Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 28, Issue 42, 2021

This review summarizes key literature defining the phenotypes of individual class IIa HDAC proteins and compounds that selectively target their enzymatic catalytic domain (CD). The focus is on the effects of class IIa HDACs in physiological and pathological conditions, both in vitro and in vivo, and on their mode of action in regulating genes, upstream proteins and signaling pathways. Phenotype studies further demonstrate either beneficial or detrimental effects of silencing selected class IIa HDACs or their enzymatic properties. We also summarize the knowledge gained from structure-activity relationships of CD inhibitors as well as molecular mechanisms underpinning isozyme selectivity where crystal structures or modelling studies are available. Given that the number of genes affected by silencing class IIa HDACs is much smaller than class I, the role of gene regulation of class IIa HDACs could be much more selective. Since class IIa HDACs have restricted tissue distributions and multiple functions independent of their CD, targeting the CD of class IIa HDACs could lead to more selective therapeutic agents with significantly fewer side-effects than other HDAC ligands.

Nonactic acid, which is a macrocyclic nonactin subunit, contains four asymmetric centers and has the molecular formula of C10H18O3. Due to their various biological activities and challenging structural characteristics, nonactic acid and its derivatives have attracted much attention from scientists since 1955. These compounds possess significant antibacterial, insecticidal and acaricidal activities, as well as a promoting effect on plant growth. However, the studies in the anticancer activities of these compounds are limited. It is noticed that some derivatives of nonactic acid show significant cytotoxicity toward different human cancer cells, from which, a basic structure-activity relationship might be able to obtain. On the basis of these progresses, we believe that this review may provide new ideas for generating potent anticancer compounds bearing the same pharmacophores derived from those macrocyclic molecules.

Hydrogels are hydrophilic but water-soluble polymer systems with a three-dimensional network structure. They can absorb large amounts of water and maintain their shape and remain soft. The high-moisturizing properties, good biocompatibility, and controlled biodegradability of hydrogels have allowed them to be widely used in wound dressing, tissue engineering, controlled drug delivery systems, and other fields. This article reviews the most widely used antibacterial gel dressings for wound healing in recent years and focuses on the application of an environmentally responsive intelligent hydrogel delivery system. Finally, the development prospects and challenges of hydrogel wound dressings are forecasted.

Lipid-based formulations have recently been investigated as a promising approach to enhance the bioavailability of drugs, especially poorly water-soluble drugs. The encapsulation of lipid-based formulations in porous materials can result in a transformation of liquids or semisolid forms to solid dosage forms. Moreover, the specific structure of porous carriers could offer an enhanced ability to load and control active pharmaceutical ingredients. Although there have been prominent reports on lipid-based formulations and porous materials as promising technologies for controlled drug release, the overall methods of encapsulating lipid-based formulations need to be discussed for further formulation investigations. This review aims to present the key strategies used for producing porous carriers containing lipid-based formulations. We also discuss methods that enhance the encapsulation efficiency of loaded drugs within porous structures (instead of lipid-based formulations). Moreover, the critical factors that affect tablet formation are outlined. This overview of lipid-based formulations encapsulated within porous materials provides a summary of the technical methods used in the development of these formulations and their clinical translation.

Background: Growing evidence indicates that miRs have critical activities in adjusting cellular processes, e.g., cell death, proliferation, and cell-cycle. Introduction: This study aimed to provide a concise review of the recent findings regarding tumoral miRs and the cross-talk between miRs and epigenetic factors. Results: Like the protein-coding genes, the expression levels of miRs are mediated by various transcriptional networks. Indeed, the expression of miRs could be epigenetically modulated by DNA methylation factors and histone modifiers. Furthermore, miRs can suppress critical factors, which mediate epigenetic modifications. Besides, miRs have been implicated in cancer development, metastasis, and chemo-resistance. The aberrant expression of miRs and dysregulated modulatory circuits between miRs and epigenetic factors participate in tumor progression. Conclusion: Identifying tumoral miRs can provide ample opportunity to overcome chemo- resistance and bring a forefront treatment for affected patients.

An important group of antiemetic drugs used in the treatment of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy containing an indole moiety in their structures, working as 5- hydroxytryptamine type 3 serotonin receptor antagonist (5-HT3). This study focuses on compounds bearing an indole core that present a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist activity, which have been successfully used as antiemetic drugs for reducing chemotherapy adverse secondary effects during cancer treatment. Their synthesis, biological activities, and some outstanding characteristics are discussed, providing a general outlook towards the development of more efficient antiemetic drugs.

