Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 8, Issue 4, 2001

a-Conotoxins are small disulfide rich peptides from the venoms of marine cone snails. They target specific nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes with high affinity and potency and are therefore valuable as neuropharmacological probes and potential drug leads. This article gives a general overview of the chemical and biological features of a-conotoxins, including their pharmacology, binding interactions and structu Read More

Due to their ability to perform reactions in a stereo- and regiospecific manner, while functioning under mild conditions of temperature and pH, enzymes are increasingly used for chiral synthesis in the pharmaceutical industry, in medicinal chemistry, agriculture, cosmetic and food industry. The oxidoreductases as catalysts require a coenzyme (cofactor) which functions as an electron carrier. If used in stoichiometric amount Read More

This review focuses on the most recent research findings on adverse reactions caused by quinolone antibiotics. Reactions of the gastrointestinal tract, the central nervous system (CNS) and the skin are the most often observed adverse effects. Occasionally major events such as phototoxicity, cardiotoxicity, arthropathy and tendinitis occurr, leading to significant tolerability problems.Over the years, several structure-activity and Read More

In the search for effective, selective, and nontoxic antiviral and antitumour agents, a variety of strategies have been devised to design nucleoside analogs. These strategies have involved several formal modifications of the naturally occurring nucleosides, especially, alteration of the carbohydrate moiety. Since the naturally occurring purine nucleoside analog oxetanocin A and its derivatives have been found to be effe Read More

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-containing enzymes involved in the degradation and remodeling of extracellular matrix proteins. The activities of these enzymes are well regulated by endogenous tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Chronic stimulation of MMP activities due to an imbalance in the levels of MMPs and TIMPs has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases suc Read More