Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 23, Issue 21, 2017

Background: Numerous theoretical studies have been performed to iteratively optimize the physicochemical properties such as dendrimer size and surface constituents in solution, as well as their molecular recognition properties for drugs, lipid membranes, nucleic acids and proteins, etc. Molecular modeling approaches such as docking and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations have supported experimental efforts by provi Read More

Dendrimers are monodisperse, regular, three-dimensional and small-scale macromolecules that can be used to release substances such as drugs, markers, and genetic material into the cells. Among these substances, nucleic acids such as plasmid DNA, antisense oligonucleotides (asODN), and small-interfering RNA (siRNA) are widely used as therapeutic macromolecules for the treatment and prevention of diverse diseases. Sev Read More

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to medicine. This field is related to the study of nanodevices and nanomaterials applied to various medical uses, such as in improving the pharmacological properties of different molecules. Dendrimers are synthetic nanoparticles whose physicochemical properties vary according to their chemical structure. These molecules have been extensively investigated as drug nan Read More

Background: Disseminated metastatic cancer requires insistent management owing to its reduced responsiveness for chemotherapeutic agents, toxicity to normal cells consequently lower survival rate and hampered quality of life of patients. Methods: Dendrimer mediated cancer therapy is advantageous over conventional chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical resection due to reduced systemic toxicity, and molecular le Read More

Ovarian cancer, the worldwide leading cause of gynecological cancer-related death, is primarily treated by surgery followed by platinum chemotherapy. Though the tumor initially responds to the treatment, only 30% of 5 year survival period has been recorded and this is mainly attributed to the acquired chemo resistance and frequent recurrence of tumor. Combination chemotherapy as well, led to therapeutic f Read More

Background: The brain is a well-protected organ, with a complex system of cells, proteins and transporters, that acts as a sentinel to prevent potentially harmful substances from entering the brain, stopping also active molecules administered with a therapeutic goal. Although their limited exploitation, dendrimers are currently under evaluation as drug vectors to improve pharmacological treatments, targeting active molec Read More

Background: Lipid nanoparticles have been studied mainly as a means of transporting and releasing drugs. A special emphasis has been placed on designing nanoparticles that improve the delivery of drugs with targets in the central nervous system. Methods: The biomedical literature was searched for basic and clinical studies. The recent applications are described and related with their bioactivities. Results: The current rev Read More

Background: Dendrimers are hyperbranched polymeric nanomaterials increasingly used in research, industrial and biomedical applications. Establishing safety profile of these particles includes an understanding of their interactions with blood components and the immune system. Method: Herein I review the literature demonstrating how tuning dendrimer physicochemical properties influences their interaction with Read More

Background: Dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers are emerging polymer architectures that attract increasing attention due to their unique topological structure and interesting physicochemical properties. Their enormous potential makes them particularly attractive to form new and fascinating nanometric drug delivery systems, solving several typical shortcomings encountered in nanomedicine. Objective: In this cont Read More

Background: Mood disorders, consisting of unipolar and bipolar depression, are complex diseases characterized by depressed mood and anhedonia. These core symptoms are accompanied in a varying manner by anxiety, several neurovegetative symptoms and cognitive impairment. Mood disorders are characterized by decreases in neurogenesis, alteration in synaptic structure and synaptic transmission, all of them r Read More

Exploring a new target for antibacterial drug discovery has gained much attention because of the emergence of Multidrug Resistance (MDR) strains of bacteria. To overcome this problem the development of novel antibacterial was considered as highest priority task and was one of the biggest challenge since multiple factors were involved. The bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthetic pathway has been well documented in the last f Read More