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Pharmaceuticals, Volume 11, Issue 1

2018 March - 30 articles

Cover Story: Briefly, amyloid β 1–42 (Aβ) binds to the brain insulin receptor (IR) and dysregulates its signalling cascade in the hippocampus and other brain areas, contributing to the development of insulin resistance. In addition, Aβ indirectly modulates IR activation through the phosphorylation of IR substrates 1 (IRS-1) at its inactivation sites. This response would be the consequence of the increase in reactive glia induced by Aβ and the subsequent release of molecules like tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Decreased IR signalling leads to reduced activation of protein kinase B (PKB/AKT) which influences other pathways like those controlled by glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and the trafficking of the insulin-sensitive glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane. In conclusion, all these interrelated mechanisms eventually lead to the well-known memory impairment characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. View this paper
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Articles (30)

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
5,222 Views
13 Pages

Comparison Study of Two Differently Clicked 18F-Folates—Lipophilicity Plays a Key Role

  • Kathrin Kettenbach,
  • Laura M. Reffert,
  • Hanno Schieferstein,
  • Stefanie Pektor,
  • Raphael Eckert,
  • Matthias Miederer,
  • Frank Rösch and
  • Tobias L. Ross

Within the last decade, several folate-based radiopharmaceuticals for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) have been evaluated; however, there is still a lack of suitable 18F-folates for clinical P...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
5,859 Views
26 Pages

Physical interactions between proteins are often difficult to decipher. The aim of this paper is to present an algorithm that is designed to recognize binding patches and supporting structural scaffolds of interacting heterodimer proteins using the G...

  • Article
  • Open Access
81 Citations
11,069 Views
13 Pages

Low Molecular Weight Chitosan-Coated PLGA Nanoparticles for Pulmonary Delivery of Tobramycin for Cystic Fibrosis

  • Nusaiba K. Al-Nemrawi,
  • Nid’’A H. Alshraiedeh,
  • Aref L. Zayed and
  • Bashar M. Altaani

(1) Background: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with Tobramycin were prepared using a solvent-evaporation method. (2) Methods: The NPs were coated with low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) to enhance the mucoadhesivene...

  • Editorial
  • Open Access
159 Citations
18,622 Views
9 Pages

Glycosaminoglycans and Proteoglycans

  • Vitor H. Pomin and
  • Barbara Mulloy

27 February 2018

In this editorial to MDPI Pharmaceuticals special issue “Glycosaminoglycans and Proteoglycans” we describe in outline the common structural features of glycosaminoglycans and the characteristics of proteoglycans, including the intracellular proteogly...

  • Review
  • Open Access
31 Citations
10,042 Views
12 Pages

Semi-Solid and Solid Dosage Forms for the Delivery of Phage Therapy to Epithelia

  • Teagan L. Brown,
  • Steve Petrovski,
  • Hiu Tat Chan,
  • Michael J. Angove and
  • Joseph Tucci

26 February 2018

The delivery of phages to epithelial surfaces for therapeutic outcomes is a realistic proposal, and indeed one which is being currently tested in clinical trials. This paper reviews some of the known research on formulation of phages into semi-solid...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
36 Citations
9,722 Views
19 Pages

Characterization of the Lytic Capability of a LysK-Like Endolysin, Lys-phiSA012, Derived from a Polyvalent Staphylococcus aureus Bacteriophage

  • Jumpei Fujiki,
  • Tomohiro Nakamura,
  • Takaaki Furusawa,
  • Hazuki Ohno,
  • Hiromichi Takahashi,
  • Junya Kitana,
  • Masaru Usui,
  • Hidetoshi Higuchi,
  • Yasunori Tanji and
  • Hidetomo Iwano
  • + 1 author

24 February 2018

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) have spread widely and rapidly, with their increased occurrence corresponding with the increased use of antibiotics. Infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus have a considerable negative impact on human and lives...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4,784 Views
13 Pages

Improved Syntheses of the mGlu5 Antagonists MMPEP and MTEP Using Sonogashira Cross-Coupling

  • Boshuai Mu,
  • Linjing Mu,
  • Roger Schibli,
  • Simon M. Ametamey and
  • Selena Milicevic Sephton

