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Topic Review
Illicium verum Hook f. (Star Anise)
Illicium verum Hook f. (star anise) is considered an important species in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is also used in contemporary medicine in East Asian countries. It occurs in natural habitats in southeastern parts of China and Vietnam, and is cultivated in various regions in China. The raw materials—Anisi stellati fructus and Anisi stellati aetheroleum obtained from this species exhibit expectorant and spasmolytic activities. The European Pharmacopoeia (4th edition) indicates that these raw materials have been used in allopathy since 2002. The biological activities of the above-mentioned raw materials are determined by the presence of valuable secondary metabolites such as monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids. Recent pharmacological studies on fruit extracts and the essential oil of this species have confirmed their antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities and thus their medicinal and cosmetic value.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Chinese Herbal Medicines for Sepsis Treatment
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection; the pathophysiology of sepsis is complex. The incidence of sepsis is steadily increasing, with worldwide mortality ranging between 30% and 50%. Current treatment approaches mainly rely on the timely and appropriate administration of antimicrobials and supportive therapies, but the search for pharmacotherapies modulating the host response has been unsuccessful. Chinese herbal medicines, i.e., Chinese patent medicines, Chinese herbal prescriptions, and single Chinese herbs, play an important role in the treatment of sepsis through multicomponent, multipathway, and multitargeting abilities and have been officially recommended for the management of COVID-19.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Psychomotor Agitation
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) defines agitation as an excessive motor activity associated with a feeling of inner tension. Motor activity is usually non-productive and repetitious and can include behaviors such as pacing, fidgeting, hand wringing, pulling one’s clothes, and an inability to sit still. Even if aggression and violence are not core agitation features, a progression in agitation severity can lead to aggressive and violent behaviors. At the first International Experts’ Meeting on Agitation, agitation was defined as "a state where patients cannot remain still or calm, characterized by internal features such as hyperresponsiveness, racing thoughts, and emotional tension; and external ones, mainly motor and verbal hyperactivity, and communication impairment".
  • 1.1K
  • 13 May 2021
Topic Review
Phytosomes
Phytosomes are an innovative lipid-based delivery system that have a liposomes-related structure and can be used for the entrapment of different types of polyphenolic-based phytoconstituents to improve their absorption when administrated. The first phytosomes were developed by Indena company (Milan, Italy) in the late 1980s, which aimed to increase the bioavailability of drugs by complexing them to phospholipids. The structure of phytosomes is composed of standardized polyphenolic plant extract incorporated into phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholine (PC).
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Antimetabolite Drug
Methotrexate (4-{N-[(2,4-diaminopteridin-6-yl) methyl]-N-methylamino} benzoyl)-L-glutamic acid, MTX) is an antimetabolite drug. It is widely used as a chemotherapeutic agent in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis and some sorts of leukemia. MTX is a relatively well-known molecule and is a first-line antirheumatic medication because of its efficacy and safety. It decreases the concentration of tetrahydrofolate (THF) in the cells by the inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) enzyme, therefore it reduces the purine nucleotide and DNA synthesis.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Lipid-Based Nanocarriers
Nanoparticle-based drug delivery has demonstrated promising results for topical ophthalmic nanotherapies in the treatment of intraocular diseases. Studies have revealed that nanocarriers enhance the intraocular half-life and bioavailability of several therapies including proteins, peptides and genetic material. Amongst the array of nanoparticles available nowadays, lipid-based nanosystems have shown an increased efficiency and feasibility in topical formulations, making them an important target for constant and thorough research in both preclinical and clinical practice.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Wasp Venom Biochemical Components
Wasps, members of the order Hymenoptera, are distributed in different parts of the world, including Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Argentina. The lifestyles of the wasps are solitary and social. Social wasps use venom as a defensive measure to protect their colonies, whereas solitary wasps use their venom to capture prey. Chemically, wasp venom possesses a wide variety of enzymes, proteins, peptides, volatile compounds, and bioactive constituents, which include phospholipase A2, antigen 5, mastoparan, and decoralin. The bioactive constituents have anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the limited quantities of wasp venom and the scarcity of advanced strategies for the synthesis of wasp venom’s bioactive compounds remain a challenge facing the effective usage of wasp venom. Solid-phase peptide synthesis is currently used to prepare wasp venom peptides and their analogs such as mastoparan, anoplin, decoralin, polybia-CP, and polydim-I. 
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Lipid Rafts
Lipid rafts are dynamic and shifting assemblies of sphingolipids, cholesterol, glycosphingolipids, and proteins forming platforms or lipid microdomains for the organization and dynamic contact of molecules involved in several molecular and cellular processes such as ligand affinity, effector specificity, signal transduction, membrane sorting, and receptor trafficking and recycling.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Quercetin
Quercetin (QRC) is a flavonoid belonging to a group of plant-derived nonsteroidal compounds called phytoestrogens. It is a polyphenol-based molecule and it is widely distributed in many vegetables, fruits, seed, grains, and also in tea and wine.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Jan 2021
Topic Review
PDE4 as Therapeutic Targets in Different Diseases
Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP, cGMP) play a major role in normal and pathologic signaling. Beyond receptors, cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases; (PDEs) rapidly convert the cyclic nucleotide in its respective 5′-nucleotide to control intracellular cAMP and/or cGMP levels to maintain a normal physiological state. However, in many pathologies, dysregulations of various PDEs (PDE1-PDE11) contribute mainly to organs and tissue failures related to uncontrolled phosphorylation cascade. Among these, PDE4 represents the greatest family, since it is constituted by 4 genes with multiple variants differently distributed at tissue, cellular and subcellular levels, allowing different fine-tuned regulations.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Oct 2022
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