Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 24, Issue 10, 2023

Background: Small, non-coding microRNAs, usually of 20-25 nucleotides, are known to regulate the post-transcriptional gene expression, which has a significant role in human biological processes, including immune-biogenesis, homeostasis and infection control as differential expression of such miRNAs is responsible for fine-tuning the organismic development. Methods: A search of bibliographic databases was carried out with a Read More

Terpenoids are naturally occurring secondary metabolites that consist of isoprene units (i.e., 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene). Terpenoids became recognized because of their diverse pharmacological benefits, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, hepatoprotective, antiviral, and antiparasitic activities. But most of these compounds have limited lipophilicity, dissolution rat Read More

The nature of phages was a matter of dispute, which was resolved in 1940, and it was continued to develop their activity and application in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Bacteriophages were first employed in 1919 to treat bacterial illnesses caused by Citrobacter, Enterobacter, and Pseudomonas. Bacteriophages range in complexity from simple spherical viruses with genome sizes of less than 5 kbp to complicated vi Read More

Antioxidant enzymes being an integral part of the defense mechanism have a crucial role in cellular metabolism, essential for healthy growth and living of the cells. The main function is to scavenge and degrade the free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Endogenous antioxidant enzymes present in mitochondria, cytosol, and other cellular parts participate in capturing and repairing Read More

Bacterial infections continue to jeopardize human and animal health, impacting millions of lives by causing significant deaths every year. The use of antibiotics remains the primary choice of therapy and has only been partly successful in reducing the disease burden due to the evolving nature of resistant microbes. Widespread and inappropriate use of antibiotics resulted in the development of antibiotic-resistant microbial species Read More

Background: Chrysin (CH) is one of the important natural flavonoids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The aim of this study was to assess the protective effects of CH on biochemical indexes and histopathological changes in the liver of male Wistar rats exposed to chlorpyrifos (CPF). Methods: We induced sub-chronic toxicity in rats using CPF (10 mg/kg/day, orally) and administrated CH at 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg Read More

Background: In recent years, the delivery of drugs by nanocomposites has emerged as an exciting field of research for bio-imaging tools and targeted cancer treatment. The large surface area and porous volume of mesoporous silica nanocomposites (MSN’s) have gained a lot of interest for their application in the delivery of drugs and the magnetic properties of iron oxide (IO) nanocomposites play a key role in the targete Read More

Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be comorbid with depression, often leading to the prescription of both methylphenidate (MP) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, such as fluoxetine (FLX). Moreover, these drugs are often misused as cognitive enhancers. This study examined the effects of chronic oral co-administration of MP and FLX on depressive- and an Read More

Background: Peptide-Fc fusion proteins are inherently heterogeneous and complex molecules. Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) or truncation can arise during manufacturing or product storage. Some of these product attributes could potentially impact the efficacy or safety of the bio-molecule and are thus classified as critical quality attributes (CQAs). These CQAs should be controlled in order to ensure manufa Read More

Background: Streptokinase, one of the most widely used thrombolytic medicines, is a favorable protein for site-specific PEGylation as it lacks any cysteine residues in its amino acid sequence; however, any changes in the protein’s structure should be carefully planned to avoid undesired changes in its function. Objectives: This study aimed to design and produce novel di/tri-cysteine variants of streptokinase from previousl Read More

Background: Lung cancer is a major threat to public health and remains difficult to treat. Repositioning of existing drugs has emerged as a therapeutic strategy in lung cancer. Clinically, low-dose montelukast has been used to treat asthma. Objective: We evaluated the potential of using montelukast to treat lung cancer. Methods: Migration was detected using wound-healing and Transwell assays, the expression of CysLT1 Read More