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Topic Review
Neurological Diseases and Their Biomarkers
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are disorders that affect both the central and peripheral nervous systems. To name a few causes, NDDs can be caused by ischemia, oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cell stress, inflammation, abnormal protein deposition in neural tissue, autoimmune-mediated neuron loss, and viral or prion infections.
  • 618
  • 07 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Ruthenium Complexes
Ruthenium(Ru)-complexes go beyond the limitations of Platinum(Pt)-based drugs, notably oxaliplatin, and exhibit higher potency while offering less toxicity in colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment. Therefore, Ru-complexes can be a promising alternative to oxaliplatin in CRC treatment. 
  • 617
  • 08 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Nanoformulation of Peptides
Several polymeric nanoparticles have been utilized as potential carriers for peptides and are used for the peptide formulation in controlled and targeted delivery applications. Nanoformulated peptides are reported to improve drug administration, where the drugs are either dissolved, entrapped, encapsulated, or attached to drug carriers.
  • 617
  • 17 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Ovarian Cancer Stem Cell Niche
Ovarian cancer is an aggressive gynaecological cancer with extremely poor prognosis, due to late diagnosis as well as the development of chemoresistance after first-line therapy.
  • 615
  • 05 May 2021
Topic Review
Antimicrobial Peptides-Silver Nanoparticles for Methicillin-Resistance Staphylococcus aureus
Antibiotics are regarded as a miracle in the medical field as it prevents disease caused by pathogenic bacteria. Since the discovery of penicillin, antibiotics have become the foundation for modern medical discoveries. However, bacteria soon became resistant to antibiotics, which puts a burden on the healthcare system. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become one of the most prominent antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world since 1961. MRSA primarily developed resistance to beta-lactamases antibiotics and can be easily spread in the healthcare system. Thus, alternatives to combat MRSA are urgently required. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), an innate host immune agent and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), are gaining interest as alternative treatments against MRSA. Both agents have broad-spectrum properties which are suitable candidates for controlling MRSA. Although both agents can exhibit antimicrobial effects independently, the combination of both can be synergistic and complementary to each other to exhibit stronger antimicrobial activity. The combination of AMPs and AgNPs also reduces their own weaknesses as their own, which can be developed as a potential agent to combat antibiotic resistance especially towards MRSA. 
  • 615
  • 25 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Factors Affecting Vitamin C Pharmacokinetics
The pharmacokinetics of vitamin C (vitC) is highly complex. Regulated primarily by a family of saturable sodium dependent vitC transporters (SVCTs), both the absorption and elimination phases display high dose-dependency. Also, tissue specific expression of SVCT subtypes result in a diverse distribution pattern with organ concentrations of vitC at homeostasis ranging from about 0.2 mM up to 10 mM. Unfortunately, the complex pharmacokinetics of vitC has often been overlooked in the design of human intervention studies, giving rise to misinterpretations and erroneous conclusions.
  • 615
  • 23 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Pharmacomicrobiomics and Drug–Infection Interactions
Microorganisms have a close relationship with humans, whether it is commensal, symbiotic, or pathogenic. It has been documented that microorganisms may influence the response to drug therapy. Pharmacomicrobiomics is an emerging field that focuses on the study of how variations in the microbiome affect the disposition, action, and toxicity of drugs. Two additional sciences have been added to complement pharmacomicrobiomics, namely toxicomicrobiomics, which explores how the microbiome influences drug metabolism and toxicity, and pharmacoecology, which refers to modifications in the microbiome as a result of drug administration. Additionally, the concept of "drug-infection interaction" is included to describe the influence of pathogenic microorganisms on drug response. This entry analyzes in detail each of these concepts.
  • 614
  • 05 Jan 2024
Topic Review
ALK Inhibitors in NSCLCs
The discovery of the EML4-ALK fusion gene in a limited subset of patients affected by NSCLC and the subsequent clinical development of crizotinib in 2011 has been an impressive milestone in lung cancer research. Unfortunately, acquired resistances regularly develop, hence disease progression occurs. Afterward, modern tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as ceritinib, alectinib, brigatinib, and lorlatinib, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the management of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive NSCLCs. Several compounds are currently under investigation to achieve the optimal strategy of therapy. 
  • 613
  • 13 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Antioxidant Activities of Natural Polysaccharides and their Derivatives
Natural polysaccharides are a type of natural biomacromolecule found in plants, fungi, algae, animals, and bacteria. Due to their nontoxic, stable, biodegradable, biocompatibility, and excellent antioxidant activity, natural polysaccharides contribute to the potential value in treating or preventing disease caused by oxidative stress. Polysaccharides can reduce the damage to the cell structure, regulate the signal pathways related to antioxidation, improve the intracellular antioxidant enzyme system, reduce the substances that easily produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and protect the body tissue from ROS-induced damage through free radical scavenging activity and immunomodulatory activity. Natural polysaccharides play an irreplaceable therapeutic role and have received more and more attention. Publications related to natural polysaccharides are also increasing.
  • 613
  • 27 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Drugs of the Kallikrein–Kinin System
The kallikrein–kinin system consists of the two kininogen substrates present in the blood plasma, and two serine proteases: the plasma and tissue kallikreins. The action of the latter on kininogens produces small peptides, the kinins, short-lived, but endowed by powerful pharmacologic actions on blood vessels and other tissues. Several classes of drugs alter kinin formation or action at their receptors for a therapeutic benefit.
