Current Drug Therapy - Volume 18, Issue 4, 2023

The last two years from 2020 to 2022 have seen the world face an unparalleled crisis in the form of the corona virus, which has challenged mankind as never before. The struggle and race to find a cure for the disease kept medical professionals, pharmacists, and scientists on their toes. Drug discovery by de novo approach was not an option due to its obvious downside of the enormous time required for the process. Hitherto unknown in public parlance, repurposing existing drugs showed the way forward for scientists. Drug repurposing involves redefining medical use for drugs that have crossed the drug discovery process and were approved, discontinued, or shelved. Drug repurposing or repositioning has shown effective results in treating several diseases. This review traces the journey of some repurposed drugs and provides an overview of computational methods used for repurposing, which include signature mapping, molecular docking, and in silico approaches. The review also highlights repurposed drugs for cancer, one of the most dreaded diseases, and how repurposing can prove to be a boon for many types of cancers. Concerted efforts to study this modality of drug discovery are the need of the hour. The article discusses various drugs which have been successfully repurposed for the treatment of a plethora of diseases. Drug repurposing is a silver lining that can reduce the arduous journey of discovering a definitive cure for a disease and has the potential to change the landscape of the drug discovery process.

Background: Saraca asoca (Ashoka, family; Caesalpiniaceae) is an indigenous sacred tree, native to India. It has been used in various traditional medicinal systems and is one such plant that is highly therapeutic but its use in disease management is underrated in today’s era and has lost its importance. Objective: This narrative review is written to provide the information on medicinal importance of S. asoca and the significance of S. asoca in various traditional medicinal systems. Methods: Different databases were searched to gather information. Research articles, abstracts, and reviews are included in this review. Results: Saraca asoca is known for its unique pharmacological role in treating various uterine complications, menstrual disorders, and bacterial infections, bleeding hemorrhoids, urinary and dermatological problems. The stem bark of the tree is the principal constituent for treating menorrhagia and genito-urinary disorders. The stem bark, leaves, and seeds of S. asoca are known to contain flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, polyphenolics, fatty acids, and saponins. The reported major phytoconstituents responsible for its therapeutic uses are epicatechin, procyanidin B2, lyoniside, nudiposide, catechin, leucocyanidin, and leucopelargonidin. Various pharmacological activities of this plant are discussed in this review. Conclusion: It has been proved that Saraca asoca possesses several pharmacological properties and is useful in treating various diseases. More studies on quality control, standardization, and clinical trials on S. asoca should be performed, so that this plant could be utilized as an effective anti-cancer drug which could be a promising source for the herbal and pharmaceutical industry.

The tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), a member of the Myrtaceae family, is a valuable medicinal and aromatic plant. Tea Tree essential oil (TTO) has many medical applications, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Although the concentration of TTO in a microemulsion is of economic interest, very few studies on this product have been conducted. In this study, we look at how different tea tree oil concentrations in microemulsion formulations affect susceptibility to various bacteria and fungi. TTO susceptibility in a diverse range of microbial species has now been studied using data from a previously published literature review survey. Most bacteria are resistant to TTO at concentrations as low as 1.0 percent, but mucosal skin staphylococci and micrococci, Enterococcus faecalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have minimum inhibitory concentrations much higher than 2 percent. TTO susceptibility in fungi has only recently been scrutinized. Fungicidal dosages range from 0.12 to 2 percent, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 0.5 percent and the only notable exception is Aspergillus niger, which contains fungicidal concentrations of up to 8%. The review emphasizes the importance of new antibacterial and antifungal formulations, as well as the role of natural essential oils in the discovery of new antibacterial and antifungal agents, and discusses, in brief, all constituents derived from the essential oil (tea tree) that are in preclinical and clinical development. This paper summarizes human and food-borne bacteria and fungi susceptibility to tea tree essential oils and their constituents. Among the many tested, essential oils of spices and herbs (Melaleuca alternifolia) were found to have the strongest antimicrobial properties. This review looks at a wide range of scientific literature, including Sci-hub, Google Scholar, Pub, Chem, NCBI, and web books.

As the human race evolves, numerous diseases have dominated humans, causing scientists to encounter myriad challenges with formulations. To rectify these issues, Nanoparticle (10^-9 m) formulation approach or nanotechnology has been developed. Since nanoparticles have legion benefits, encompassing better bioavailability, target-specific, confined, accurate dose delivery, and increased surface area, are pertinent for effective treatment. Toxicity, inflammation, limited penetrating ability, accumulation, and aggregation are some of the downsides of nanoparticles. Picoscale along with nanoparticle technology in drug delivery, will enhance the permeability and myriad factors. Also, picometer (10^-12 m) and futuristic femtometer (10^-15 m) particles will allow scientists to deal with atomic and subatomic levels in some cases and improve the properties of nanotechnology in others. Herein, picotechnology, formulation, synthesis, and some unique properties concluding with femtotechnology have been addressed.

