Bentham Science Publishers

Medicinal Chemistry - Fusion of Traditional and Western Medicine is a textbook intended for students taking courses in the various fields of medicinal chemistry, pharmacy, medical and dental programs. Moreover, people working in the pharmaceutical industry and doctors preparing for Medical Board Exams will also find it useful. Since, new drugs are being developed by multi-disciplinary teams; this E-Book describes new paradigms that are emerging in modern biology, biochemistry and medicine. It is therefore a fusion of traditional and western medicine and between systems thinking and reductionist thinking.

The 3rd edition attempts to explain the predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (P4) paradigm of medicinal chemistry. This edition features new chapters focusing on personalized medicinal chemistry and the endocrine system (with a discussion of bioidentical hormone therapy). Other chapters cover the disease mechanism and associated pharmacology of drugs for several diseases including cancer, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases, the immune system and much more. The new edition also includes an overview of emergent medical problems and possible solutions (such as the flu, ebola virus, global climate change, a shortage of medicines, genetic engineering and stem cell therapy). Drugs that have been approved by the FDA since the 1st edition was written are also included. The book concludes with an explanation of systems thinking in medicinal chemistry, an important, yet rarely explored topic in other medicinal chemistry text books.

The primary objective of this 4-volume book series is to educate PharmD students on the subject of medicinal chemistry. The book set serves as a reference guide to pharmacists on aspects of chemical basis of drug action. This first volume of the series is comprised of 8 chapters focusing on basic background information about medicinal chemistry. It takes a succinct and conceptual approach to introducing important fundamental concepts required for a clear understanding of various facets of pharmacotherapeutic agents, drug metabolism and important biosynthetic pathways that are relevant to drug action. Notable topics covered in this first volume include the scope and importance of medicinal chemistry in pharmacy education, a comprehensive discussion of the organic functional groups present in drugs, and information about four major types of biomolecules (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids) and key heterocyclic ring systems. The concepts of acid-base chemistry and salt formation, and their applications to the drug action and design follow thereafter. These include concepts of solubility and lipid-water partition coefficient (LWPC), isosterism, stereochemical properties, mechanisms of drug action, drug receptor interactions critical for pharmacological responses of drugs, and much more. Students and teachers will be able to integrate the knowledge presented in the book and apply medicinal chemistry concepts to understand the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of therapeutic agents in the body.

The primary objective of this 4-volume book series is to educate PharmD students on the subject of medicinal chemistry. The book set serves as a reference guide to pharmacists on aspects of the chemical basis of drug action. Medicinal Chemistry of Drugs Affecting the Nervous System is the second volume of the series and it presents 8 chapters focusing on a comprehensive account of drugs affecting the nervous system. The volume informs readers about the medicinal chemistry of relevant drugs, which includes the mechanism of drug action, detail structure activity relationships and metabolism as well as clinical significance of drugs affecting autonomic and central nervous system. Chapters in this volume cover cholinergic drugs, adrenergic drugs, antipsychotics, antidepressants, sedatives, hypnotics, anxiolytics, antiepileptic drugs, anesthetics and antiparkinsonian drugs, respectively. Students and teachers will be able to integrate the knowledge presented in the book and apply medicinal chemistry concepts to understand the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of therapeutic agents in the body. The information offered by the book chapters will give readers a strong neuropharmacology knowledge base required for a practicing pharmacist.

This comprehensive reference explores medicinal plants, phytomedicines, and traditional herbal remedies as potential sources for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. It features 9 chapters authored and edited by renowned experts. The book specifically highlights the promising drug discovery opportunities grounded in bioactive compounds from medicinal plants and herbal medicines, offering insights into combatting SARS-CoV-2 infections and respiratory complications.

Key Highlights:

Drug Discovery Potential: Explores the vast potential of medicinal plants, phytomedicine, and traditional remedies against COVID-19, shedding light on groundbreaking drug discovery avenues.

Cutting-Edge Insights: Provides up-to-date insights into the use of medicinal plants, herbal drugs, and traditional medicines in the fight against COVID-19.

Natural Immune Boosters: Details the use of indigenous herbs, spices, functional foods, and herbal drugs for boosting immunity and preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Drug Repurposing: Highlights innovative drug repurposing strategies using phytomedicine-derived bioactive compounds and phytochemical databases for COVID-19 drug development. Additional features of the book include a reader-friendly introduction to each topic and a list of references for advanced readers. This timely reference is an informative resource for a broad range of readers interested in strategies to control COVID-19, including postgraduate researchers, and pharmaceutical R&D experts. It also serves as a handbook for professionals in clinical and herbal medicine.

This book provides readers a fundamental understanding of the science and applications of medicinal and aromatic plant materials. Chapters of this handbook covers the basics of ethnobotany, (bio)active compounds and their natural sources. Information about the cosmetic, nutritional, medicinal and industrial uses (dyes, tannins and biocides) is also presented. Readers will also learn about concepts central to quality control processes, sustainable management, wild harvesting and the economic valuation of the industrial impact of endemic plants.

