Topic Review
Theranostic Radiopharmaceuticals
Theranostic Radiopharmaceuticals (Radiotheranostics) is a term in the medical field to define the combination of therapeutic and diagnostic techniques by a suitable radiopharmaceutical agent. Radionuclides are isotopes that emit radiation or have excess nuclear energy, making them chemically unstable and tend to change into another atom. Various types of radiation can be emitted by radionuclides e.g. alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma energy. In radiotheranostics, a pharmaceutical agent (drug) is needed to be a carrier molecule that introduces the radionuclide to its target. Radionuclides are then used as a source of radiation in radiotheranostics that are responsible for diagnosing or treating various diseases.
  • 1.3K
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
Drug Delivery for Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, representing one third of global mortality. As existing therapies still have limited success, due to the inability to control the biodistribution of the currently approved drugs, the quality of life of these patients is modest. The advent of nanomedicine has brought new insights in innovative treatment strategies.
  • 1.3K
  • 08 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Roles of the CXCL8-CXCR1/2 Axis in Cancer
In humans, Interleukin-8 (IL-8 or CXCL8) is a granulocytic chemokine with multiple roles within the tumor microenvironment (TME), such as recruiting immunosuppressive cells to the tumor, increasing tumor angiogenesis, and promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). 
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Hsp90 C-Terminal Inhibitors
Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone with over 300 client proteins that act in the cell cycle and in signalling processes. Disruption of Hsp90 chaperone activity by inhibitors induces simultaneous proteasomal degradation of many deregulated oncoproteins that are critical for all fundamental hallmarks of cancers. To date, mainly Hsp90 N-terminal domain inhibitors have been developed for cancer treatments; however, several of these have not been successful in clinical trials, often due to toxicity. One of the major drawbacks associated with Hsp90 N-terminal domain inhibition is induction of the pro-survival heat-shock response. This response results in increased levels of Hsp90 and anti-apoptotic proteins, such as heat shock factor 1 (HSF-1), Hsp27 and Hsp70, which initiate anti-apoptotic cascades and promote drug resistance, a highly problematic property of any anticancer drug. In contrast, Hsp90 C-terminal inhibitors do not induce the heat shock response, and are therefore promising novel agents for treatment of different cancers.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Rhenium(I) Tricarbonyl Complexes As Photosensitisers
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is emerging as a significant complementary or alternative approach for cancer treatment. Re(I) tricarbonyl complexes is a new generation of metal-based photosensitisers for PDT that are of great interest in multidisciplinary research.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Curcumin: Biochemistry and Antitumoral Action
Curcumin is a pigment with a strong yellow colour found and the main active component of Curcuma longa, a perennial Zingiberaceae plant native to southwest India, but now grown across the South and Southeast Asia, especially in China and India. It is used for centuries as a spice and currently it is viewed as a nutraceutical due to the increasing number of scientific studies demonstrating its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumoral and cancer preventive properties. Its chemical structure comprises two aromatic ring systems with o-methoxy phenol groups connected by a seven-carbon linker consisting of an α,β-unsaturated β-diketone with tautomerism when in solution.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Medicinal Use of Testosterone
Testosterone derivatives and related compounds (such as anabolic-androgenic steroids—AAS) are frequently misused by athletes (both professional and amateur) wishing to promote muscle development and strength or to cover AAS misuse.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Hyaluronic Acid for Tissue Engineering
Polysaccharides such as hyaluronic acid (HA) which is omnipresent in the human body and exert pleiotropic biological functions such as tissue repair and tissue regeneration, may be exploited for cosmetics development, esthetic medicine, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this work, the authors describe the excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability of HA-derived hydrogels with make them ideal materials for tissue engineering applications.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Nanotechnology for Eye Topical Drug Delivery
Topical drug delivery is one of the most challenging aspects of eye therapy. Eye drops are the most prevalent drug form because they are convenient and easy to apply by patients. However, conventional drug formulations are usually characterized by short retention time in the tear film, insufficient contact with epithelium, fast elimination, and difficulties in overcoming ocular tissue barriers. Not more than 5% of the total drug dose administered in eye drops reaches the interior ocular tissues. Drug-loaded nanoparticles/hydrogels do not enter cells via diffusion. The endocytosis pathway is related to the penetration of drug-loaded nanoparticles/hydrogels into the cell. The interactions between the nanoparticles and the cell membrane generate forces of different origins and lead to the membrane wrapping of the nanoparticles followed by cellular uptake.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Dec 2021
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease
The main protease (Mpro) of the newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was subjected to hyphenated pharmacophoric-based and structural-based virtual screenings using a library of microbial natural products (>24,000 compounds). Subsequent filtering of the resulted hits according to Lipinski’s rules was applied to select only the drug-like molecules. Top-scoring hits were further filtered out depending on their ability to show constant good binding affinities towards the molecular dynamic simulation (MDS)-derived enzyme’s conformers. Final MDS experiments were performed on the ligand-protein complexes to verify their binding modes and calculate their binding free energy. Consequently, a final selection of six compounds of microbial origin was proposed to possess high potential as anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug candidates. Our study provides insight into the role of the Mpro structural flexibility during interactions with the possible inhibitors and sheds light on the structure-based design of anti-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Oct 2020
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