20 February 2018

The Sonogashira cross-coupling, a key step in the syntheses of the mGlu5 antagonists MMPEP and MTEP, provided an improved three-step method for the preparation of MMPEP in 62% overall yield. Using Spartan molecular modeling kit an explanation for the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
6,358 Views
24 Pages

A π-Halogen Bond of Dibenzofuranones with the Gatekeeper Phe113 in Human Protein Kinase CK2 Leads to Potent Tight Binding Inhibitors

  • Alexander Schnitzler,
  • Andreas Gratz,
  • Andre Bollacke,
  • Michael Weyrich,
  • Uwe Kuckländer,
  • Bernhard Wünsch,
  • Claudia Götz,
  • Karsten Niefind and
  • Joachim Jose

17 February 2018

Human protein kinase CK2 is an emerging target for neoplastic diseases. Potent lead structures for human CK2 inhibitors are derived from dibenzofuranones. Two new derivatives, 7,9-dichloro-1,2-dihydro-8-hydroxy-4-[(4-methoxyphenylamino)-methylene]dib...

  • Article
  • Open Access
31 Citations
5,654 Views
13 Pages

16 February 2018

We examined the benefits of short linear α-helical antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) invented in our laboratory for treating bone infection and preventing microbial biofilm formation on model implants due to causative microorganisms of osteomyelitis. For...

  • Article
  • Open Access
35 Citations
6,474 Views
12 Pages

Pilocarpine-Induced Status Epilepticus Is Associated with P-Glycoprotein Induction in Cardiomyocytes, Electrocardiographic Changes, and Sudden Death

  • Jerónimo Auzmendi,
  • Bruno Buchholz,
  • Jimena Salguero,
  • Carlos Cañellas,
  • Jazmín Kelly,
  • Paula Men,
  • Marcela Zubillaga,
  • Alicia Rossi,
  • Amalia Merelli and
  • Alberto Lazarowski
  • + 2 authors

16 February 2018

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the major cause of death in those patients suffering from refractory epilepsy (RE), with a 24-fold higher risk relative to the normal population. SUDEP risk increases with seizure frequency and/or seizur...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
5,897 Views
15 Pages

A Novel Interaction Between the TLR7 and a Colchicine Derivative Revealed Through a Computational and Experimental Study

  • Francesco Gentile,
  • Marco A. Deriu,
  • Khaled Barakat,
  • Andrea Danani and
  • Jack Tuszynski

16 February 2018

The Toll-Like Receptor 7 (TLR7) is an endosomal membrane receptor involved in the innate immune system response. Its best-known small molecule activators are imidazoquinoline derivatives such as imiquimod (R-837) and resiquimod (R-848). Recently, an...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
6,176 Views
15 Pages

Application of Nanoparticle Technology to Reduce the Anti-Microbial Resistance through β-Lactam Antibiotic-Polymer Inclusion Nano-Complex

  • Constain H. Salamanca,
  • Cristhian J. Yarce,
  • Yony Roman,
  • Andrés F. Davalos and
  • Gustavo R. Rivera

10 February 2018

Biocompatible polymeric materials with potential to form functional structures in association with different therapeutic molecules have a high potential for biological, medical and pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, the capability of the inclusi...

  • Meeting Report
  • Open Access
1 Citations
7,125 Views
32 Pages

9 February 2018

The third International Electronic Conference on Medicinal Chemistry, organized and sponsored by MDPI AG, publisher, and the journal Pharmaceuticals, took place in November 2017 on the SciForum website (www.sciforum.net/conference/ecmc-3). Around 300...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
56 Citations
10,421 Views
18 Pages

Interactions Between Epilepsy and Plasticity

  • José J. Jarero-Basulto,
  • Yadira Gasca-Martínez,
  • Martha C. Rivera-Cervantes,
  • Mónica E. Ureña-Guerrero,
  • Alfredo I. Feria-Velasco and
  • Carlos Beas-Zarate

7 February 2018

Undoubtedly, one of the most interesting topics in the field of neuroscience is the ability of the central nervous system to respond to different stimuli (normal or pathological) by modifying its structure and function, either transiently or permanen...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
6,569 Views
11 Pages

6 February 2018

Vitamin E phosphate (VEP) nucleoside prodrugs are designed to bypass two mechanisms of tumor resistance to therapeutic nucleosides: nucleoside transport and kinase downregulation. Certain isoforms of vitamin E (VE) have shown activity against solid a...

