Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 15, Issue 4, 2015

The use of the nanotechnology in the development of new drugs has had in the last years a very widespread presence in the pharmaceutical industry. Diverse diseases that are treated by means of conventional administration systems as capsules, covered tablets or injectable not always have the therapeutic effect expected due to its bioavailability, solubility in aqueous medium and the stability of the excipients that they a Read More

Coordination compounds are substances in which a central metal atom is bonded to nonmetal atoms, or groups of atoms, called ligands. Examples include vitamin B12, hemoglobin, chlorophyll, dyes and pigments, as well as catalysts used in organic synthesis. Coordination compounds have received much attention in recent years. This interest was prompted by the discovery that several coordination compounds exhibit activi Read More

Nitric oxide (NO) is known to have dichotomous effects on cancer biology, acting as a pro- or antineoplastic agent. Low concentrations of NO are reported to promote tumor growth, whereas high NO influx acts as a potent tumor repressor, leading to cytotoxicity and apoptosis. There is increasing interest in developing NO-releasing materials as potent tumoricidal agents in which high and localized concentrations of NO Read More

During the last ten years, graphene oxide has been explored in many applications due to its remarkable electroconductivity, thermal properties and mobility of charge carriers, among other properties. As discussed in this review, the literature suggests that a total characterization of graphene oxide must be conducted because oxidation debris (synthesis impurities) present in the graphene oxides could act as a graphene oxide s Read More

The current review aims to outline the likely medical applications of nanotechnology and the potential of the emerging field of nanomedicine. Nanomedicine can be defined as the investigation area encompassing the design of diagnostics and therapeutics at the nanoscale, including nanobots, nanobiosensors, nanoparticles and other nanodevices, for the remediation, prevention and diagnosis of a variety of illnesses. Read More

New biocompatible nanomaterials are leading to a range of emerging health treatments. Thus, peptide drugs present in oral diseases, such as caries, periodontal diseases and oral cancer, are highlighting into clinical practice because the peptides can have an influence the growth of tumor cells or microorganisms and its can exhibit direct cytotoxic activity towards cancer cells or microbial cells. Therefore, it is interesting to s Read More

Nasal delivery has become a growing area of interest for drug administration as a consequence of several practical advantages, such as ease of administration and non-invasiveness. Moreover, the avoidance of hepatic first-pass metabolism and rapid and efficient absorption across the permeable nasal mucosa offer a promising alternative to other traditional administration routes, such as oral or parenteral delivery. In f Read More

Blindness and visual impairment affect millions of people worldwide and have a very important impact on patients quality of life. Proteins and peptides represent nowadays an important therapeutic tool for the treatment of ocular diseases but, despite their potential, have significant limitations, as the administration of protein-based pharmaceuticals represents a real challenge. Moreover, administration of ocular medi Read More

Pulmonary drug delivery represents the best way of treating lung diseases, since it allows direct delivery of the drug to the site of action, with few systemic effects. Meanwhile, the lungs may be used as a portal of entry to the body, allowing systemic delivery of drugs via the airway surfaces into the bloodstream. In both cases, the therapeutic effect of the inhaled drug can be optimized by embedding it in appropriately engineered Read More

Chitosan (CS) based nanocarriers have been extensively studied starting from early 90s. The unique properties of CS and in particular its capability to interact with various epithelia and its mucoadhesion potential have attracted many researchers. The mild preparation conditions of CS nanosystems offer the opportunities to load stress sensitive hydrophilic macromolecules such as proteins and genetic materials. Moreov Read More