Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 19, Issue 30, 2012

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a common adult leukemia in the Western world with an incidence of 4.2/100,000/year. The clinical course of disease is highly heterogenous; it affects people over 65-70 years of age. This hematologic cancer is characterized by the resistance to apoptosis stimuli predominantly associated with overexpression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members. Therapeutic options for advanced CLL pati Read More

A polyamine agmatine is produced through decarboxylation of L -arginine by the enzyme arginine decarboxylase and is a new neurotransmitter in central nervous system (CNS). It has been suggested that agmatine has analgesic, anxiolytic and antidepressant activities in animals. In experimental studies, it also generates some favorable effects on cerebral damages and withdrawal syndromes involved in addictive dr Read More

Human lipoxygenases (LOXs) are the enzymes participating in the metabolism of the polyunsaturated fatty acids and catalyzing their oxidation to a variety of eicosanoids, which as the secondary signal transducers have a major impact on human homeostasis. They are involved in many diseases such as inflammatory responses, cancers, cardiovascular and kidney diseases, neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic syndrome. T Read More

Fragment based drug design has emerged as an effective alternative to high throughput screening for the identification of lead compounds in drug discovery in the past fifteen years. Fragment based screening and optimization methods have achieved credible success in many drug discovery projects with one approved drug and many more compounds in clinical trials. The fragment based drug design starts with the identificati Read More

Emerging evidence indicates that many aspects of alcohol and drug dependence involve changes in glutamate transmission. A number of studies have reported that drugs of abuse, including alcohol and cocaine, alter glutamate transport. Extracellular glutamate is regulated by a number of glutamate transporters in various brain regions. Of these transporters, glutamate transporter (GLT1) is a key player in the removal of m Read More

This research evaluated the effect of multiple-wave lasertherapy on the healing process of surgical wounds based on in vitro models denominated stem-dermal equivalents. These human skin models were obtained from a co-culture of dermal cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. The experimental tests were carried out using a LED portable to multiple waves (operating at 660 nm and 810 nm) at different doses to Read More

The molecular mechanisms that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are of great interest. However, whether stimulation with nicotine enhances the proliferation and differentiation of iPS cells has not been investigated. In the present study, western blot analysis revealed that the α4-nAchR and α7-nAchR are expressed in mouse iPS cells. Mouse iPS cells were treated with nicotine for Read More

The effect of substances known as inducers of neuronal differentiation on cultured human and mouse adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) and their fate after transplantation into the injured and ischemic mouse brains were studied. ASCs were isolated from the human and mouse adipose tissue. Inducers of neuronal differentiation included β-mercaptoethanol, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GNDF) Read More

Background: The chromosome 12q24 locus is linked to bipolar disorder, depression, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). PSMD9 lies in the 12q24 locus and is linked to MODY3, T2D, T2D-nephropathy, T2D-neuropathy, retinopathy, macrovascular pathology, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia in Italian families. Interestingly, PSMD9 gene common variants contribute to the therapeutic response to anti-depressant treatment. Further, PSM Read More

Gestational diabetes (GD) is a common complication during pregnancy. Metabolic changes in GD affect fetal development and fetal glucose homeostasis. The present study utilized a rat model of GD to evaluate the effects of nicotinamide on diabetic parameters; antioxidant gene expression viz, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT); reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by neutrophils and enhancem Read More

For decades ribosome biogenesis and translation represent key targets in the antimicrobial drug development to combat bacterial infections. Here we report a survey of various small non-protein coding (ncRNAs) associated with ribosomal protein (r-protein) operons in the bacterial pathogens S. aureus, V. cholerae, S. Typhi and M. tuberculosis. We identified four ncRNA candidates that overlap with important structural regions inv Read More

Magnetic nanocomposites (MNCs) have highly been acknowledged in the diagnostics and therapeutic applications. Particularly, the multifunctional MNCs have brought a variety of possibilities in targeted drug delivery as well as non-invasive multimodality imaging. A temperature-responsive magnetic drug delivery system has been developed which is made up of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SIONPs) core and Read More

Cyanobacteria possess the ability to produce compounds with remarkable biological activity, and have thus attracted the attention of the pharmaceutical industry. Cyanopeptides acting as protease inhibitors have shown potential in the field of pharmacotherapy through regulation of abnormal physiological processes in the human body. Despite the already described cyanopeptide protease inhibitors, the search for ne Read More

Background: Anticholinergic side-effects of antipsychotic drugs are common and can potentially impact on quality of life as well as concordance with medication. Objectives: To investigate prevalence/incidence rates of anticholinergic side-effects of oral antipsychotic drugs over the medium- and long-term. Methods: We included all systematic reviews undertaken by the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group for people who are takin Read More

The distinctive characteristics of nanoparticles, resulting from properties that arise at the nano-scale, underlie their potential applications in the biomedical sector. However, the very same characteristics also result in widespread concerns about the potentially toxic effects of nanoparticles. Given the large number of nanoparticles that are being developed for possible biomedical use, there is a need to develop rapid screenin Read More

Administration of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha antibodies [anti-TNF]-alpha represents a therapeutic approach aimed to diminish the effects of tumor necrosis factor [TNF]- alpha in Crohn's disease [CD]. Blockade of its action should be related to various changes including those in immune and inflammatory response. There is a growing body of experimental data to suggest that the chronically inflamed intestine may be subj Read More

G-quadruplex-based DNA aptamers for human thrombin represent promising pharmaceuticals having high anticoagulant activity, rapid clearance from the bloodstream, and availability of DNA antidote. High specificity of aptamers minimizes side-effects but at the same time leads to difficulties when choosing animal model for preclinical trials. Well described minimal G-quadruplex 15-TBA, elongated with hinge and duplex region Read More