Background: Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in female population worldwide. It was estimated that 65,620 new cases and 12.590 subsequent deaths occurred in 2020 in the United States. Patients with type II and advanced endometrial cancer do not respond well to the current treatments. Therefore, endometrial cancer should be better understood in order to develop more effective treatments. Objective: To provide an overview of genetic, metabolic characteristics, therapeutic strategies and current application of nanotechnology surrounding endometrial cancer. Methods: Relevant articles were retrieved from Pubmed and were systematically reviewed. Results: Hypoxia inducible factor-1 and Von Hippel-Lindau factor participated in oncogenesis and progression of endometrial cancer and Nrf2 was associated with oncogenesis. Various genetic alterations were found in endometrial cancer. Examining the abnormal X chromosome inactivation may help in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and its precancerous lesions. Some absent tumor suppressor genes, activated oncogenes were revealed by the genetically modified mouse models. Disorders in glucose and lipid metabolism were found in endometrial cancer. Current therapeutic strategies focused on the HIF-1α pathway, the mTOR pathway as well as the immunotherapy. Nanotechnology showed great potential in endometrial cancer’s early diagnosis, metastasis determination and treatment. Conclusion: Endometrial cancer has been understood in various aspects but the underlying mechanisms still remain relatively unknown, which might be the source of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets. Nanomedicine in endometrial cancer is poorly studied but the current researches showed great results in treating endometrial cancer. It needs further researching.

As cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death, various cancer treatments are being developed from traditional surgery to the more recent emergence of target therapy. However, therapy resistance is a restricting problem that needs to be overcome. Henceforth, the field of research shifts to new plausible drug targets, among which is the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This review is focused on the ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase (UCH) protease family, which are members of Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), specifically Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L3 (UCHL3). DUBs regulate a broad array of regulatory processes, including cell-cycle progression, tissue development, and differentiation. DUBs are classified into seven subfamilies, including ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs), JAB1/MPN/Mov34 metalloenzyme, ovarian tumor proteases (OTUs), Josephin and JAB1/MPN+(MJP), MIU-containing novel DUB (MINDY), zinc finger-containing ubiquitin peptidase 1 (ZUP1), and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolases (UCHs). Having a significant role in tumorigenesis, UCHL3 is thus emerging as a therapeutic target. Knowing its involvement in cancer, it is important to understand the structure of UCHL3, its substrate specificity, and interaction to pave the way for the development of potential inhibitors. This review covers several directions of proteasome inhibitors drug discovery and small molecule inhibitors development.

Background: Experimental evidence has shown that lncRNA MALAT1 is related to proliferation ability, invasion and migration ability, autophagy ability, and chemoresistance in gastric cancer. Moreover, MALAT1 is related to metastasis and patient prognosis in gastric cancer. This review aims to reveal the biological functions and specific mechanisms of MALAT1 in gastric cancer. Methods: After a comprehensive and systematic search in PubMed, various molecular mechanisms of MALAT1 in mediating gastric carcinogenesis are collated and summarized. Results: MALAT1-mediated gastric cancer is involved in a variety of molecular mechanisms. For example, MALAT1 can enhance the proliferation ability of gastric cancer cells by inhibiting the expressions of miR-122, miR-1297, miR-22-3p, miR-202, etc. MALAT1 enhances the metastasis and invasion of gastric cancer by participating in the EMT process, PI3-Akt and other pathways. MALAT1 enhances the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer by inhibiting the function of the tumor suppressor gene PCDH10. MALAT1 can increase the autophagy ability of gastric cancer cells by inhibiting miR-183 and increasing the level of autophagy markers. MALAT1 enhances chemical resistance by inhibiting UPF1 and miR-30e levels. Conclusions: MALAT1 is tightly linked to gastric carcinogenesis through various molecular mechanisms. Moreover, MALAT1 is also closely associated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients, suggesting the possibility of its use as a clinical therapeutic target and a promising independent risk factor for predicting patient prognosis.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes and the main cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The inflammatory response plays a key role in the pathological process of DN. As the most deeply studied inflammasome, NLRP3 should not be overlooked in DN. Its abnormal activation accelerates DN progression. In this review, we summarize our understanding of the structural composition and activation factors of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Moreover, the relationship between NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and the potential of the NLRP3 inflammasome as a therapeutic target for DN will also be discussed.