Tumor-induced dysfunction of immune cells is a common problem in cancer. Tumors induce immune suppression by many different mechanisms, including accumulation of regulatory T cells (Treg). Adaptive Treg (Tr1) generated in the tumor microenvironment express CD39 and CD73 ectonucleotidases, produce adenosine and are COX2+PGE2+. Adenosine and PGE2 produced by Tr1 or tumor cells bind to their respecti Read More

This review summarizes the sources and characteristics of various natural products that can be extracted from mangroveassociated microbes with a focus on bioactivity, highlighting the unique chemical diversity of these metabolic products.

Obesity is associated with an increased mortality and morbidity for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and adipose tissue is recognised as an important player in obesity-mediated CVD. The diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome (MS) appears to identify substantial additional cardiovascular risk above and beyond the individual risk factors, even though the pathophysiology underlying this evidence is still unravelled. The inflammatory re Read More

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is well known to be closely associated with emotional disorders, such as depression and schizophrenia. The seven main members of 5-HT receptor family including the different subtypes are involved in the functional pathways in the brain and their balance in activity helps to maintain the normal mental stability. As any detrimental changes in the 5-HT system is believed to alter emotion in hu Read More

Flavonoids are new promising potential natural compounds for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). Actually most promising drugs for symptomatic treatment of AD are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI). Flavonoids with AChE inhibitory activity and due to their well known antioxidant activity could be new multipotent drugs for AD treatment. This work focuses on natural and synthetic flavonoids inhibitors of the enzyme acetylc Read More

This review aims to summarize present approaches employed in delivering drugs to the central nervous system. Changes in blood-brain barrier (BBB) function have been reported in several neurological disorders. A brief description of the blood brain barrier and the main pathologies related to this barrier disfunction are described. Treatments for these disorders are based on several available strategies for delivering drugs int Read More