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Pharmaceutics
Special Issues
Emerging Pharmaceutical Strategies against Infectious Diseases
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Emerging Pharmaceutical Strategies against Infectious Diseases

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Targeting and Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 7467

Special Issue Editors

Dr. M. Auxiliadora Dea-Ayuela

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Departament of Pharmacy, School of Health Science, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, C/Ramón y Cajal s/n, 46115 Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain
Interests: neglected diseases; infectious diseases; new drugs against infectious diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dolores Remedios Serrano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pharmaceutics and Food Technology, School of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Interests: nanomedicines; microparticles; sustained-release formulations; liposomes; nanoparticles; drug targeting; pharmacokinetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases persist as a global health challenge, constantly presenting new hurdles for effective treatment. This Special Issue seeks to showcase pioneering research on drug delivery systems, targeted therapies, and novel formulations combating diverse infectious agents.

We welcome contributions that underscore the integration of cutting-edge technologies such as nanomedicine, immunotherapy, and personalized drug design to tackle the evolving complexities of infectious diseases. Researchers are encouraged to offer insights into the challenges and prospects of developing effective antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal agents. Join us in shaping the trajectory of pharmaceutical interventions in the battle against infectious diseases. Submit your contributions to this Special Issue and play a pivotal role in advancing this critical field.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. M. Auxiliadora Dea-Ayuela
Dr. Dolores Remedios Serrano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antibiotic activity
  • antibacterial activity
  • antifungal activity
  • antiviral activity
  • antimicrobial drug development
  • vaccine innovation
  • host-targeted therapies
  • precision medicine in infectious diseases
  • nanotechnology in antimicrobial therapeutics
  • drug delivery for infections

