Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 22, Issue 5, 2021

Ginseng, also known as the king of herbs, has been regarded as an important traditional medicine for several millennia. Ginsenosides, a group of triterpenoid saponins, have been characterized as bioactive compounds of ginseng. The complexity of ginsenosides hindered ginseng research and development both in cultivation and clinical research. Therefore, deciphering the ginsenoside biosynthesis pathway has been a focus of i Read More

Legalization of Cannabis in countries, like Canada, and global demand for non-hallucinating chemical components, such as Cannabidiols (CBD), have stimulated the increased interest from academics, industry, and regulatory agencies. Subsequent research publications in scientific journals in this field are expected to grow rapidly. However, there have been few research reviews that have quantified patterns in research public Read More

Medicinal plants are rich sources of natural bioactive compounds used to treat many diseases. With the development of the health industry, the market demands for Chinese medicine have been rapidly increasing in recent years. However, over-utilization of herbal plants would cause serious ecological problems. Therefore, an effective approach should be developed to produce the pharmaceutically important natural drugs. H Read More

Background: Osteoporosis, characterized by bone loss, usually occurs with the increased bone resorption and decreased bone formation. H2O2-induced MC3T3-E1 cells are commonly used for the study of osteoblastic activities, which play a crucial role in bone formation. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of Phosphocreatine (PCr) on the osteoblastic activities in H2O2-induced MC3T3-E1 cells and elaborate o Read More

Aims: Enhancement of anti-tumor activity of the chemotherapeutic agent CUR by redoxsensitive nanoparticle to get a deeper insight into cancer therapy. Background: Tumor targetability and stimulus are widely used to study the delivery of drugs for cancer diagnosis and treatment because poor cellular uptake and inadequate intracellular drug release lead to inefficient delivery of anticancer agents to tumor tissue. Objective: Read More

Background: Cancer is one of the leading cause of death worldwide. Besides current therapies and treatments to counter cancer, new alternatives are required to diminish the cell proliferation of oncogenic processes. Methods: One of the most promissory therapy includes the use of blue scorpion venom as a specific cytotoxic agent to kill tumoral cells, including Glioblastoma multiforme. Objectives: We show evidence of th Read More

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide and a leading cause of death in Jordan. BCL-2 and MCL-1 are anti-apoptotic proteins that inhibit programmed cell death and their over-expression has been shown to be associated with reduced sensitivity to chemotherapy and poor survival in cancer patients. Objectives: In the present study, three SNPs in the promoter region of antiapoptotic Read More

Objective: L-Asparaginase is an important enzyme that converts L-asparagine to L-aspartate and ammonia. Microbial L-asparaginase has important applications as anticancer and food processing agents. Methods: This study reported the isolation, screening of a local yeast isolate from banana peel for L-asparaginase production using submerged fermentation, optimization of the production, purification, and anticancer assay of Read More

Background: Timosaponin A-III is one of the most promising active saponins from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. As an oral chemotherapeutic agent, there is an urgent need to clarify its biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics to improve its development potential. Objective: This research explores the bioavailability of timosaponin A-III and clarifies its absorption and metabolism mechanisms by a sensitive and specific HPLC Read More

Background: Resistance of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) to antibiotics is increasing worldwide. The study was aimed to understand the current situation of antibiotic resistance in Nanjing and to provide a reasonable basis for clinical selection of antibiotics to cure H. pylori. Objective: To investigate the current status of H. pylori antibiotics resistance in the Nanjing area, and analyze the primary and post-treatment antibioti Read More

Background: Incoherent use of antibiotics has led toward resistance in MRSA, becoming multidrug-resistant with a high rate of virulence in the community and hospital settings. Objective: Synergistic anti-MRSA activity was investigated in this study for hybrid material composite spheres of amoxicillin, Ag nanoparticles, and chitosan, which were prepared by one-step synthesis method, and various characterizations were perf Read More

Background: In cancer, an excessive and uncontrolled process of creating new blood and lymphatic vessels that play a key role in the metastasis process can be observed. The Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-A,-B,-C,-D) family together with their specific receptors (VEGFR-1,-2,- 3) plays a key role in these processes, therefore, it would be reasonable to determine the correct pattern of their expression. Objectives: T Read More

Background: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) such as stroke, high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, ischemic heart disease and acute myocardial infarction are some of the leading causes of death. To treat CVDs, commercially available thrombolytic agents are widely used. However, these thrombolytic agents have various side effects. Alternatively, fibrinolytic enzymes from bacterial sources are highly safe Read More