Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 25, Issue 42, 2018

The development of isozyme-selective heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitors promises powerful pharmacological tools to elucidate the regulatory characteristics of the HO system. It is already known that HO has cytoprotective properties with a role in several disease states; thus, it is an enticing therapeutic target. Historically, the metalloporphyrins have been used as competitive HO inhibitors based on their structural si Read More

Tocainide is an antiarrhythmic agent belonging to class IB that was primarily used for suppression of symptomatic ventricular arrhythmias. Tocainide was also reported to relieve pain such as tic douloureux, trigemina neuralgia in humans and tinnitus. Significant antinociception, as assayed on the hot-plate test, was observed after intraperitoneal injection of tocainide, too. By the mid-1980s tocainide was emerging a Read More

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Statins are a class of drugs whose main adverse effects are drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and myopathy. Some of these may be predictable, due to their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, while others, unfortunately, are idiosyncratic. Genetic factors may also influence patient susceptibility to Read More

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease and becomes one of the major causes of disability and work force loss. The presence of abnormal B cell and autoantibodies produced by most RA patients, primarily ACPA and RF, indicate that the function of B cell was involved in the development of RA disease. Accordingly, the drug targeting B cell has become a hot spot in the treatment of RA. Studies have shown th Read More

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. Recently, the management of JIA has substantially changed, thanks to the availability of new treatment options, represented by biological drugs or biologics. These drugs modulate the specific mechanisms of the immune systems, such as TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 signaling, or lymphocyte activation and/or functioning. In this review, Read More

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a complex system controlling two-way substances traffic between circulatory (cardiovascular) system and central nervous system (CNS). It is almost perfectly crafted to regulate brain homeostasis and to permit selective transport of molecules that are essential for brain function. For potential drug candidates, the CNSoriented neuropharmaceuticals as well as for those of primary targets in the p Read More

Background: The understanding of the action mechanism of the nanoparticles systems consisting of metallic nanoparticles and dyes or cytostatic molecule is crucial for searching and designing the ideal, novel drugs. In this review, we have considered moleculefunctionalized metallic nanoparticle systems for phototherapy. Methods: We performed a thorough search of the high-quality peer-reviewed literature on metal Read More

Background: ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) remains the major obstacle for effective cancer therapy. Nanoparticles (NPs)-based delivery systems are promising to overcome MDR, but only a few of them have been accepted for clinical treatment, which should be due to their insufficient transportation and potential toxicity. In this respect, more and more attentions are b Read More

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability in developed countries. Stroke induces massive glutamate release, which in turn causes N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor over-excitation and thus, calcium overload in neurons leading to cell death via apoptotic cascades. The kynurenine pathway is a complex enzymatic cascade of tryptophan catabolism, generating various neuroactive Read More

Background: Activated microglia play a pivotal role neurodegenerative diseases by producing a variety of proinflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin- 1beta (IL-1β) and nitric oxide (NO) that are toxic to neurons and oligodendrocytes. Methods: In view of the above, suppression of microglia mediated neuroinflammation is deemed a therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative disea Read More

Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious pathogenic bacterium causing a wide range of diseases from soft-tissue contamination, to more serious and deep-seated infections. This species is highlighted by its ability to express several kinds of virulence factors and to acquire genes related to drug resistance. Target this number of factors to design any drug is not an easy task. In this review, we discuss the importance of computatio Read More

Lectins are a group of proteins or glycoproteins with various potentially exploitable bioactivities and have been capturing more interest recently. They have been isolated and reported from various tissues of a diversity of plant species. Tubers are modified and enlarged plant structures derived from stems or roots that are used for nutrient storage and asexual reproduction. A number of plants such as yam, taro and pot Read More

Background: Polymers have wide applications in medicine, including dentistry, i.e. in prosthetic dentistry. Aim: The following paper is aimed at demonstrating the applications of selected modern polymers in prosthetic dentistry based on the reported literature. Material and Methods: The study was conducted using the PubMed, SCOPUS and CINAHL databases in relation to documents published during 1999–2017. The follo Read More

The bacterial resistance to antibiotics constitutes more than ever a severe public health problem. The enzymes involved in bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis are pertinent targets for developing new antibiotics, notably the MraY transferase that is not targeted by any marketed drug. Many research groups are currently working on the study or the inhibition of this enzyme. After a concise overview of the role, mechanism an Read More

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing health issues of our days. It can arise due to a multiplicity of factors, such as target modification, decrease in the drug uptake, changes in the metabolic pathways and activation of efflux pumps. The overexpression of efflux pumps is responsible for the extrusion of drugs, making antibiotic therapy fail, as the quantity of intracellular antibiotic is not enough to provide the desired th Read More

Background: Vaccines are very effective medical tools for disease prevention and life span increase. Controversies have raised concern about their safety, from autism to polio vaccine contamination with simian virus 40 (SV-40). Hysteria surrounding vaccine-associated risks has resulted in a declining number of vaccinations in developed countries. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g. measles) have occurred in Eu Read More