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 1393 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Survival Modification by Furosemide Use in a Cohort of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Severe or Critical Disease in Mexico: Due to Its Chemical Structure, Furosemide Is More than Just a Diuretic
by Janet Diaz-Martinez, Wayne Kotzker, Martha A. Mendoza-Hernandez, Rajdeep S. Gadh, Gustavo A. Hernandez-Fuentes, Andrew Bañuelos, José Guzmán-Esquivel, Angelina Hong, Osiris G. Delgado-Enciso, Elizabeth Geyer-Roberts, Margarita L. Martinez-Fierro, Iram P. Rodriguez-Sanchez, Idalia Garza-Veloz, Luis M. Canseco-Ávila and Ivan Delgado-Enciso
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(7), 920; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16070920 - 10 Jul 2024
Viewed by 897
Abstract
In the ongoing fight against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), researchers are exploring potential treatments to improve outcomes, especially in severe cases. This includes investigating the repurposing of existing medications, such as furosemide, which is widely available. This study aimed to evaluate the impact [...] Read more.
In the ongoing fight against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), researchers are exploring potential treatments to improve outcomes, especially in severe cases. This includes investigating the repurposing of existing medications, such as furosemide, which is widely available. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of furosemide on mortality rates among COVID-19 patients with severe or critical illness. We assessed a cohort of 515 hospitalized adults who experienced a high mortality rate of 43.9%. Using a multivariate analysis with adjusted risk ratios (AdRRs), factors like smoking (AdRR 2.48, 95% CI 1.53–4.01, p < 0.001), a high Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) score (AdRR 7.89, 95% CI 5.82–10.70, p < 0.001), mechanical ventilation (AdRR 23.12, 95% CI 17.28–30.92, p < 0.001), neutrophilia (AdRR 2.12, 95% CI 1.52–2.95, p < 0.001), and an elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (AdRR 2.39, 95% CI 1.72–3.32, p < 0.001) were found to increase mortality risk. In contrast, vaccination and furosemide use were associated with reduced mortality risk (AdRR 0.58, p = 0.001 and 0.60, p = 0.008; respectively). Furosemide showed a pronounced survival benefit in patients with less severe disease (PSI < 120) and those not on hemodialysis, with mortality rates significantly lower in furosemide users (3.7% vs. 25.7%). A Kaplan–Meier analysis confirmed longer survival and better oxygenation levels in patients treated with furosemide. Furthermore, a Structure–Activity Relationship analysis revealed that furosemide’s sulfonamide groups may interact with cytokine sites such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), potentially explaining its beneficial effects in COVID-19 management. These findings suggest that furosemide could be a beneficial treatment option in certain COVID-19 patient groups, enhancing survival and improving oxygenation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pharmaceutical Strategies against Infectious Diseases)
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14 pages, 4371 KiB  
Article
Antibiotic Loaded Phytosomes as a Way to Develop Innovative Lipid Formulations of Polyene Macrolides
by Svetlana S. Efimova and Olga S. Ostroumova
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(5), 665; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16050665 - 16 May 2024
Viewed by 3755
Abstract
Background: The threat of antibiotic resistance of fungal pathogens and the high toxicity of the most effective drugs, polyene macrolides, force us to look for new ways to develop innovative antifungal formulations. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine how the [...] Read more.
Background: The threat of antibiotic resistance of fungal pathogens and the high toxicity of the most effective drugs, polyene macrolides, force us to look for new ways to develop innovative antifungal formulations. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine how the sterol, phospholipid, and flavonoid composition of liposomal forms of polyene antibiotics, and in particular, amphotericin B (AmB), affects their ability to increase the permeability of lipid bilayers that mimic the membranes of mammalian and fungal cells. Methods: To monitor the membrane permeability induced by various polyene-based lipid formulations, a calcein leakage assay and the electrophysiological technique based on planar lipid bilayers were used. Key results: The replacement of cholesterol with its biosynthetic precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol, led to a decrease in the ability of AmB-loaded liposomes to permeabilize lipid bilayers mimicking mammalian cell membranes. The inclusion of plant flavonoid phloretin in AmB-loaded liposomes increased the ability of the formulation to disengage a fluorescent marker from lipid vesicles mimicking the membranes of target fungi. I–V characteristics of the fungal-like lipid bilayers treated with the AmB phytosomes were symmetric, demonstrating the functioning of double-length AmB pores and assuming a decrease in the antibiotic threshold concentration. Conclusions and Perspectives: The therapeutic window of polyene lipid formulations might be expanded by varying their sterol composition. Polyene-loaded phytosomes might be considered as the prototypes for innovative lipid antibiotic formulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pharmaceutical Strategies against Infectious Diseases)
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14 pages, 3576 KiB  
Article
Influenza Virus Inactivated by Heavy Ion Beam Irradiation Stimulates Antigen-Specific Immune Responses
by Kai Schulze, Ulrich Weber, Christoph Schuy, Marco Durante and Carlos Alberto Guzmán
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(4), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16040465 - 27 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1973
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the need for effective and rapid vaccine development methods. Conventional inactivated virus vaccines, together with new technologies like vector and mRNA vaccines, were the first to be rolled out. However, the traditional methods used for virus inactivation [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the need for effective and rapid vaccine development methods. Conventional inactivated virus vaccines, together with new technologies like vector and mRNA vaccines, were the first to be rolled out. However, the traditional methods used for virus inactivation can affect surface-exposed antigen, thereby reducing vaccine efficacy. Gamma rays have been used in the past to inactivate viruses. We recently proposed that high-energy heavy ions may be more suitable as an inactivation method because they increase the damage ratio between the viral nucleic acid and surface proteins. Here, we demonstrate that irradiation of the influenza virus using heavy ion beams constitutes a suitable method to develop effective vaccines, since immunization of mice by the intranasal route with the inactivated virus resulted in the stimulation of strong antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pharmaceutical Strategies against Infectious Diseases)
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Review

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17 pages, 2183 KiB  
Review
Polyene-Based Derivatives with Antifungal Activities
by Kwanele Ngece, Thabisa L. Ntondini, Vuyolwethu Khwaza, Athandwe M. Paca and Blessing A. Aderibigbe
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(8), 1065; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16081065 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 407
Abstract
Polyenes are a class of organic compounds well known for their potent antifungal properties. They are effective due to their ability to target and disrupt fungal cell membranes by binding to ergosterol and forming pores. Despite their effectiveness as antifungal drugs, polyenes have [...] Read more.
Polyenes are a class of organic compounds well known for their potent antifungal properties. They are effective due to their ability to target and disrupt fungal cell membranes by binding to ergosterol and forming pores. Despite their effectiveness as antifungal drugs, polyenes have several limitations, such as high toxicity to the host cell and poor solubility in water. This has prompted ongoing research to develop safer and more efficient derivatives to overcome such limitations while enhancing their antifungal activity. In this review article, we present a thorough analysis of polyene derivatives, their structural modifications, and their influence on their therapeutic effects against various fungal strains. Key studies are discussed, illustrating how structural modifications have led to improved antifungal properties. By evaluating the latest advancements in the synthesis of polyene derivatives, we highlight that incorporating amide linkers at the carboxylic moiety of polyene molecules notably improves their antifungal properties, as evidenced by derivatives 4, 5, 6G, and 18. This review can help in the design and development of novel polyene-based compounds with potent antifungal activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Pharmaceutical Strategies against Infectious Diseases)
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