Background: Sanfilippo syndrome, commonly known as mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III), is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease that primarily affects the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by a deficiency of enzymes involved in the catabolism of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and heparin sulfate (HS). Although Genistein has been presented as a potential therapeutic, its safety and efficacy for the treatment of Sanfilippo syndrome are not well established. Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Genistein with a primary endpoint of providing an inference whether the medication is producing any improvements when administered in patients suffering from Sanfilippo syndrome. Methods: An intensive computerized literature search was performed according to PRISMA guidelines in major databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science until 30 April 2022. Studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of genistein in patients with Sanfilippo Syndrome were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the New Castle Ottawa Scale. Results: A total of 558 studies were identified in the initial search. After removing duplicates, 25 studies were screened based on title and abstract, of which 06 studies were included in this systematic review. Among them, 02 studies were of high quality and 04 studies were of moderate quality. After administration of genistein, a decrease in urinary GAG levels and HS levels was observed. Conclusion: Based on the limited evidence present in the literature, this systematic review suggests that genistein can be safely used to treat Sanfilippo syndrome as it lowers GAG levels. However, data on the long-term benefit profile of genistein and high-quality evidence are still needed as a conclusive result could not be withdrawn.

Introduction: Candidiasis is a disease with serious problems in women. With the increasing drug resistance and risks of the drugs, we investigated the effect of different cone extracts of Pinus eldarica and Pinus longifolia against Candida species isolated from vulvovaginal candidiasis patients. Materials and Methods: Candida species isolated from 50 patients were identified by routine mycological methods, including morphology of corn mil agar, chromium agar, germination, and biochemical methods. The anti-candida properties of the extracts and essential oils of Pinus eldarica and Pinus longifolia were investigated using agar diffusion and microdilution test. The essential oil was then analyzed by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results: The major constituents of Pinus longifolia essential oil included 23.16% alpha-pinene, 2.59% beta-caryophyllene, 23.61% delta-3-carene, 0.24% carcin-4-hydroxy, 13.56% m-cymene, 0.45% alpha-humulene, and 2.12% junipene. The major constituents of Pinus eldarica essential oil included 29.13% alpha-pinene, 14.22% beta-caryophyllene, 11.70% delta-3-carene, -14.22% carcin-4-hydroxy, 4.29% beta-pinene, 3.59%, alpha humulene, and 8.86% junipene. The results of antifungal tests showed that aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts had a weak anti-candida effect. By changing the solvent and using petroleum ether solvent, it was found that petroleum ether extract and cone essential oil of Pinus longifolia and Pinus eldarica exhibited a relatively strong anti-candida effect. Discussion and Conclusion: Comparison of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) of four extracts of Pinus longifolia and Pinus eldarica against different Candida showed that the lowest MIC and MFC were related to essential oil, petroleum ether extract, methanolic extract, ethanolic extract, and aqueous extract, respectively.

Background: Skin cancer is one of the most life-threatening and progressive diseases nowadays, majorly resulting from the cumulative effect of genetic and environmental exposure including UV rays and numerous pollutants. UV radiation stimulates the excessive generation of Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Reactive nitrogen species (RNS), altering numerous signaling and inflammatory pathways and cumulatively causing alteration at numerous genetic and inflammatory levels. Numerous treatment strategies have been proposed for this purpose, and it has been found that antioxidants could play a crucial role in regulating inflammation at certain levels. Among numerous treatment strategies, natural flavonoid quercetin could play a vital role in protecting cells from oxidative stress as it is enriched with anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The activities of quercetin could be further enhanced by administrating it through novel systems. Objective: Thus, the present article focuses on the delivery of natural flavonoid quercetin via novel carrier noisome to enhance targeting potency and safety efficacy. Method: Optimized quercetin-loaded niosomes were prepared by mechanical shaking method followed by solvent evaporation and altering the ratio of cholesterol and span 80. In vitro characterization was performed for morphology, zeta potential (ZP), entrapment efficiency and drug release. Result: The optimized niosome was reported to have a size range of 120 nm, entrapment efficiency (80%-85%) and followed zero order kinetics. Conclusion: Optimized quercetin-loaded niosomes were successfully formulated and characterized for controlled drug delivery.

Background: The outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome with novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, caused a worldwide outbreak of the disease. To treat the disease, some drugs were identified and introduced that did not show a significant effect on the recovery of the disease. Due to the need to manage inpatient beds, this study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Remdesivir in the treatment of outpatients with moderate to severe COVID-19. Methods: The present study was a retrospective cohort with a convenience sampling method. It was conducted by referring to the records of COVID-19 patients who were referred to the respiratory clinic of Shahid Beheshti Hospital as outpatients in the period from April to August 2021. Results: This study was conducted on 263 COVID-19 patients with a mean age of 51.16±14.39 years from 19 and 90 years old. Data were collected through a researcher-made checklist and analyzed using SPSS 20. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, paired t-test, and Mc Nemar's test were used to evaluate the data. The significance level was considered at the level of 0.05. Conclusion: Findings revealed that no clear correlation was found between hospitalization and death rate compared to other patients. In our study, the risk factors for severe COVID-19 did not affect the rate of hospitalization or death of patients.