Current Drug Targets - Volume 22, Issue 16, 2021

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is one of the most severe ocular problems of diabetes. It is a microvascular complication that impairs the vision of diabetic individuals and can cause acquired blindness. Currently, available treatment options like laser therapy, vitrectomy, intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents, and glucocorticoids help to reduce vision loss at advanced stages. In spite of the available therapies, patients with severe vision loss face difficulty in achieving the normal vision. There is a need for the development of newer treatment strategies to address the condition from the early stages. Multiple factors owing to complex pathophysiological events are responsible for this long-term complication. Neurodegeneration, inflammation, and oxidative stress are the three important factors associated with the development of DR. Oxidative stress is a major contributor to the onset and progression of DR. Pathological events like retinal neurodegeneration and inflammation damage the retina in the early stages of DR. Different combinations of treatments targeting these pathological events are discussed in the present review. The first combination discussed is citicoline and resveratrol and the second combination is duloxetine and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). These combinations may help in the early stages of DR. CD5-2, and angiopoietin-2 inhibitors is the third combination and this combination may help to manage diabetic macular edema. The main purpose of this article is to discuss the link between these pathologies and the three combinational approaches with the objective of considerating newer therapeutic approaches in research related to DR treatment.

The socio-economic burden of renal disease is enormous due to the unavailability of effective treatment to cure it. High risk patients have only two costly options in chronic renal disease, dialysis and renal replacement therapy (RRT). RRT has limitations of the organ donor, and ethical concerns are also associated with it. The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is highly conserved and active during embryogenesis in early life but suppressed in adults. Animal studies suggested that knockdown of Wnt protein led to abnormal kidney development at birth. In the adult kidney, Wnt/beta-- catenin pathway activation led to tissue repair after acute injury, but sustained activation is harmful and involved in renal fibrosis. Recently, Wnt/beta-catenin signaling cascade has emerged as a potential pathway involved in adult renal diseases and is considered an attractive therapeutic target for developing effective therapeutic intervention. Precise information about the involvement of specific types of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway components in adult renal disease using cutting-edge molecular techniques will help develop novel therapies for renal diseases. Future studies will determine Wnt/beta-catenin signaling proteins' effectiveness and safety as a treatment option for renal disorders.

ACE2 has long been known as an injury protective protein, which can protect against a variety of organ damage such as the heart, liver, kidney, and lung. Especially in cardiovascular diseases, as a negative regulator of RAAS, ACE2 is an extremely important protective factor that mainly plays a role by converting Ang II to Ang-(1-7). Nevertheless, with the recent outbreak of COVID-19, it is exposed that another identity of ACE2 is the entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2, which previously serves as the entry receptor for SARS. With the in-depth clinical research, it is found that the severity and susceptibility of COVID-19 are related to cardiovascular diseases, and SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2 receptor is also potentially associated with heart injury symptoms. Therefore, in this article, we mainly summarize the relationship between ACE2, COVID-19, and cardiovascular diseases/heart injury.

Apoptosis is often called programmed cell death and is defined as a self-directed cell destruction process. It is different from necrosis due to the activation of caspases during this process. Apoptosis is directly related to cancer progression and plays a vital role in carcinogenesis; all cytotoxic drugs and radiation therapy programs initiate apoptosis in tumor cells. Today, studies show that heterocyclic compounds that contain triazole functionality have anticancer activities; triazoles are 5- membered rings, which contain two carbon and three nitrogen atoms. Therefore, many researchers have synthesized these small active compounds as target structures and evaluated their apoptotic activities. The present review describes recent medicinal aspects of triazoles as anticancer agents that have been reported during the past few years. We hope that the bioactivity of triazole derivatives will be beneficial for the rational design of a new generation of small molecule drugs.

Three Dimensional (3D) printing is a promising method for quick prototyping and manufacturing of any material. It is similar to photocopy or printing, where the new materials are formed on layers (3D) like their mother component. Following its growth and advancement in the 1980s, its application in pharmaceuticals is still limited. It has become one of the most innovative and influential tools serving as a technology for developing dosage forms from the last decade. The potential of 3D printing to produce drugs for precise measurement customized to specific patients' needs has shown the possibility of developing personalized medicines to novel dosage forms. The breakthrough allows the clear perception of the dosage structures on different shapes, sizes, surfaces and the associated challenges in delivering them by using such designed conditions. There are different difficulties related to the correct utilization of 3D imprinting in the pharmaceuticals, which have a strong impact on the scope of this technology. Recent advancements in the field of 3D printing technology used in the pharmaceutical industry mainly focused on different techniques for the fabrication of different dosage forms. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent approval of the first 3D prescription highlights possibilities for 3D printing innovation in the field of pharmaceutical drug supply. This analysis assesses 3D printing advancement possibilities, particularly in the area of custom prescriptions. This technology can be regarded as the future produced on demand, low-cost solid dosage forms and helps minimize side effects due to overdose.