The volume also presents a case study of the wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.), which is helpful in explaining the above concepts.

This book is intended as a handbook for undergraduate students and teaching professionals in research and higher education institutions involved in agricultural engineering, pharmacy, forestry, natural product chemistry. Non experts interested in aromatic and medicinal plant agriculture, transformation and commercialization will also find the content informative.

Medicinal and Environmental Chemistry: Experimental Advances and Simulations is a collection of topics that highlight the use of pharmaceutical chemistry to assess the environment or make drug design and chemical testing more environment friendly.

The eleven chapters included in the second part of this book set cover diverse topics, blending the fields of environmental chemistry and medicinal chemistry and have been authored by experts, scientists and academicians from renowned institutions. This part is more specialized in nature, focusing primarily on the effects of air pollution and water contamination on human health. Chapters covering pharmaceutical interventions and pollution control measures, respectively follow these initial topics.

Part II also features specialized topics that aim to address some unique challenges of the above mentioned problems including antibiotic pollution, pharmaceutical analysis of pollutants, chemosensors, biosteric modifications and new drug development strategies against SARS-CoV2.

Key Features:

1. 11 topics which blend environmental chemistry and medicinal chemistry

2. Contributions from more than 40 experts

3. Includes topics covering effects of air pollution on human health and disease

4. Includes specialized topics on pharmaceutical analysis in the environment, and modifications of compounds for pharmaceutical purposes

5. Bibliographic references

This reference is an essential source of information for readers and scholars involved in environmental chemistry, pollution management and pharmaceutical chemistry courses at graduate and undergraduate levels. Professionals and students involved in occupational medicine will also benefit from the wide range of topics covered.

Melanin is a biological molecule associated with pigmentation in humans and animals. However, melanin has been observed to have other functions such as neuroprotection and energy production. In Melanin, the Master Molecule, researchers summarize several decades worth of knowledge on melanin and its physicochemical properties. Nine chapters explain the intrinsic biochemistry of melanin, comparisons with conventional energy producing and respiratory biomolecules, the property of melanin to transform light energy into chemical energy through the dissociation of the water molecule, and the theories of melanin based energy production in the nervous system, the cell nucleus, muscles and the eye, and the role the role of melanin in the context of ageing. The authors also delve into the possibility of melanin being the key molecule needed to spark life since its water dissociating property through the absorption of light energy emulates the role of chlorophyll, but unlike the latter, it is not limited to the plant cell environment. Hence, melanin is referred to as the master molecule which can provide a missing link to the biochemical processes behind the origin of life.

Melanin, the Master Molecule is an exciting reference for biochemists and laymen interested in the science of melanin and a new perspective on the origin of life as we know it.

The electrical response of cells to mechanical stimulus is known as mechanotransduction. This monograph is a summary of the mechanotransduction in musculoskeletal cells responsible for body tissue maintenance, support, cover and movement. While mechanotransduction is similar among these cells, there are also several important differences in mechanical parameters and cellular pathways characteristic to each cell type. Therefore, readers will have the opportunity to update their knowledge about the increasing volume of information on mechanotransduction in these cells gained from current research.

The book features a primer on general aspects of cellular biomechanics and the experimental methods and equipment commonly used for investigating cellular mechanotransduction in vitro in two dimensional cultures in which cells are adherent to plastic surfaces. Characteristic mechanotransduction pathways in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), chondrocytes, osteoblasts and fibroblasts are described in the accompanying chapters. Finally, a description of clinical implementation of mechanical stimulation is presented with emphasis on distraction osteogenesis, involving osteoblast stimulation, and skin stretching techniques based on fibroblast stimulation.

This monograph is a useful reference for readers involved in graduate courses or basic research in cell biology and musculoskeletal physiology.

For decades, scientific efforts have been made to understand obesity and related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and neurodegeneration, and their link with meta-inflammation. Adipose tissue is, at present, viewed as an endocrine organ with important biological effects on metabolism and inflammation, with a possible role in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated metabolic and inflammatory diseases. Chronic systemic low-grade inflammation has gained significant attention as the key player in the pathophysiology of obesity- and aging-associated diseases. Keeping view of this trend, Meta-Inflammation and Obesity offers readers state-of-the-art knowledge on this subject. Chapters cover special topics such as gender differences in obesity-related type 2 diabetes as the consequence of inflammatory response, insights into metabolic changes caused by excessive adipose tissue (which lead to abnormal brain metabolism, neuroinflammation, cognitive decline, development of type 3 diabetes), and the importance of inflammaging in the aging process. Graduate, postgraduate and Ph. D. candidates in medicine, pharmacy, and students of applied medicine, health care professionals as well as scientists involved in adipose tissue research, meta-inflammation analysis, obesity-related medical specialties will find this book a useful reference on the link between inflammation and obesity.