Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 8, Issue 14, 2008

This review article describes the current TB drugs, their merits and demerits as well as the new promising anti- TB agents such as diarylquinolines, oxazolidinones and nitroimdiazoles. It also includes the future development of new antitubercular agents according to the potential drug targets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and structure-activity relationship studies on important anti-TB drugs.

The increased intake of omega-6 fatty acids together with the widely use of omega-3 supplements in Western diets can affect the host defence against infectious diseases. In the present review we focused on the impact of these fatty acids on salmonella and mycobacteria infection models in animals or in cell cultures. Particular attention was given to the molecular mechanisms involved.

Corticosteroids have represented the mainstay of medical treatment for induction of remission in inflammatory bowel disease. Aim of this paper is to review mechanisms of action, safety and efficacy of beclomethasone dipropionate, a steroid with enhanced topical intestinal activity and low systemic activity, in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Tricyclic compounds are sometimes considered as synonima of drugs healing central nervous system pathologies, although there are some well known examples of tricyclic derivatives marketed for different indications, such as antihistamines, antivirals and antiulceratives. Following the insertion of tricyclic structures in the “privileged structures” pool, several compounds bearing a central 7-membered ring and two aryl ri Read More

Dysregulation of apoptosis is a major contributor to the initiation and aggravation of liver injury. Agents that modulate apoptosis may be of therapeutic benefit in a number of liver diseases, and research related to cell type-specific activation or inhibition of apoptotic signaling pathways will provide new strategies for treatment.

An important objective of brain tumor modeling is to predict the progression of tumors so as to provide guidance about the best possible medical treatment to halt or slow the tumor's growth. Such computer models also provide a deeper insight into the physiology of tumors. In addition, one can study various what-if scenarios, for instance, investigating the response of tumors following the administration of a drug or a variety Read More

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), is defined as a failure of the pulmonary vasculature to relax at birth and consequently of the normal adaptation to extra uterine life of the fetal heart/lung system, resulting in hypoxemia. This condition, occurs in about 1-2 newborns per 1000 live births and despite significant improvements in treatment it is associated with substantial infant mortality and morbidity. Over t Read More

Cancer cells undergo mitosis frequently, and many mitotic regulators are aberrantly expressed in these cells. Members of the Aurora family of serine/threonine kinases are expressed during mitosis and carry out vital functions in chromosome alignment, segregation and cytokinesis. Here we review the functions of Aurora-B kinases in mitosis and summarize the current literature on Aurora-B kinase inhibitors. In the process of Read More

New drugs are introduced to the market every year and each individual drug represents a privileged structure for its biological target. These new chemical entities (NCEs) provide insights into molecular recognition and also serve as leads for designing future new drugs. This review covers the syntheses of 19 NCEs marketed in 2007.

In this paper the physiological role of NO and isoforms of NOS in the gastrointestinal tract and the involvement of NO in pathological processes of digestive tract as well as the perspective of therapeutic use of NO-donating drugs and selective inhibitors of phosphodiesterase in the treatment of gastric diseases were presented.