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Topic Review
Diabetic Micro-Complication Management—Diabetic Neuropathy
The progression of diabetes leads to macro and microvascular complications, including diabetic neuropathy, which is the most prevalent microvascular complication with diabetes. Clinical manifestations of diabetic neuropathy begin with the loss of distal sensory function, pain, and substantial morbidity.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Kainate Receptor Antagonists
Since the 1990s, ionotropic glutamate receptors have served as an outstanding target for drug discovery research aimed at the discovery of new neurotherapeutic agents. With the recent approval of perampanel, the first marketed non-competitive antagonist of AMPA receptors, particular interest has been directed toward ‘non-NMDA’ (AMPA and kainate) receptor inhibitors. Although the role of AMPA receptors in the development of neurological or psychiatric disorders has been well recognized and characterized, progress in understanding the function of kainate receptors (KARs) has been hampered, mainly due to the lack of specific and selective pharmacological tools. The findings in the biology of KA receptors indicate that they are involved in neurophysiological activity and play an important role in both health and disease, including conditions such as anxiety, schizophrenia, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and migraine. 
  • 1.1K
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Royleanones
Plants have been used for centuries to treat several illnesses. The Plectranthus genus has a vast variety of species that has allowed the isolation of cytotoxic compounds with notable activities.The abietane diterpenes 6,7-dehydroroyleanone (DeRoy), 7alfa-acetoxy-6 -hydroxyroyleanone (Roy), and Parvifloron D (ParvD) were obtained from Plectranthus spp. and showed promising biological activities, such as cytotoxicity on several cancer cell lines, including cancer stem cell inducing sphere cells. In silico studies comparied the possible binding modes of active compounds and derivatives against different PKC isoforms alpha/beta/delta/iota/lambda/theta/zeta.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Biopolymer Based Prodrugs as Potential Antineoplastic Therapy
Cancer represents a major public health issue, a substantial economic issue, and a burden for society. Limited by numerous disadvantages, conventional chemotherapy is being replaced by new strategies targeting tumor cells. In this context, therapies based on biopolymer prodrug systems represent a promising alternative for improving the pharmacokinetic and pharmacologic properties of drugs and reducing their toxicity. The polymer-directed enzyme prodrug therapy is based on tumor cell targeting and release of the drug using polymer–drug and polymer–enzyme conjugates. In addition, current trends are oriented towards natural sources. They are biocompatible, biodegradable, and represent a valuable and renewable source. Drug–polymer conjugates based on natural polymers such as chitosan (CTS), hyaluronic acid (HA), dextran (DEX), pullulan (PL), silk fibroin (SF), centyrins (CTR), heparin (HEP), and polysaccharides from Auricularia auricula (AAP) are presented. 
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Sinomenine-Type Drugs to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sinomenine is the main component of the vine Sinomenium acutum. It was first isolated in the early 1920s and has since attracted special interest as a potential anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) agent, owing to its successful application in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of neuralgia and rheumatoid diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Advantages of Intranasal Administration in Treatment of Depression
As a mental disease in modern society, depression shows an increasing occurrence, with low cure rate and high recurrence rate. It has become the most disabling disease in the world. At present, the treatment of depression is mainly based on drug therapy combined with psychological therapy, physical therapy, and other adjuvant therapy methods. Antidepressants are primarily administered peripherally (oral and intravenous) and have a slow onset of action. Antidepressant active ingredients, such as neuropeptides, natural active ingredients, and some chemical agents, are limited by factors such as the blood–brain barrier (BBB), first-pass metabolism, and extensive adverse effects caused by systemic administration. The potential anatomical link between the non-invasive nose–brain pathway and the lesion site of depression may provide a more attractive option for the delivery of antidepressant active ingredients.
  • 1.1K
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicle-based Therapeutics
This is a entry of recent developments of bio-inspired drug delivery systems based on extracellular vesicles (EVs). The main hurdles and limitations for therapeutic and clinical applications of EV-based formulations and various attempts to solve these problems are described. 
  • 1.1K
  • 09 Dec 2020
Topic Review
CAR-T Therapy
Chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) therapy targeting CD19 has revolutionised the treatment of advanced acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The success of CAR-T therapy in the first two indications led to the initiation of a large number of studies testing CAR-T therapy in different haematologic tumours such as acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), Hodgkin’s disease (HD), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), multiple myeloma (MM), as well as different solid tumours. Notwithstanding, this did not prohibit further development of this new therapy to treat other malignancies.
  • 1.1K
  • 31 May 2021
Topic Review
Uses of Traditional Plants for Diabetes Nephropathy
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious kidney illness characterized by proteinuria, glomerular enlargement, reduced glomerular filtration, and renal fibrosis. DN is the most common cause of end-stage kidney disease, accounting for nearly one-third of all cases of diabetes worldwide.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Peimine, an Anti-Inflammatory Compound from Chinese Herbal Extracts
Fritillaria bulbs are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat several illnesses. Peimine (Pm), an anti-inflammatory compound from Fritillaria, is known to inhibit some voltage-dependent ion channels and muscarinic receptors, but its interaction with ligand-gated ion channels remains unexplored.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Pathophysiology of Drug-Induced Hyponatremia
Drug-induced hyponatremia caused by renal water retention is mainly due to syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (SIAD). SIAD can be grouped into syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) and nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD). The former is characterized by uncontrolled hypersecretion of arginine vasopressin (AVP), and the latter is produced by intrarenal activation for water reabsorption and characterized by suppressed plasma AVP levels. Desmopressin is useful for the treatment of diabetes insipidus because of its selective binding to vasopressin V2 receptor (V2R), but it can induce hyponatremia when prescribed for nocturnal polyuria in older patients. Oxytocin also acts as a V2R agonist and can produce hyponatremia when used to induce labor or abortion. 