  • Review
  • Open Access
62 Citations
11,784 Views
34 Pages

Drug Repurposing for Schistosomiasis: Combinations of Drugs or Biomolecules

  • Maria João Gouveia,
  • Paul J. Brindley,
  • Fátima Gärtner,
  • José M. Correia da Costa and
  • Nuno Vale

5 February 2018

Schistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease. Control of schistosomiasis currently relies on a single drug, praziquantel, and despite its efficacy against the all schistosome species that parasitize humans, it displays some problematic drawb...

  • Review
  • Open Access
78 Citations
11,439 Views
19 Pages

1 February 2018

Persistence is a phenomenon during which a small fraction of a total bacterial population survives treatment with high concentrations of antibiotics for an extended period of time. In conjunction with biofilms, antibiotic persisters represent a major...

  • Review
  • Open Access
22 Citations
7,525 Views
19 Pages

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the In Vivo Haemodynamic Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol

  • Salahaden R. Sultan,
  • Sophie A. Millar,
  • Saoirse E. O’Sullivan and
  • Timothy J. England

31 January 2018

9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has complex effects on the cardiovascular system. We aimed to systematically review studies of THC and haemodynamic alterations. PubMed, Medline, and EMBASE were searched for relevant studies. Changes in blood pressure (...

  • Review
  • Open Access
50 Citations
15,596 Views
16 Pages

The Implication of the Brain Insulin Receptor in Late Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia

  • Jaume Folch,
  • Miren Ettcheto,
  • Oriol Busquets,
  • Elena Sánchez-López,
  • Rubén D. Castro-Torres,
  • Ester Verdaguer,
  • Patricia R. Manzine,
  • Saghar Rabiei Poor,
  • María Luisa García and
  • Antoni Camins
  • + 3 authors

29 January 2018

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by brain accumulation of the amyloid β peptide (Aβ), which form senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and, eventually, neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
85 Citations
14,020 Views
19 Pages

Alpha-Secretase ADAM10 Regulation: Insights into Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment

  • Rafaela Peron,
  • Izabela Pereira Vatanabe,
  • Patricia Regina Manzine,
  • Antoni Camins and
  • Márcia Regina Cominetti

29 January 2018

ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) is a family of widely expressed, transmembrane and secreted proteins of approximately 750 amino acids in length with functions in cell adhesion and proteolytic processing of the ectodomains of diverse cell-s...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
5,217 Views
11 Pages

Self-Assembled Supramolecular Nanoparticles Improve the Cytotoxic Efficacy of CK2 Inhibitor THN7

  • Abdelhamid Nacereddine,
  • Andre Bollacke,
  • Eszter Róka,
  • Christelle Marminon,
  • Zouhair Bouaziz,
  • Ferenc Fenyvesi,
  • Ildikó Katalin Bácskay,
  • Joachim Jose,
  • Florent Perret and
  • Marc Le Borgne

26 January 2018

Since the approval of imatinib in 2001, kinase inhibitors have revolutionized cancer therapies. Inside this family of phosphotransferases, casein kinase 2 (CK2) is of great interest and numerous scaffolds have been investigated to design CK2 inhibito...

  • Article
  • Open Access
12 Citations
5,014 Views
16 Pages

Improved Intranasal Retentivity and Transnasal Absorption Enhancement by PEGylated Poly-l-ornithine

  • Yusuke Kamiya,
  • Tsutomu Yamaki,
  • Shigehiro Omori,
  • Masaki Uchida,
  • Kazuo Ohtake,
  • Mitsutoshi Kimura,
  • Hiroshi Yamazaki and
  • Hideshi Natsume

25 January 2018

We reported that the introduction of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to poly-l-ornithine (PLO), which is an homopolymeric basic amino acid having absorption-enhancement ability, prolonged retention time in an in vitro inclined plate test, probably due to a...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
5,074 Views
9 Pages

