Topic Review
Diarylureas
The diarylurea is a scaffold of great importance in medicinal chemistry as it is present in numerous heterocyclic compounds with antithrombotic, antimalarial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • 742
  • 25 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC)
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the second most frequent cancer in humans and its incidence continues to rise. Although CSCC usually display a benign clinical behavior, it can be both locally invasive and metastatic. The signaling pathways involved in CSCC development have given rise to targetable molecules in recent decades. In addition, the high mutational burden and increased risk of CSCC in patients under immunosuppression were part of the rationale for developing the immunotherapy for CSCC that has changed the therapeutic landscape. Several drugs have been developed for CSCC treatment, but the disease may actually be induced by drugs as well. Molecular mechanisms underlie pharmacologically-induced CSCC, and a sound knowledge of them could help physicians better tackle this tumor. 
  • 740
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Delivery Systems for Nucleic Acids/Proteins
Gene therapy has been used as a potential approach to address the diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases and inherited disorders. In this line, non-viral systems have been exploited as promising alternatives for delivering therapeutic transgenes and proteins. In this entry, we explored how biological barriers are effectively overcome by non-viral systems, usually nanoparticles, to reach an efficient delivery of cargoes.
  • 740
  • 31 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Liposomal systems in Cancer immunotherapy
Cancer immunotherapy has shown remarkable progress in recent years. Nanocarriers, such as liposomes, have favorable advantages with the potential to further improve cancer immunotherapy and even stronger immune responses by improving cell type-specific delivery and enhancing drug efficacy. Liposomes can offer solutions to common problems faced by several cancer immunotherapies, including the following: (1) Vaccination: Liposomes can improve the delivery of antigens and other stimulatory molecules to antigen-presenting cells or T cells; (2) Tumor normalization: Liposomes can deliver drugs selectively to the tumor microenvironment to overcome the immune-suppressive state; (3) Rewiring of tumor signaling: Liposomes can be used for the delivery of specific drugs to specific cell types to correct or modulate pathways to facilitate better anti-tumor immune responses; (4) Combinational therapy: Liposomes are ideal vehicles for the simultaneous delivery of drugs to be combined with other therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and phototherapy.
  • 738
  • 24 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Anti-inflammatory Effect of Rosmarinus Officinalis in Vivo Models
Rosemary was more commonly used in its entirety than in compounds, and the prevalent methods of extraction were maceration and hydrodistillation. Rosmarinus officinalis L. showed anti-inflammatory activity before and after induction of treatments.
  • 734
  • 24 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Three-Dimensional In Vitro Cell Culture Models
Despite tremendous advancements in technologies and resources, drug discovery still remains a tedious and expensive process. Though most cells are cultured using 2D monolayer cultures, due to lack of specificity, biochemical incompatibility, and cell-to-cell/matrix communications, they often lag behind in the race of modern drug discovery. There exists compelling evidence that 3D cell culture models are quite promising and advantageous in mimicking in vivo conditions. It is anticipated that these 3D cell culture methods will bridge the translation of data from 2D cell culture to animal models. Although 3D technologies have been adopted widely these days, they still have certain challenges associated with them, such as the maintenance of a micro-tissue environment similar to in vivo models and a lack of reproducibility. However, newer 3D cell culture models are able to bypass these issues to a maximum extent.
  • 733
  • 10 Aug 2022
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.
  • 732
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
JAMM Deubiquitinating Enzymes in Disease
Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are a group of proteases that are important for maintaining cell homeostasis by regulating the balance between ubiquitination and deubiquitination. As the only known metalloproteinase family of DUBs, JAB1/MPN/Mov34 metalloenzymes (JAMMs) are specifically associated with tumorigenesis and immunological and inflammatory diseases at multiple levels. The far smaller numbers and distinct catalytic mechanism of JAMMs render them attractive drug targets. Several JAMM inhibitors have been successfully developed and have shown promising therapeutic efficacy. 
  • 731
  • 22 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Therapeutic Applications of Solid Dispersions
Solid dispersions (SDs) are a technological strategy to improve the pharmacological potential of natural or synthetic bioactive molecules, due to the increase in its solubility and bioavailability, leading to a possible improvement of its biological activities. In this sense, the review sought to synthesize and critically examine the studies that address SDs with therapeutic applications, evaluated through in vitro and/or in vivo tests. This bibliographic survey shows the significant therapeutic potential of SDs in the context of the most diverse biological activities. Among these, including in vitro and/or in vivo antitumor, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or cytoprotective activities, while additional activities, such as gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic or antinociceptive, were highlighted by in vivo studies. Although SDs have already been studied and cited in the literature, the number of studies published with a focus on in vitro and in vivo trials is still relatively small, considering the great potential of these formulations in pharmaceutical technology and with the most diverse applications. The results of biological activity studies showed that SDs, as a drug release tool, is not a limiting factor for the execution of in vitro and in vivo tests. Additionally, it stands out as a promising system in which the active principle and the carrier interact, allowing, in most cases, an increase in the pharmacological potential due to changes in the physicochemical properties of the constituents. Thus, SDs can represent a safe and effective alternative for the development and improvement of drugs directed to a wide range of pharmacological treatments.
  • 730
  • 22 Oct 2020
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.
  • 728
  • 27 Oct 2020
  • Page
  • of
  • 106
Video Production Service