Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 15, Issue 12, 2015

Vitamin D (VD) deficiency has re-emerged, after more than hundred years, as a public health problem worldwide. Asthma and allergic disorders constitute another major public health problem with studies having recorded increasing prevalences worldwide since the decade of the 60s. Most of the available experimental and epidemiologic evidence point towards a causal association between low levels of VD and the developme Read More

Vitamin D has been increasingly recognized as being involved in a wide spectrum of biological actions, including significant immunomodulatory effects. The cystic fibrosis (CF) airways are characterized by dysregulated and disproportionately increased, in relation to the underlying bacterial stimuli, inflammatory responses. Vitamin D downregulates pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that promote tissue destruction, Read More

Inasmuch as many infants develop allergic symptoms early in infancy, and exposure to allergens may be important in the development of food allergies, there is great interest in maternal dietary strategies during pregnancy and lactation that may prevent food allergies, and thus reduce the burden of disease. Vitamin D levels are known to be associated with atopic disease development in early infancy; however, existing data Read More

The crystal structures of the D3 dopamine receptor and several other G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) were published in recent times. Those 3D structures are used by us and other scientists as a template for the homology modeling and ligand docking analysis of related GPCRs. Our main scientific interest lies in the field of pharmacologically active N-arylpiperazines that exhibit antipsychotic and/or antidepressant propertie Read More

A wide range of health benefits have been attributed to wheatgrass, the young grass of the common wheat plant Triticum aestivum. Its components include chlorophyll, flavonoids, and vitamins C and E. Forms of wheatgrass include fresh juice, frozen juice, tablets, and powders, with compositions varying according to their production processes, as well as to the growing conditions of the wheatgrass. Laboratory in vitro Read More

With a long history of clinical use, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is emerging as a noticeable choice for its multi-level, multi-target and coordinated intervention effects against tumor. Recently, many agents from CHM have shown powerful anti-angiogenic activities against tumor. In this review, we discussed the anti-tumor angiogenic activities of 6 kinds of agents from CHM (sulfated polysaccharides/glycopeptides, fla Read More

Epilepsy is a serious brain condition characterized by recurring seizures. It affects millions of people across the globe. Much advancement in the past has improved the understanding of the underlying pathophysiology and risk factors for epilepsy. These advances have led to the development of both new terminologies and classification as well as treatment strategies for the disease. Despite the fact that various antiepileptic dr Read More