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Topic Review
Oral Microbiome Related Diseases
The human oral microbiome refers to an ecological community of symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms found in the oral cavity. The oral cavity is an environment that provides various biological niches, such as the teeth, tongue, and oral mucosa. The oral cavity is the gateway between the external environment and the human body, maintaining oral homeostasis, protecting the mouth, and preventing disease.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Transdermal Delivery of Chemotherapeutics
Chemotherapeutic drugs are primarily administered to cancer patients via oral or parenteral routes. The use of transdermal drug delivery could potentially be a better alternative to decrease the dose frequency and severity of adverse or toxic effects associated with oral or parenteral administration of chemotherapeutic drugs. The transdermal delivery of drugs has shown to be advantageous for the treatment of highly localized tumors in certain types of breast and skin cancers. In addition, the transdermal route can be used to deliver low-dose chemotherapeutics in a sustained manner. The transdermal route can also be utilized for vaccine design in cancer management, for example, vaccines against cervical cancer. However, the design of transdermal formulations may be challenging in terms of the conjugation chemistry of the molecules and the sustained and reproducible delivery of therapeutically efficacious doses.
  • 1.1K
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Nano-Gels in Skin Cancer
Nano-gels, a dual combination of hydrogels and nanoparticles, have demonstrated significant promise as a targeted drug delivery system in the treatment of cancer, attributing to excellent drug loading capacity. Skin disorders, the 4th foremost source of non-fatal diseases, are frequently the outward manifestation of more serious systemic illnesses, such as HIV, and neglected tropical diseases, such as elephantiasis and other ailments causing lymphedema.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Anti-Angiogenic Drugs
Angiogenesis can be revisited as a complex biological process with numerous compensatory pathways that can be activated, challenging the discovery of predictive biomarkers, since the cancer microenvironment and the complex milieu are difficult to classify and several actors are simultaneously shaping the key pro-angiogenic ecosystem. Bevacizumab represents the archetypic example of the various mechanisms of action, which may differ between cancer types and chemotherapy, unveiling the multifaceted functions in driving regression of existing tumor vasculature, halting new vessel growth, shaping the anti-permeability of surviving vasculature, and priming vessel normalization and co-option. Unfortunately, a poor correlation between response and survival exists, and the effects are mainly limited to PFS, and from a clinical trials standpoint, cross-over events at progression make identification of response criteria and biomarkers difficult.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Electrospinning of Essential Oils
Essential oils (EOs) have been widely exploited for their biological properties (mainly as antimicrobials) in the food industry. Encapsulation of EOs has opened the way to the utilization of EOs in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields. Electrospinning (ES) has proved a convenient and versatile method for the encapsulation of EOs into multifunctional nanofibers.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Sep 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Cyclodextrin-Based Nanosponges and Proteins
Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges (CD-NSs) have gained importance in drug delivery in the last years due to their easy synthesis and versatility. However, their use as carriers for the delivery of macromolecules such as proteins is less known and sometimes difficult to consider. In this entry, the authors summarize and highlight the multiple possibilities of CD-NSs to deliver active proteins, improving their activity or stability. Starting with a brief description of CD-NSs and their characteristics, the entry will be focused on several proteins, such as (1) Lipase, (2) Insulin and (3) Nisin, for chemical or pharmaceutical applications. The revised results demonstrated that CD-NSs can generate different and interesting applications with proteins. These results could be added to their uses with small drugs, being an interesting alternative for protein delivery and applicability. 
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Ethanol versus Adenosine on Emotional and Cognitive Disturbances
Binge drinking intake is the most common pattern of ethanol consumption by adolescents, which elicits emotional disturbances, mainly anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as cognitive alterations. Ethanol exposure may act on the adenosine neuromodulation system by increasing adenosine levels, consequently increasing the activation of adenosine receptors in the brain. The adenosine modulation system is involved in the control of mood and memory behavior.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Oral Administration for Small Extracellular Vesicles Delivery
Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have burst into biomedicine as a natural therapeutic alternative for different diseases. Considered nanocarriers of biological origin, various studies have demonstrated the feasibility of their systemic administration, even with repeated doses. sEVs can resist the degradative conditions of the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration, accumulating regionally in the intestine, where they are absorbed for systemic biodistribution. 