  • 613
  • 17 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Botryllus schlosseri
Botryllus schlosseri, a colonial tunicate, which is the nearest invertebrate group to the vertebrates, is devoid of T- and B-cell-based adaptive immunity. It has unique characteristics that make it a valuable model system for studying innate immunity mechanisms: (i) a natural allogeneic transplantation phenomenon that results in either fusion or rejection; (ii) whole animal regeneration and noninflammatory resorption on a weekly basis; (iii) allogeneic resorption which is comparable to human chronic rejection. Recent studies in B. schlosseri have led to the recognition of a molecular and cellular framework underlying the innate immunity loss of tolerance to allogeneic tissues. Additionally, B. schlosseri was developed as a model for studying hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, and it provides further insights into the similarities between the HSC niches of human and B. schlosseri. The entry is from Botryllus schlosseri as a Unique Colonial Chordate Model for the Study and Modulation of Innate Immune Activity. August 2021Marine Drugs 19(8):454. DOI: 10.3390/md19080454
  • 613
  • 30 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Oxycodone Efficacy in Pain Management
Oxycodone is a widely used opioid for the management of chronic pain. Analgesic effects observed following the administration of oxycodone are mediated mostly by agonistic effects on the μ-opioid receptor. Wide inter-subject variability observed in oxycodone efficacy could be explained by polymorphisms in the gene coding for the μ-opioid receptor (OPRM1).
  • 612
  • 18 Oct 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.
  • 610
  • 20 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Aqueous Prostaglandin Eye Drop Formulations
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is characterized by progressive optic neuropathy in association with damage to the optic nerve head and, subsequently, visual loss if it is left untreated. Among the drug classes used for the long-term treatment of open-angle glaucoma, prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) are the first-line treatment and are available as marketed eye drop formulations for intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction by increasing the trabecular and uveoscleral outflow. PGAs have low aqueous solubility and are very unstable (i.e., hydrolysis) in aqueous solutions, which may hamper their ocular bioavailability and decrease their chemical stability. Additionally, treatment with PGA in conventional eye drops is associated with adverse effects, such as conjunctival hyperemia and trichiasis. It has been a very challenging for formulation scientists to develop stable aqueous eye drop formulations that increase the PGAs’ solubility and enhance their therapeutic efficacy while simultaneously lowering their ocular side effects.
  • 609
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Effects of Icaritin on Osteoporosis
Icaritin (ICT) is not only an enzyme-hydrolyzed product of icariin but also an intestinal metabolite of eight major flavonoids of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Epimedium with extensive pharmacological activities, such as strengthening the kidney and reinforcing the bone. ICT displays several therapeutic effects, including osteoporosis prevention, neuroprotection, antitumor, cardiovascular protection, anti-inflammation, and immune-protective effect. ICT inhibits bone resorption activity of osteoclasts and stimulates osteogenic differentiation and maturation of bone marrow stromal progenitor cells and osteoblasts.
  • 608
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Traditional Cancer Healing with Herbs and Mushrooms
Traditional herbal medicine (THM) is a “core” from which modern medicine has evolved over time. Besides this, one third of people worldwide have no access to modern medicine and rely only on traditional medicine. To date, drugs of plant origin, or their derivates (paclitaxel, vinblastine, vincristine, vinorelbine, etoposide, camptothecin, topotecan, irinotecan, and omacetaxine), are very important in the therapy of malignancies and they are included in most chemotherapeutic regimes. 
  • 608
  • 28 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Intranasal Insulin in Ischemia, Brain Injuries and Diabetes
A decrease in the activity of the insulin signaling system of the brain leads to neurodegeneration and impaired regulation of appetite, metabolism, and endocrine functions. This is due to the neuroprotective properties of brain insulin, its leading role in maintaining glucose homeostasis in the brain, as well as in the regulation of the brain signaling network responsible for the functioning of the nervous, endocrine and other systems. One of the approaches to restore the brain insulin system is the use of intranasally administered insulin (INI). INI is being considered as a promising drug to treat Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Clinical application of INI is being developed for the treatment of other neurodegenerative diseases and improve cognitive abilities in stress, overwork, and depression. It has been shown that INI can be used for the treatment of cerebral ischemia, traumatic brain injuries, postoperative delirium, as well as diabetes mellitus and its complications, including dysfunctions in the gonadal and thyroid axes.
  • 608
  • 20 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Fexinidazole: All-Oral Therapy for Human African Trypanosomiasis
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT or ‘sleeping sickness’) is a neglected tropical disease. If untreated, it is always fatal and leads to death. A few treatments are available for HAT, but most of them require a skilled professional, which increases the financial burden on the patient. Recently, fexinidazole (FEX) has been approved by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) as the first all-oral therapy for the treatment of stage-1 (hemolymphatic) as well as stage-2 (meningoencephalitic) of HAT. Before the FEX approval, there were separate treatments for stage-1 and stage-2 of HAT. 
  • 607
  • 25 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Mexican Plants with Teratogenic Effects
In Mexico, the use of medicinal plants is the first alternative to treat the diseases of the most economically vulnerable population. Some species with teratogenic effects and the main alterations that were found in the nervous system and axial skeleton, induced by compounds such as alkaloids, terpenes, and flavonoids. 
  • 607
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
5-Hydroxytryptamine 2B Receptor
Since the first characterization of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2B receptor (5-HT2BR) in 1992, significant progress has been made in understanding the biological function, the structure, and small-molecule pharmaceutical ligands of the 5-HT2BR. Emerging evidence has suggested that the 5-HT2BR is implicated in the regulation of the cardiovascular system, fibrosis disorders, cancer, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and nervous system. Eight crystal complex structures of the 5-HT2BR bound with different ligands provided great insights into ligand recognition, activation mechanism, and biased signaling. Numerous 5-HT2BR antagonists have been discovered and developed, and several of them have been advanced to clinical trials. It is expected that the novel 5-HT2BR antagonists with high potency and selectivity will lead to first-in-class drugs in various therapeutic areas.
  • 606
  • 18 Mar 2021
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