Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Thiazole-Based Peptides
Peptides are distinctive biomacromolecules that demonstrate potential cytotoxicity and diversified bioactivities against a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, mycobacteria, and fungi via their unique mechanisms of action. Among broad-ranging pharmacologically active peptides, natural marine-originated thiazole-based oligopeptides possess peculiar structural features along with a wide spectrum of exceptional and potent bioproperties. Because of their complex nature and size divergence, thiazole-based peptides (TBPs) bestow a pivotal chemical platform in drug discovery processes to generate competent scaffolds for regulating allosteric binding sites and peptide–peptide interactions. The present study dissertates on the natural reservoirs and exclusive structural components of marine-originated TBPs, with a special focus on their most pertinent pharmacological profiles, which may impart vital resources for the development of novel peptide-based therapeutic agents.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Synthesis of Metabolite of Resveratrol by Beauveria bassiana
Resveratrol is a well-known dietary polyphenol because it has a variety of beneficial biological activities. The fungus Beauveria bassiana is one of the most frequently used microorganisms for the biotransformation of polyphenols. Recently, resvebassianol A (2), a glycosylated metabolite of resveratrol by B. bassiana, was isolated and structurally elucidated. It was demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant, regenerative, and anti-inflammatory activities with no cytotoxicity. Here, we report the first total synthesis of resvebassianol A, 4'-O-β-(4'"-O-methylglucopyranosyl)resveratrol (2), and its regiomer, 3-O-β-(4 -O-methylglucopyranosyl)resveratrol (3). Key reactions include (i) the construction of a stilbene core via a novel Heck reaction of aryl halides and styrenes, and (ii) glycosylation with unnatural methylglucopyranosyl bromide. The glycosylation step was carefully optimized by varying the bases and solvents. Resveratrol metabolites 2 and 3 were obtained at 7.5% and 6.3% of the overall yield, respectively.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Chikungunya Virus
Arboviruses, in general, are a global threat due to their morbidity and mortality, which results in an important social and economic impact. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), one of the most relevant arbovirus currently known, is a re-emergent virus that causes a disease named chikungunya fever, characterized by a severe arthralgia (joint pains) that can persist for several months or years in some individuals. Until now, no vaccine or specific antiviral drug is commercially available. Nitrogen heterocyclic scaffolds are found in medications, such as aristeromycin, favipiravir, fluorouracil, 6-azauridine, thioguanine, pyrimethamine, among others. New families of natural and synthetic nitrogen analogous compounds are reported to have significant anti-CHIKV effects. In the present work, we focus on these nitrogen-based heterocyclic compounds as an important class with CHIKV antiviral activity.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Curcumin against Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are one of major public health problems and their impact is continuously growing. Curcumin has been proposed for the treatment of several of these pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) due to the ability of this molecule to reduce inflammation and aggregation of involved proteins. 
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Ketogenic Diet in Cancer Prevention/Therapy
The ketogenic diet (KD) has recently emerged as a metabolic therapy in cancer treatment, targeting cancer cell metabolism rather than a conventional dietary approach. The ketogenic diet (KD), a high-fat and very-low-carbohydrate with adequate amounts of protein, has shown antitumor effects by reducing energy supplies to cells. This low energy supply inhibits tumor growth, explaining the ketogenic diet’s therapeutic mechanisms in cancer treatment.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Surface Functionalization of Magnetic Nanoparticles
The surface functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has witnessed significant progress recently, revolutionizing their utility in multimodal imaging, drug delivery, and catalysis. This progression, spanning over the last decade, has unfolded in discernible phases, each marked by distinct advancements and paradigm shifts. In the early stage, emphasis was placed on foundational techniques, such as ligand exchange and organic coatings, establishing the groundwork for innovations to come.
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Proteasome Structure and Function in Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM) is an aggressive and incurable disease for most patients, characterized by periods of treatment, remission and relapse. The introduction of new classes of drugs, such as proteasome inhibitors (PIs), has improved survival outcomes in these patient populations. The proteasome is the core of the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS), a complex and conserved pathway involved in the control of multiple cellular processes, including cell cycle control, transcription, DNA damage repair, protein quality control and antigen presentation. 
  • 1.2K
  • 23 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Lysophosphatidic Acid and Cancer
Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid mediator primarily derived from membrane phospholipids. LPA initiates cellular effects upon binding to a family of G protein-coupled receptors, termed LPA receptors (LPAR1 to LPAR6). LPA signaling drives cell migration and proliferation, cytokine production, thrombosis, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Jul 2021
Topic Review
On-Demand Drug Delivery Systems Using Nanofibers
On-demand drug-delivery systems using nanofibers are extensively applicable for customized drug release based on target location and timing to achieve the desired therapeutic effects. A nanofiber formulation is typically created for a certain medication and changing the drug may have a significant impact on the release kinetics from the same delivery system. Nanofibers have several distinguishing features and properties, including the ease with which they may be manufactured, the variety of materials appropriate for processing into fibers, a large surface area, and a complex pore structure. Nanofibers with effective drug-loading capabilities, controllable release, and high stability have gained the interest of researchers owing to their potential applications in on-demand drug delivery systems.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Bioactivity of Bisindolylmaleimides and Derivatives
Bisindolylmaleimide (BIM)-type compounds arise from natural sources such as arcyriarubin and are biosynthetically related to indolocarbazoles. BIMs are commonly the immediate synthetic precursors of indolocarbazoles, lacking a central bond between the two aromatic units and making them more flexible and drug-like. Synthetic endeavours within this class of compounds are broad and have led to the development of both remarkably potent and selective protein kinase inhibitors. Clinical BIM examples include ruboxistaurin and enzastaurin, which are highly active inhibitors of protein kinase C-β. While BIMs are widely recognised as protein kinase inhibitors, other modes of activity have been reported, including the inhibition of calcium signalling and antimicrobial activity. BIMs can be highly functionalised or chemically manipulated, which provides the opportunity to generate new derivatives with unique biological profiles. Critically, structural differences can be used to exploit new bioactivity and therefore it is imperative to discover new chemical entities to address new targets. 