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Investigational Polymeric Microparticles for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive destruction of dopaminergic tissue in the central nervous system (CNS). There is no cure for the disease, with pharmacological treatments aimed at controlling the symptoms. Therefore, there is an unmet need for new treatments for PD. In addition to new therapeutic options, there exists the need for improved efficiency of the existing ones, as many agents have difficulties in crossing the blood–brain barrier (BBB) to achieve therapeutic levels in the CNS or exhibit inappropriate pharmacokinetic profiles, thereby limiting their clinical benefits. To overcome these limitations, an interesting approach is the use of drug delivery systems, such as polymeric microparticles (MPs) that allow for the controlled release of the active ingredients targeting to the desired site of action, increasing the bioavailability and efficacy of treatments, as well as reducing the number of administrations and adverse effects.
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Photocatalysis of COVID-19 in Wastewater
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is currently posing a significant threat to the world’s public health and social-economic growth. Despite the rigorous international lockdown and quarantine efforts, the rate of COVID-19 infectious cases remains exceptionally high. Notwithstanding, the end route of COVID-19, together with emerging contaminants’ (antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, nanoplastics, pesticide, etc.) occurrence in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), poses a great challenge in wastewater settings.
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Bowman-Birk Inhibitors
Bowman-Birk inhibitors (BBIs) are found primarily in seeds of legumes and in cereal grains. These canonical inhibitors share a highly conserved nine-amino acids binding loop motif CTP1SXPPXC (where P1 is the inhibitory active site, while X stands for various amino acids). They are natural controllers of plants’ endogenous proteases, but they are also inhibitors of exogenous proteases present in microbials and insects. They are considered as plants’ protective agents, as their elevated levels are observed during injury, presence of pathogens, or abiotic stress, i.a. Similar properties are observed for peptides isolated from amphibians’ skin containing 11-amino acids disulfide-bridged loop CWTP1SXPPXPC. They are classified as Bowman-Birk like trypsin inhibitors (BBLTIs). These inhibitors are resistant to proteolysis and not toxic, and they are reported to be beneficial in the treatment of various pathological states.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Dec 2020
Topic Review
NO in Viral Infections
Nitric oxide is a ubiquitous signaling radical that influences critical body functions. Its importance in the cardiovascular system and the innate immune response to bacterial and viral infections has been extensively investigated. The overproduction of NO is an early component of viral infections, including those affecting the respiratory tract. The production of high levels of NO is due to the overexpression of NO biosynthesis by inducible NO synthase (iNOS), which is involved in viral clearance. The development of NO-based antiviral therapies, particularly gaseous NO inhalation and NO-donors, has proven to be an excellent antiviral therapeutic strategy. 
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Complex Pharmacological Properties of Non-Selective Opioid Modulator Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine has high affinity for the mu-opioid receptor (MOR), delta (DOR), and kappa (KOR) and intermediate affinity for the nociceptin (NOR). Buprenorphine’s active metabolite, norbuprenorphine, crosses the blood–brain barrier, is a potent metabolite that attenuates the analgesic effects of buprenorphine due to binding to NOR, and is responsible for the respiratory depressant effects. The area under the concentration curves are very similar for buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine, which indicates that it is important to consider this metabolite. 