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Bacteriophage-Delivering Hydrogels
Hydrogels are non-toxic polymeric materials exhibiting three-dimensional networks along with their hydrophilic characteristics playing an essential role in containing large water content, which serves as a biocompatible environment suited for formulation and delivery of bacteriophages.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Fluoroquinolones Used in Therapy
Antibacterial fluoroquinolones (FQs) are frequently used in treating infections. However, the value of FQs is debatable due to their association with severe adverse effects (AEs). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued safety warnings concerning their side-effects in 2008, followed by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) and regulatory authorities from other countries.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Clozapine, Pharmacogenetic Biomarkers, Particularities COVID-19
Clozapine (CLZ) use is precarious due to its neurological, cardiovascular, and hematological side effects; however, it is the gold standard in therapy-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) in adults and is underused. Objective: to examine the most recent CLZ data on (a) side effects concerning (b) recent pharmacological mechanisms, (c) therapy benefits, and (d) the particularities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data sources: a search was performed in two databases (PubMed andWeb of Science) using the specific keywords “clozapine” and “schizophrenia”, “side effects”, “agranulocytosis”, “TRS”, or “bipolar affective disorder (BAF)” for the last ten years. Study eligibility criteria: clinical trials on adults with acute symptoms of schizophrenia or related disorders. Results: We selected 37 studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and clinical case series (CCS), centered on six main topics in the search area: (a) CLZ in schizophrenia, (b) CLZ in bipolar disorder, (c) side effects during the clozapine therapy, (d) CLZ in pregnancy, (e) CLZ in early-onset schizophrenia, and (f) CLZ therapy and COVID-19 infection. Limitations: we considered RCTs and CCS from two databases, limited to the search topics. Conclusions and implications of key findings: (a) clozapine doses should be personalized for each patient based on pharmacogenetics testing when available; the genetic vulnerability postulates predictors of adverse reactions’ severity; patients with a lower genetic risk could have less frequent hematological monitoring; (b) a CLZ-associated risk of pulmonary embolism imposes prophylactic measures for venous thromboembolism; (c) convulsive episodes are not an indication for stopping treatment; the plasma concentration of clozapine is a better side effect predictor then the dosage; (d) COVID-19 infection may enhance clozapine toxicity, generating an increased risk of pneumonia. Therapy must be continued with the proper monitoring of the white blood count, and the clozapine dose decreased by half until three days after the fever breaks; psychiatrists and healthcare providers must act together.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Dinoflagellate Phycotoxins
Dinoflagellates are single-celled eukaryotes constitute an important group of phytoplanktons, characterized by two dissimilar flagella and distinctive features of both plants and animals.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Novel Psychoactive Substances
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) represent a severe health risk for drug users. The molecular mechanisms underlying the action of NPS are more complex than expected, with a wide range of overlap among activated receptors and neurotransmitter systems.
  • 1.1K
  • 21 May 2021
Topic Review
Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling
Volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) is the newest and most promising sample-collection technique for quantitatively analyzing drugs, especially for routine therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and pharmacokinetic studies. This technique uses an absorbent white tip to absorb a fixed volume of a sample (10–50 µL) within a few seconds (2–4 s), is more flexible, practical, and more straightforward to be applied in the field, and is probably more cost-effective than conventional venous sampling (CVS).
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Aug 2023
Topic Review
PDE2A for Mouse Liver Development
cAMP and cGMP are intracellular signaling molecules produced in response to a plethora of extracellular signals in order to coordinate cellular metabolism, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are the enzymes that hydrolyze cAMP and cGMP in order to end or to limit the responses to these signals. To date 11 PDE families (named PDE1 to PDE11) have been identified across each cell type expressed in a peculiar pattern. They enclose 21 genes that codify approximately 100 enzymes that form a redundant network ensuring the compensation of activity in case of alteration of activity or lack of expression of one of the members. PDE2A, a cAMP-hydrolyzing enzyme, represents the exception to this picture, as PDE2A knockout is embryonic lethal. Knockout embryos show that the lack of the enzyme has the greatest impact on the development of the heart and of the liver, which is no longer able to assume its hematopoietic role. The increase of the intracellular cAMP level and the downregulation of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2 might explain the loss of integrity in the PDE2A knockout liver niche that compromises the hematopoietic function and maturation.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Therapeutic Sequencing in ALK+ NSCLC
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (ALK+ NSCLC) is a model disease for the use of targeted pharmaceuticals in thoracic oncology. This entry summarizes the state-of-the-art treatment for these tumors as of January 2021, with a special emphasis in the sequential use of various compounds as well as the growing importance of molecular profiling and monitoring for patient management.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Polymer-Based Nanovaccines
Polymer-based particles have found application as vaccine platforms and vaccine adjuvants due to their ability to prevent antigen degradation and clearance, coupled with enhanced uptake by professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Polymeric nanoparticles have been applied in vaccine delivery, showing significant adjuvant effects as they can easily be taken up by APCs. In other words, polymer-based systems offer a lot of advantages, including versatility and flexibility in the design process, the ability to incorporate a range of immunomodulators/antigens, mimicking infection in different ways, and acting as a depot, thereby persisting long enough to generate adaptive immune responses. 
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Jun 2021
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