Current Drug Discovery Technologies - Volume 22, Issue 5, 2025

An imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants in the circulatory system leads to oxidative stress, which has been linked to several pathological conditions, including cancer, aging, and neurological and cardiovascular diseases. Antioxidants play a crucial role in reducing oxidative damage by neutralizing harmful free radicals and preventing cellular injury. The processes generating cellular oxidative stress and the curative effects of antioxidants, the origins and effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the role that oxidative stress plays in the pathogenesis of disease, and the several kinds of antioxidants-including enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants are thoroughly explored in this review. We also emphasized the medicinal uses of antioxidants, both natural and synthetic, in the prevention and treatment of disorders associated with oxidative stress. Furthermore, we discussed the challenges and potential paths ahead for antioxidant research, such as developing new antioxidant molecules with higher efficacy and improving antioxidant delivery systems. This study provides information regarding the complicated dynamics of oxidative stress and the potential benefits of antioxidants for preserving cellular homeostasis and advancing human health.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmaceutical sciences marks a significant milestone in the field of drug discovery and development, presenting unique prospects for creativity and productivity. This review article delves into the significant impact of AI on contemporary pharmaceutical practices, highlighting its incorporation in different phases of drug discovery and personalized medicine. Our goal is to offer a thorough analysis of the current landscape of AI applications in the field, outline the extent of recent progress, and explore the obstacles and potential future paths for AI technologies. Significant advancements have been made in the drug development process, resulting in cost reduction and improved drug efficacy and safety profiling. In order to fully harness its potential, the various obstacles involved in the integration of AI must be overcome. These include ensuring the quality of data, navigating through regulatory requirements, and addressing ethical considerations. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of AI techniques, discussing the strengths and limitations of current technologies and identifying emerging trends that could potentially shape future pharmaceutical landscapes. Exploring the far-reaching effects of AI on healthcare, economics, and ethics, this analysis offers valuable insights into the potential of AI-driven strategies to revolutionize healthcare, making it more individualized and efficient. In the end, this review seeks to provide guidance to stakeholders in understanding the intricacies of AI in pharmaceutical sciences and utilizing its potential to improve patient outcomes.

The temperate, subtropical climates of Odisha state, India, provide significant benefits that can help it become a potent producer of many species of edible mushrooms. The importance of mushrooms in diets has gained more attention in recent years due to their nutritional benefits. We aimed to update and discuss the current research information on nutritional components, including carbohydrates (β-glucans, trehalose, glucose), dietary fiber, proteins (ostreatin), amino acids (valine, glutamine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine, lipids, vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, niacin, folic acid, nicotinic acid, and cobalamin), minerals (K, P, Na, Ca, Mg), flavor and taste contents of Odisha cultivated edible mushrooms. Additionally, their biological application in terms of antimicrobial action, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, cardioprotective properties, and antioxidant properties with mechanism of action are highlighted. Besides, we mentioned the limitations and prospects of mushrooms.

Still today, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a major digestive illness that affects millions of people around the world every year. This study looks at both traditional and herbal ways of treating PUD, focusing on how they work, how well they work, and whether they can work together. Pharmaceuticals like antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and H2-receptor antagonists are common ways to treat the condition. In more serious cases, surgery may also be an option. The use of medical plants in phytotherapy, an herbal treatment, has shown promise in helping people with PUD deal with their symptoms and speed up the healing of ulcers. Citrus maxima (Pomelo), a plant in the Rutaceae family, may be able to help treat PUD because it has functional and antioxidant properties. In addition, studies on how well different plants treat PUD have shown that they have anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective qualities. Also, the parts of photosynthesis that plants use contain many beneficial substances that might help with the treatment of PUD. This all-around method would deal with many pathogenic pathways at the same time. More study needs to be done to learn more about how herbal therapies can be used to treat PUD and how they can be combined with other common treatments.

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid with strong pharmacological activity such as analgesic, antioxidant, neuroprotective, antivirus, anti-inflammatory, anti-seizure, anti-obesity, and hypolipidemic effects. Accumulated evidence indicates berberine plays an inhibitory role against infection of numerous viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus, respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis C virus, human papillomavirus, human cytomegalovirus, and influenza virus. Berberine’s antiviral action has shown promise, making it a viable option for synergistically enhancing the inhibitory effect of current antiviral medicines. This review provides an overview of prior berberine antiviral studies to prepare for its potential use as a natural antiviral agent in future research.

Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) has been recognized to be an essential regulator of cellular processes and gene expression in cancer. The present study covers the various roles of ncRNAs, including circular RNAs (circRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs), that affect cancer properties. Oncogenesis, metastasis, and treatment resistance are all processes involving ncRNAs, which have tremendous potential as new therapeutic agents and targets. The review covers the broad spectrum of ncRNAs in cancer biology, including their types and activities, epigenetic control, function in metastasis and angiogenesis, detection and profiling approaches, potential as biomarkers, and therapeutic possibilities. Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing and other molecular methods have helped us better understand how ncRNAs work and their potential therapeutic uses. However, there are still challenges to standardizing detection technologies and producing effective RNA-based therapeutics. Therefore, further studies are needed to solve important issues in this sector. Standardization efforts are also essential to developing identical methods for ncRNA collection, quantification, and analysis throughout multiple laboratories and ensuring the findings are reliable and comparable. Large-scale, multi-recentre studies are required to verify the diagnostic usefulness of ncRNA biomarkers across a wide range of patient groups. Also, more detailed mechanistic knowledge is necessary for understanding the particular molecular mechanisms by which ncRNAs affect cancer growth, metastasis, and treatment response. This review highlights the complex relationships between ncRNAs and cancer biology and also focuses on their potential effect on cancer diagnosis and treatment. It also highlights the necessity for more studies to fully understand the therapeutic potential of ncRNAs in cancer. As studies advance, using ncRNA results in clinical practice might change cancer treatment by novel opportunities for specific therapy and personalized medicine.

Traditional drug discovery processes have disadvantages such as efficiency, cost, and high attrition rates. In-silico methods, involving computational simulations and modelling, offer powerful solutions to bridge the gap between discovery and development. This review explores various in silico approaches, including ligand-based and structure-based drug design, virtual screening, molecular docking, and ADMET prediction. We explore their utilization throughout different phases of pharmaceutical development, spanning from target identification and lead refinement to forecasting toxicity and pharmacokinetics. In-silico methods enable rapid lead identification and optimization, reducing reliance on expensive wet lab experiments. They contribute to improved drug quality by predicting ADMET properties and off-target effects, ultimately accelerating development timelines and lowering costs. In-silico approaches are revolutionizing drug design by providing predictive and cost-effective solutions. Incorporating them into the design process streamlines lead refinement and enhances the likelihood of success for potential drugs, ultimately expediting the translation of innovative treatments to patients.