Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 20, Issue 23, 2013

Virtual screening (VS) is a powerful technique for identifying hit molecules as starting points for medicinal chemistry. The number of methods and softwares which use the ligand and target-based VS approaches is increasing at a rapid pace. What, however, are the real advantages and disadvantages of the VS technology and how applicable is it to drug discovery projects? This review provides a comprehensive appraisal Read More

Several population-based studies and clinical data suggest the presence of strict relationships between epilepsy and depression. The incidence of depressive symptoms in patients with epilepsy is significantly higher than in the general population or in patients with other neurological disorders or chronic diseases, as shown by the majority, albeit not all, findings. Even the rate of suicide is higher in epileptic patients than in the ge Read More

The specific organization of the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) is an intrinsic and basic step in the convoluted pathways of tumorigenesis. Fibrosarcoma is a rare, lethal, malignant tumor originating from fibroblasts, characterized by the formation of an abundant ECM. Fibroblastoid cells undergoing malignant transformation specifically alter composition and organization of their ECM to facilitate growth, survival and invasi Read More

In recent decades, nanoparticulate drug delivery systems have attracted extensive attention in cancer therapy for such appealing properties as small particle size, huge surface area, narrow size distribution and prolonged circulation time. Although several nanomedicines have successfully reached the clinical, evidences have proved that therapeutic efficacy isn’t improved significantly, except for better toleration and less si Read More

Shikonin is the major constituent of the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat external wounds, burns, or dermatitis for centuries. Nowadays, this root is commonly used as an herbal medicine against cancer. Studies carried out over the past 30 years have demonstrated that many of the effects historically associated with the use of this root have a scientific basis, wit Read More

Pharmacotherapy using natural substances can be currently regarded as a very promising future alternative to conventional therapy. With the rapid development of biotechnologies and analytical techniques, a great number of methods have been developed for the identification and quantification of the material, extracts, and products of natural ingredients. The advances available today. The need for safer drugs with Read More

More than 40% of the new drugs registered from 1981 to 2006 were obtained, derived or inspired from natural compounds. The influence of natural products in the anti-infective area is quite marked, being a great percentage of drugs derived or extracted from natural products. Vaginal infections are one of the most common reasons a women visits a gynecologist. Given the high popularity of natural therapies among wo Read More

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), known for its unpleasant rotten egg smell and its high toxicity, has recently emerged as an important mediator of human physiological and pathological processes, such as the regulation of cell growth, cardiovascular protection, the stimulation of angiogenesis, gastric mucosal injury and Alzheimer’s disease. Due to its significant actions in the physiology, H2S has attracted the abundant concern of num Read More