Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 23, Issue 17, 2017

Background: Compounds and extracts derived from natural sources continue to stand in the spotlight of drug design owing to their versatile interaction with enzymes, receptors and metabolic pathways. Nanomedicine offers an operative tool for the efficient delivery of natural products, in terms of increased bioavailability, targeting, and controlled release while protecting active constituents against physico-chemical alterati Read More

Background: Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of a lot of age-related pathologies and some types of cancers. Carotenoids have shown antioxidant properties, due to the ability to quench singlet oxygen and to scavenge free radicals that may prevent and treat a wide range of chronic diseases. The aim of this review is to discuss the clinical evidence present in literature about the effects of carotenoids on huma Read More

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a spectrum of diseases involving the heart and blood vessels, and the first cause of mortality worldwide. Medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years to treat CVD. In Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM), there is a special focus on heart diseases. Avicenna, a Persian physician of the eleventh century compiled a book devoted to this field named “The treatise on cardi Read More

The chemical structure of polyphenols consisting of aromatic rings, capable of quenching free radicals, makes them ideal candidates to protect against oxidation. Polyphenols are present in a variety of foods including grapes, berries, dark chocolate, coffee and tea to mention a few. A number of studies have shown that dietary polyphenols exert a protective effect against hypertension, dyslipidemias, inflammation, end Read More

The prevalence of hypertension (HTN) worldwide is high and is constantly rising. HTN is considered to be a silent killer since often there are no obvious symptoms but long-term, HTN significantly increases the risk of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases. Those with diagnosed HTN or at high risk of its development, should start blood pressure (BP) lowering therapy based on natural methods including: Read More

Background: The endothelium is a large paracrine organ regulating cell growth, vascular tone and thrombogenicity as well as platelet and leukocyte interactions. Endothelial function can be assessed by noninvasive techniques [e.g. flow-mediated vasodilation, nitroglycerin-mediated dilation and pulse wave velocity] and measuring specific circulating biomarkers [cell adhesion molecules, endothelial microparticles and endothelial Read More

Background: Tea and coffee are the second and third most consumed beverages after water, respectively. The high consumption of these beverages is due to the sensorial properties and effects on psychological and physiological functions, induced by caffeine and many other bioactive components responsible for the protective effects on human health generally ascribed to these beverages. Methods: The goal of this rev Read More

Background: The prevalence of premature atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is constantly increasing worldwide. It has been proved that LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) plays causal role in the development of coronary atherosclerosis. The fact that atherosclerosis is a chronic and progressive disease which onsets during the first three decades of life bores questions what to do to maintain LDL-C at low levels throug Read More

Several risk factors such as abnormality of lipid metabolism (e.g. high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), elevated triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)) play a central role in the aetiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Nutraceutical combination together with a cholesterol- lowering action, when associated with suitable lifestyle, should furnish an alternative to pharma Read More

Background: Most of the active pharmaceutical ingredients discovered recently in pharmaceutical field exhibits poor aqueous solubility that pose major problem in their oral administration. The oral administration of these drugs gets further complicated due to their short bioavailability, inconsistent absorption and inter/intra subject variability. Methods: Pharmaceutical emulsion holds a significant place as a primary choic Read More

Metformin, a synthetic biguanide, is currently one of the most frequently recommended medications for type 2 diabetes treatment around the world. This review presents the latest discoveries in the pharmacokinetics of metformin, especially the role of transporters (e.g. Organic Cation Transporters OCTs, Multidrug and Toxin Extrusion transporters MATE) in oral absorption, distribution, elimination and biochemical effects Read More