Gastroprotective Effects of Sulphated Polysaccharides from the Alga Caulerpa mexicana Reducing Ethanol-Induced Gastric Damage

  • José Gerardo Carneiro,
  • Ticiana De Brito Lima Holanda,
  • Ana Luíza Gomes Quinderé,
  • Annyta Fernandes Frota,
  • Vitória Virgínia Magalhães Soares,
  • Rayane Siqueira de Sousa,
  • Manuela Araújo Carneiro,
  • Dainesy Santos Martins,
  • Antoniella Souza Gomes Duarte and
  • Norma Maria Barros Benevides

20 January 2018

The development of the gastric lesion is complex and the result of the imbalance between aggressive and protective factors, involving the generation of free radicals and disturbance in nitric oxide (NO) production. Sulphated polysaccharides (SP), fro...

  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
6,392 Views
11 Pages

Effects of Polymethoxyflavonoids on Bone Loss Induced by Estrogen Deficiency and by LPS-Dependent Inflammation in Mice

  • Shigeru Matsumoto,
  • Tsukasa Tominari,
  • Chiho Matsumoto,
  • Shosei Yoshinouchi,
  • Ryota Ichimaru,
  • Kenta Watanabe,
  • Michiko Hirata,
  • Florian M. W. Grundler,
  • Chisato Miyaura and
  • Masaki Inada

20 January 2018

Polymethoxyflavonoids (PMFs) are a family of the natural compounds that mainly compise nobiletin, tangeretin, heptamethoxyflavone (HMF), and tetramethoxyflavone (TMF) in citrus fruits. PMFs have shown various biological functions, including anti-oxid...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
9,503 Views
18 Pages

In Silico Study, Synthesis, and Cytotoxic Activities of Porphyrin Derivatives

  • Fransiska Kurniawan,
  • Youhei Miura,
  • Rahmana Emran Kartasasmita,
  • Naoki Yoshioka,
  • Abdul Mutalib and
  • Daryono Hadi Tjahjono

20 January 2018

Five known porphyrins, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(p-tolyl)porphyrin (TTP), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(p-bromophenyl)porphyrin (TBrPP), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(p-aminophenyl)porphyrin (TAPP), 5,10,15-tris(tolyl)-20-mono(p-nitrophenyl)porphyrin (TrTMNP), 5,10,15-tris(to...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
54 Citations
8,461 Views
8 Pages

Endolysosomal Cation Channels and Cancer—A Link with Great Potential

  • Christian Grimm,
  • Karin Bartel,
  • Angelika M. Vollmar and
  • Martin Biel

The endolysosomal system (ES) consists of lysosomes; early, late, and recycling endosomes; and autophagosomes. It is a key regulator not only of macromolecule degradation and recycling, plasma membrane repair, homeostasis, and lipid storage, but also...

  • Article
  • Open Access
47 Citations
7,568 Views
18 Pages

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity of UP-5, an Ultrashort Antimicrobial Peptide Designed Using Only Arginine and Biphenylalanine

  • Ammar Almaaytah,
  • Mohammed T. Qaoud,
  • Gubran Khalil Mohammed,
  • Ahmad Abualhaijaa,
  • Daniel Knappe,
  • Ralf Hoffmann and
  • Qosay Al-Balas

The recent upsurge of multidrug resistant bacteria (MDRB) among global communities has become one of the most serious challenges facing health professionals and the human population worldwide. Cationic ultrashort antimicrobial peptides (USAMPs) are a...

  • Review
  • Open Access
260 Citations
19,568 Views
18 Pages

Roles of Heat Shock Proteins in Apoptosis, Oxidative Stress, Human Inflammatory Diseases, and Cancer

  • Paul Chukwudi Ikwegbue,
  • Priscilla Masamba,
  • Babatunji Emmanuel Oyinloye and
  • Abidemi Paul Kappo

23 December 2017

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play cytoprotective activities under pathological conditions through the initiation of protein folding, repair, refolding of misfolded peptides, and possible degradation of irreparable proteins. Excessive apoptosis, resulti...

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Pharmaceuticals - ISSN 1424-8247