Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 28, Issue 40, 2021

Background: Natural biopolymers have drawn extensive attention because of their great biocompatibility, biodegradability, renewability, and the availability of various reactive functional groups for modifying and introducing novel components. In the last few years, numerous natural biopolymer composites have been exploited to improve their physical and chemical properties and add new functionalities. Methods: He Read More

Phage display is a powerful high-throughput screening technology that presents a large and diverse selection of functional peptides, proteins, or antibody fragments on phage capsid surfaces for affinity determination towards a target of interest. Due to its advantages of a large screening capacity, mass production through fermentation, and straightforward execution, phage display has been widely used in bioengineering Read More

Background: Recently, there has been increasing interest in nanomaterials processed using renewable and sustainable resources. Nanocellulose-based materials are of paramount value in the applications of biomedicine owing to their tailorable surface modification, favorable optical transparency, good hydrophilicity, excellent biocompatibility, and outstanding mechanical properties. Objective: In the review, the recen Read More

Background: Cellulose, having huge reserves of natural polymers, has been widely applied in pharmaceutical and biomedicine fields due to its good biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity and excellent mechanical properties. At present, water- resistant metal-based and petroleum-based materials applied in the medical field have obvious problems of poor biocompatibility and high cost. Therefore, water-resistant cellulose- Read More

Background: Bacterial cellulose (BC) and its derivatives are a rich source of renewable natural ingredients, which are of great significance for biomedical and medical applications but have not yet been fully exploited. BC is a high-purity, biocompatible, and versatile biomaterial that can be used alone or in combination with other ingredients such as polymers and nanoparticles to provide different structural organization and Read More

The recent pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2, the last isolated human betacoronavirus, has revolutionized modern knowledge of the pathogenesis of viral pneumonia. The lack of specific antiviral drugs and the need to develop adequate research for new antiviral drugs capable of treating this new form of the disease undertook three different research paths quickly. The first one is aimed to test antiviral molecules already present in Read More

Progressive globalization of our society brings not only worldwide integration, it also increases and promotes our exposure to new viral pathogens with evident impacts on our global health. Especially with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, our biomedical research infrastructure has never been more compelled to rapidly develop antiviral regimens that demonstrate improved efficacy against these pathogens. Here, we showcase Read More

Prostate cancer (PCa) carries a growing burden on society. Lack of curative treatment and poor prognosis among patients with advanced PCa imply an urgent need for novel and improved drug identification. This is hampered by the disease's high molecular heterogeneity and complex molecular pathophysiology, resulting in drugs being efficient in a few patients and cancer developing resistance to treatment. De novo drug discov Read More

This mini-review focuses on the investigation of novel nitrogen-containing steroid derivatives that are potentially applicable for prostate cancer treatment. It covers the literature of the last decade, highlighting the structure of new steroid compounds that exhibit significant activity in prostate cancer cells and possess pharmacological potency. New derivatives of known anti-prostate cancer agents: abiraterone and galeterone, Read More

Background: Cell heterogeneity exists among different tissues, even in the same type of cells. Cell heterogeneity leads to a difference in cell size, functions, biological activity, and for cancer cells it causes different drug responses and resistance. Meanwhile, microfluidics is a promising tool for single-cell research to reveal cell heterogeneity. Methods: Through literature research conducted over the past ten years on microfluidic Read More