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Botanicals in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease characterized by reduced bone mass and the deterioration of bone microarchitecture leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. Conventional anti-osteoporotic pharmaceutics are effective in the treatment and prophylaxis of osteoporosis, however they are associated with various side effects that push many women into seeking botanicals as an alternative therapy. 
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Fundamentals of Rhenium-188 Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry
The β− emitter, rhenium-188 (188Re), has long been recognized as an attractive candidate for targeted cancer radionuclide therapy (TRNT). This transition metal shares chemical similarities with its congener element technetium, whose nuclear isomer technetium-99m (99mTc) is the current workhorse of diagnostic nuclear medicine. This pair of elements forms a characteristic matched pair for chemical and medical research and applications.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Cannabis sativa Bioactive Compounds in Colorectal Cancer
Cannabis sativa is a multipurpose plant that has been used in medicine for centuries. Considerable research has focused on the bioactive compounds of this plant, particularly cannabinoids and terpenes. Among other properties, these compounds exhibit antitumor effects in several cancer types, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Cannabinoids show positive effects in the treatment of CRC by inducing apoptosis, proliferation, metastasis, inflammation, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, and autophagy. Terpenes, such as β-caryophyllene, limonene, and myrcene, have also been reported to have potential antitumor effects on CRC through the induction of apoptosis, the inhibition of cell proliferation, and angiogenesis. In addition, synergy effects between cannabinoids and terpenes are believed to be important factors in the treatment of CRC. 
  • 1.2K
  • 18 May 2023
Topic Review
Regenerative Medicine Bioconjugated Hydrogel Scaffolds
Materials used for regenerative medicine purposes pose a series of challenges in terms of biocompatibility, adaptability and functionality. A way to design functional and compatible materials that mimic soft tissue is to exploit synthetic hydrogels. To widen their activity scope, hydrogels can be coupled with molecular cues to promote tissue regeneration or trigger regeneration processes. Within this entry we asses the criteria to choose the design of a bioconjugated for regenerative medicine purposes, giving relevant examples from the current literature.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Taccalonolides
Taccalonolides are a new class of microtube-stabilizing agents isolated from plants of the genus Tacca demonstrating effectiveness against drug-resistant tumors in cellular and animal models.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Structural biology in coronavirus-receptor interaction
Mass spectrometry and some other biophysical methods, have made substantial contributions to the studies on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human proteins interactions. The most interesting feature of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be the structure of its spike (S) protein and its interaction with the human cell receptor. Mass spectrometry of spike S protein revealed how the glycoforms are distributed across the S protein surface. X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy made huge impact on the studies on the S protein and ACE2 receptor protein interaction, by elucidating the three-dimensional structures of these proteins and their conformational changes. The findings of the most recent studies in the scope of SARS-CoV-2-Human protein-protein interactions are described here.
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Sep 2020
Topic Review
HDAC8 in Different Diseases
Histone deacetylases (HDACs), also known as lysine deacetylases (KDACs), belong to the class of zinc (Zn2+)-dependent or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent proteolytic enzymes. HDACs participate in transcriptional repression and chromatin condensation mechanisms by removing the acetyl moiety from the acetylated ε-amino group of histone lysines and other non-histone proteins. These enzymes play a pivotal role in the modulation of several cellular pathways such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, neurogenesis and epigenetic regulations. In some cases, HDACs are involved in the occurrence and progression of numerous pathophysiological conditions as well as diseases such as neurological disorders, fibrosis, cancer, metabolic dysfunctions and parasitic infections.
  • 1.2K
  • 23 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Green Synthesis of Carbon Nanoparticles from Biomass
Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) have demonstrated utility in a wide range of biological applications such as imaging, sensing and as surface-coatings. Biomass waste can be derived from either plant or animal matter as a result of processing higher-value materials, for instance leaves from trees as by product from processed wood or paper production. Biomass is abundant: trees, agriculture crops, energy crops, fruits, vegetation, wood, aquatic plants and algae, general municipal waste and animal waste.
  • 1.2K
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Extremophilic Fungi from Marine Environments
Marine environments are underexplored terrains containing fungi that produce a diversity of natural products given unique environmental pressures and nutrients. While bacteria are commonly the most studied microorganism for natural products in the marine world, marine fungi are also abundant but remain an untapped source of bioactive metabolites. Given that their terrestrial counterparts have been a source of many blockbuster antitumor agents and anti-infectives, including camptothecin, the penicillins, and cyclosporin A, marine fungi also have the potential to produce new chemical scaffolds as leads to potential drugs. Fungi are more phylogenetically diverse than bacteria and have larger genomes that contain many silent biosynthetic gene clusters involved in making bioactive compounds. However, less than 5% of all known fungi have been cultivated under standard laboratory conditions. While the number of reported natural products from marine fungi is steadily increasing, their number is still significantly lower compared to those reported from their bacterial counterparts.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
G-Quadruplex Structures in Plants
G-quadruplex (G4) oligonucleotides are higher-order DNA and RNA secondary structures of enormous relevance due to their implication in several biological processes and pathological states in different organisms.  Plants offer a cornucopia of phytocompounds that, in many cases, are effective in binding and modulating the thermal stability of G4s and, on the other hand, contain almost unexplored G4 motifs in their genome that could inspire new biotechnological strategies.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Nov 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 18
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Write an Entry
Feedback