Current Drug Therapy - Volume 17, Issue 5, 2022

Extensive studies have explored potential therapies against multiple myeloma (MM), whether in hospitals, universities, or in private institutional settings. Scientists continue to study the mechanism(s) underlying the disease as a basis for the development of more effective treatment options. There are many therapeutic agents and treatment regimens used for multiple myeloma. Unfortunately, no cure or definitive treatment options exist. The goal of treatment is to maintain the patient in remission for as long as possible. Therapeutic agents used in combination can effectively maintain patients in remission. While these therapies have increased patient survival, a significant number of patients relapse. The off-target toxicity and resistance exhibited by target cells remain a challenge for existing approaches. Ongoing efforts to understand the biology of the disease offer the greatest chance to improve therapeutic options. Nanoparticles (targeted drug delivery systems) offer new hope and directions for therapy. This review summarizes FDA-approved agents for the treatment of MM, highlights the clinical barriers to treatment, including adverse side effects normally associated with the use of conventional agents, and describes how nanotherapeutics have overcome barriers to impede conventional treatments.

Chitosan is a biopolymer that has been widely used in medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetics, food as well as textile, and paper industries due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxic, and less allergenic nature. In recent times, chitosan has gained much attention for its application in the form of nanofibres. Nanofibres have diameters in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers. Various processing techniques like drawing, template synthesis, phase separation, melt-blown technology, bicomponent extrusion, self-assembly and electro- spinning are involved in the fabrication of nanofibres. Among these techniques, electro- spinning is the most widely and commonly used technique as it generates ultra-thin nanofibres and has the capacity for mass production. This article reviews the process of electro-spinning and applications of the nanofibres containing chitosan in the areas of enzyme immobilization, filtration, wound dressing, tissue engineering, drug delivery, catalysis, and as analytical system, biosensor, and diagnostic aid in detail.

The discovery and development of the drug/vaccine for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the process of developing a preventive vaccine or treatment drug to reduce the severity of COVID-19. Internationally, hundreds of pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, university research groups, and the World Health Organization (WHO) have developed vaccines for the past few centuries. Currently, they are continuously putting effort into developing possible therapies for COVID-19 disease, which are now at various stages of the preclinical or clinical research stage. In addition, researchers are trying to accelerate the development of vaccines, antiviral drugs, and postinfection treatments. Many previously approved drug candidates are already studied to alleviate discomfort during the disease complication. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress of COVID- 19 therapeutic drugs.

Nanotechnology is a progressing and novel technique in healthcare and smart drug delivery. There are many benefits and future aspects of nanogel-containing nanoparticles in the advanced diagnosis, mitigation, and treatment of many important disorders with improved outcomes because of their particle size, high stability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, large surface area, and high drug charging capacity. Their small particle size provides the feature basis for drug charging capacity and the swelling property to form a 3D structure with advantages, limitations, and classification of nanogels. The motive of the review article is to summarize the natural polymers such as Okra gum, chitosan, Acacia gum, Pullulan, PLA, and PLGA that are employed to prepare nanogels comprising nanoparticles by the chemical cross-linking method. There are various applications of these nanogels as nanoparticles in the many fields of healthcare, including local anesthetics, neurodegenerative, vaccine delivery, transdermal delivery, ophthalmology, and diabetes. In this present review article, the author has focused on the current trends of nanogel in nanomedicine, oilfield applications, food packing, cancer research, cosmeceutical, and biomedical applications.

Background: Approximately 3% of the world’s total population is affected by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The treatment for HCV differs widely across countries, and one of the therapies used is the combination of interferon (INF) and ribavirin (RBV). Few studies have shown that this combination increases the rate of sustained virological response in HCV patients, resulting in beneficial effects on cognition, while other studies report that it leads to cognitive decline. Thus, this systematic review aims to assess the effects of INF+RBV therapy on neurocognitive changes in HCV patients. Methods: Studies reporting the effect of INF+RBV on neurocognitive changes were searched using Scopus, PubMed, Academia, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Cochrane. The studies were retrieved till August 23, 2021. The quality assessment of the included studies was done using Cochrane’s bias assessment tool. Results: A total of 6380 articles were found in the initial search. After removing the duplicates, 619 articles were screened on the basis of titles. Further, after the screening, 54 articles were screened on the basis of abstract, and finally, 16 articles were included in this study. Nine studies reported a decline in cognitive function post-INF+RBV therapy, while 7 articles reported improvement in cognitive functions. Conclusion: In conclusion, the combination therapy of INF and RBV may result in cognitive decline in HCV patients.

Background: Diabetic neuropathic pain is the most prevalent type of neuropathic pain and a major consequence of diabetes. A wide range of medications, whether administered alone or in combination, have been found to dramatically decrease neuropathic pain. Objective: This study aimed to develop the glimepiride (GLM) and duloxetine (DUL) ethosomal transdermal drug delivery patches to prolong and improve the discharge of the drug regimen to treat diabetics as well as neuropathic pain associated with it. Methods: Using the solvent casting method, DUL and GLM ethosomal dispersions were formulated by a 3² factorial design. A total of nine formulations were developed considering ethanol (X1) and phospholipid (X2) independent factors, and the formulation was optimized based on entrapment efficiency (Y1) and particle size (Y2). Moreover, size, surface charge, and % entrapment efficiency were characterized. The ethosomal formulations converted into patches were characterized by thickness, folding endurance, in vitro penetrability, and ex vivo skin permeability. Results: The results of thickness, % moisture content, % moisture uptake, and folding endurance were in an acceptable range for all formulations. Based on the in vitro penetrability and ex vivo skin permeability profile, formulation F9 was considered optimized, extending the cumulative drug release of more than 60 % up to 24hrs and skin permeability of more than 200 μg/cm². Conclusion: The investigation showed that the medication increment transdermal fix of GLM and DUL was a promising path for the therapeutic management of diabetes and diabetic neuropathic pain.

Background: Infection-related to Helicobacter pylori (HP) is one of the most common human bacterial infections, affecting about 50% of the human population. This bacterium causes chronic inflammation and eventually mucosal gastric metaplasia. Antibiotics are commonly used to eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection. Presumably, statins could increase the effectiveness of anti-HP regimens because of some anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties attributed to these anti-lipidemic agents. Methods: Two hundred patients with both gastrointestinal symptoms and positive urease test were included. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups with 100 cases. One group received pantoprazole 40 mg, twice per day (BD) + atorvastatin 40 mg, daily + bismuth subcitrate 240 mg, BD + Amoxicillin 1 g, BD + Levofloxacin 500 mg, daily and the other one received pantoprazole 40 mg BD + atorvastatin 40 mg, daily + bismuth subcitrate 240 mg, BD + Amoxicillin 1 g, BD + Clarithromycin (Fromilid) 500 mg, BD for two weeks. A stool antigen test for HP was performed one month after drug treatment ended, and the results were compared. Results: According to our findings, eradication of HP infection in both groups was 87%, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p-value = 1). Conclusion: The current study highlighted that adding atorvastatin to the first line anti-HP infection regimen could increase the potency and efficacy of the regimen to that of second-line regimen. Moreover, the addition of atorvastatin to the second line regimen did not bear any beneficial effect.