Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders) - Volume 13, Issue 5, 2013

The interest that surrounds the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is due not only to its causal role in several gastroduodenal diseases, but also to its supposed involvement in the pathogenesis of extra-gastric manifestations. This review provides a literature update on the hypothetic correlation between H. pylori and headache. To identify all publications on this issue, a MEDLINE search of all studies published in English Read More

Tuberculosis (TB) remains as one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. It is one of the main causes of death in poor and developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where it may be associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It has been estimated that one third of the world population is infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), and there were about 8.7 million new Read More

Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. This disease, with roughly 170 million new infected people worldwide per year, is associated with various problems such as pre-term delivery, high infant mortality or low birth weight. In addition, trichomoniasis increases patient susceptibility to HIV infection. The mainstay medication for trichomoniasis Read More

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania, transmitted by the bite of some sandfly species. It is endemic in 88 countries throughout the world. Pentavalent antimonials are the standard therapy for leismaniasis. Saffron (crocus sativus) belongs to the iridaceae family. This paper will outline the benefits and challenges of repurposing saffron for treating leishmaniasis.

Anti-retroviral drug resistance evolves as an inevitable consequence of expanded combination Anti-retroviral Therapy (cART). According to each drug class, resistance mutations may occur due to the infidel nature of HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) and inadequate drug pressures. Correspondingly, resistance to Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) occurs due to incorporation impairment of the agent Read More

The L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO) is a multifunctional enzyme, able to partake in different activities including antibacterial activity. In this study, a novel LAAO (Mb-LAAO) was isolated from the venom of M. bornmuelleri snake using size exclusion chromatography followed by RP-HPLC and partially characterized. However, the molecular weight of the Mb-LAAO determined by ESI-MS and SDS-PAGE was 59 960.4 Da. Once the Read More

The design, synthesis, structure and the antimycobacterial activities of a new class of nitrogen heterocycles, namely N1-substituted-diphenyl ether-bis-pyridazine (BP), is presented. An efficient, facile and straight applicable method for preparation of BP derivatives is described. The primary cycle high throughput screening reveals that two BP compounds, 2a and 3b, are potent inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), Read More

The discovery and exploitation of new drug targets is a key focus for both the pharmaceutical industry and academic research. To provide an insight into trends in the exploitation of new drug targets, we have analysed different methods during the past six decades and advances made in drug target discovery. A special focus remains on different methods used for drug target discovery on infectious diseases such as Tuber Read More