Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 28, Issue 37, 2021

The Mediterranean diet is worldwide recognized as a good prototype of nutrition due to the conspicuous intake of olive oil, nuts, red wine, legumes, fruit, and vegetables, all fundamental elements rich in antioxidant substances and polyphenols. Polyphenols are a wide range of phytochemicals and/or synthetic chemical compounds with proven beneficial properties for human health. In the present review, we critically summariz Read More

Background: The main protease of SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro) is one of the targets identified in SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. The application of X-ray diffraction crystallography made available the three-dimensional structure of this protein target in complex with ligands, which paved the way for docking studies. Objective: Our goal here is to review recent efforts in the application of docking simulations to identif Read More

We provide a brief review of the significance of platelets, mitochondria, vitamin D, serotonin, and the gut microbiome in COVID-19. We hypothesize that hyperactive platelets and mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as low vitamin D level, gut dysbiosis, and increased serum serotonin produced by enterochromaffin cells, may all represent important aspects in the pathophysiology of COVID-19.

Reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) are produced physiologically by several mechanisms, especially during the inflammatory response. However, their overproduction can lead to the evolution of conditions known as oxidative/nitrosative stress, resulting in the establishment of chronic inflammatory diseases. Chalcones are considered as a class of flavonoids having the molecular pattern 1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-one. In the Read More

Striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) is exclusively expressed in the central nervous system and regulates various neuronal signaling factors through the dephosphorylation of different substrates. Dysregulated expression or uncontrollable enzymatic activity of STEP contributes to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, which makes it a promising pharmaceutical target. Herein, we have re Read More

Background: Glioblastoma constitutes the most frequent and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Despite the advances in its treatment, its prognosis remains very poor. Gene therapy has been proposed as a complementary treatment since it may overcome the problem of the blood-brain barrier for systemic therapies, allowing to target tumor cells and their tumor microenvironment locally, without affecti Read More

There have been intense research interests in sirtuins since the establishment of their regulatory roles in a myriad of pathological processes. In the last two decades, many research efforts have been dedicated to the development of sirtuin modulators. Although synthetic sirtuin modulators are the focus, natural modulators remain an integral part to be further explored in this area as they are found to possess therapeutic potent Read More

Dengue, the oldest and the most prevalent mosquito-borne illness, is caused by the dengue virus (DENV), from the family of Flaviviridae. It infects approximately 400 million individuals per annum, with approximately half of the global population residing in high-risk areas. The factors attributed to the geographic expansion of dengue, include urbanization, population density, modern means of transportation, international travels, Read More