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors
Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (ITPRs) are intracellular calcium release channels located on the endoplasmic reticulum of virtually every cell.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Inhibitory Actions of Clinical Analgesics, Analgesic Adjuvants, and Plant-Derived Analgesics on Nerve Action Potential Conduction
The action potential (AP) conduction in nerve fibers plays a crucial role in transmitting nociceptive information from the periphery to the cerebral cortex. Nerve AP conduction inhibition possibly results in analgesia. It is well-known that many analgesics suppress nerve AP conduction and voltage-dependent sodium and potassium channels that are involved in producing APs. The compound action potential (CAP) recorded from a bundle of nerve fibers is a guide for knowing if analgesics affect nerve AP conduction. This entry mentions the inhibitory effects of clinically used analgesics, analgesic adjuvants, and plant-derived analgesics on fast-conducting CAPs and voltage-dependent sodium and potassium channels. The efficacies of their effects were compared among the compounds, and it was revealed that some of the compounds have similar efficacies in suppressing CAPs. It is suggested that analgesics-induced nerve AP conduction inhibition may contribute to at least a part of their analgesic effects.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Mitophagy Modulation
Mitophagy, as a selective variant of autophagy, is characterized by molecular mechanisms that allow selective degradation of mitochondria.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Proteolytic Activation of the Epithelial Sodium Channel
Epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) are integral to maintaining salt and water homeostasis in various biological tissues, including the kidney, lung, and colon. They enable the selective reabsorption of sodium ions, which is a process critical for controlling blood pressure, electrolyte balance, and overall fluid volume. ENaC activity is finely controlled through proteolytic activation, a process wherein specific enzymes, or proteases, cleave ENaC subunits, resulting in channel activation and increased sodium reabsorption. This regulatory mechanism plays a pivotal role in adapting sodium transport to different physiological conditions.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Natural Compounds with Antioxidant in Maintaining Eye Health
An antioxidant compound can be defined as a substance that can delay or prevent oxidation. The body uses different strategies against the production and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS): firstly, antioxidant enzymes are used, as already reported, such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px). It is important to remember that some antioxidant enzymes need micronutrients to function properly, such as zinc, selenium, copper and manganese. Secondly, ROS can be reduced or neutralized by the intake of antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamin E (a-tocopherol), beta-carotene, and vitamin C, among others. An insufficient intake of foods with antioxidant function or an unbalanced diet can alter the body’s natural antioxidant system and facilitate the damage induced by ROS. Additional defense mechanisms include antioxidant compounds, such as metallothionein, melanin, and glutathione. Eye health is crucial, and the onset of diseases can reduce vision and affect the quality of life of patients. Evidence has accumulated that polyphenols (mostly deriving from Citrus Bergamia) represent a reliable source of antioxidants able to counteract oxidative stress accompanying early stages of eye diseases. Luteolin in particular has been found to protect photoreceptors, thereby improving vision in many disease states. Moreover, a consistent anti-inflammatory response was found to occur when curcumin is used alone or in combination with other nutraceuticals. Additionally, Coenzyme Q10 has been demonstrated to produce a consistent effect in reducing ocular pressure, thereby leading to protection in patients undergoing glaucoma. Both grape seed extract, rich in anthocyanosides, and polynsatured fatty acids seem to contribute to the prevention of retinal disorders. A combination of nutraceuticals and antioxidants may represent the right solution for a multi-action activity in eye protection.
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery Systems
Research into the application of nanocarriers in the delivery of cancer-fighting drugs has been a promising research area for decades. On the other hand, their cytotoxic effects on cells, low uptake efficiency, and therapeutic resistance have limited their therapeutic use. However, the urgency of pressing healthcare needs has resulted in the functionalization of nanoparticles’ (NPs) physicochemical properties to improve clinical outcomes of new, old, and repurposed drugs.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Food Polyphenols and Type II Diabetes Mellitus
Type II diabetes mellitus and its related complications are growing public health problems. Many natural products present in our diet, including polyphenols, can be used in treating and managing type II diabetes mellitus and different diseases, owing to their numerous biological properties. Anthocyanins, flavonols, stilbenes, curcuminoids, hesperidin, hesperetin, naringenin, and phenolic acids are common polyphenols found in blueberries, chokeberries, sea-buckthorn, mulberries, turmeric, citrus fruits, and cereals. These compounds exhibit antidiabetic effects through different pathways.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 May 2023
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