Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 24, Issue 8, 2023

Diabetes is a growing health concern worldwide because it affects people of all age groups and increases the risk of other diseases such as renal impairment and neural and cardiovascular disorders. Oral hypoglycemic drugs mainly control diabetes; however, their associated side effects limit their use in patients with other complications. PTP1B is a viable drug target to explore new antidiabetic drugs. PTP1B acts as a negative regulator of the insulin-signaling pathway, and therefore, PTP1B inhibitors display antihyperglycemic activity. Several classes of compounds from natural and synthetic sources act as PTP1B inhibitors. Fungi are comprehensive in their diversity and recognized as a valuable source for therapeutically active molecules. In recent years, researchers have reported diverse classes of fungal secondary metabolites as potent PTP1B inhibitors. Some metabolites such as 6-O-methylalaternin, fumosorinone A, nordivaricatic acid, and the divarinyl divarate showed good activity and can be taken forward as a lead to develop novel PTP1B inhibitors and antidiabetic drugs. Therefore, the present review focuses on the fungal metabolites identified in the last five years possessing PTP1B inhibitory activity. A total of 128 metabolites are reviewed. Their fungal species and source, chemical structure, and activity in terms of IC50are highlighted.

The nasal route, a subgroup of mucosal delivery systems, constitutes a lucrative and encouraging substitute for administering drugs and vaccines. Over the years, a lot of research has been done in this area, and scientists have successfully explored this pathway using novel formulations to combat several infections. This review article aims to address the pathways of mucosal immunization, the dominance of the nasal route over other mucosal routes for immunization, and the mechanism of generation of immunogenic response via nasal route and nanotechnology-based approaches for intranasal vaccination. The immunotherapeutic and vaccinations for intranasal administration available in the market are also discussed, along with a brief overview of the products in the pipeline. It can also be assumed that such an approach can prove to be favorable in designing vaccinations for the current uncertain times. In spite of some dubious views on this.

The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed our health care capacity in an unprecedented way due to the sheer number of critically infected patients admitted to hospitals during the last two years. Endothelial injury is seen as one of the central hallmarks of COVID-19 infection that is the starting point in the generation of microthrombi and sepsis eventually leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDs) and multi-organ failure. The dramatic fall in lung function during ARDs is attributed to the microthrombi-induced coagulopathy primed by a hyperactive immune system. Due to the lack of effective antiviral agents, the line of treatment is limited to the management of two key risk factors i.e., immune activation and coagulopathy. In the present review, we describe the mechanistic role, therapeutic targets, and opportunities to control immune activation and coagulopathy during the pathogenesis of COVID-19-induced ARDs.

The advent and spread of novel coronavirus (nCoV) has posed a new public health crisis since December 2019. Several cases of unexplained pneumonia occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, only a month before the Chinese Spring festival. After the diagnosis of bronchoalveolar fluid samples of people infected, the new coronavirus was identified using nextgeneration sequence technology. This work aims to provide information regarding COVID-19 that will help the researchers to identify the vital therapeutic targets for SARS-CoV-2 and also will provide insights into some significant findings of recent times highlighted by scientific communities around the globe. In this review, we have tried to explore multiple aspects related to COVID-19, including epidemiology, etiology, COVID-19 variants, vaccine candidates, potential therapeutic targets, the role of natural products, and computational studies in drug design and development, repurposing, and analysis of crystal structures available for COVID-19 related protein structures. Druggable targets include all viral enzymes and proteins involved in viral replication and regulation of host cellular machines. The medical community tracks several therapies to combat the infection by investigating various antiviral and immunomodulatory mechanisms. While some vaccines are approved in this worldwide health crisis, a more precise therapy or drug is formally recommended to be used against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Natural products other than synthetic drugs have been tested by in silico analysis against COVID-19. However, important issues still need to be addressed regarding in vivo bioavailability and better efficacy.

Colorectal cancer is a type of gut cancer originating either from the rectum or colon. Genetic and environmental factors, such as the gut microbiome, play pivotal roles in colorectal cancer incidence rates. Therefore, we aimed to review the risk factors of CRC comprising gut bacteriomes and their intra-interactions with each other in the context of CRC development. Gut microbiota alteration, especially bacteriome alteration as the dominant player, seems to be the common feature amongst all risk factors. Although it is not quite obvious whether these alterations are the causes or the consequences of the tumorigenesis risk factors, they are common and almost universal among CRC-affected individuals. In addition, bacterial genotoxicity, biofilm formation, oxidative stress, bacterial metabolome, and dysbiosis are assessed in CRC development. The present study suggests that gut microbial alterations could be the key intermediate, as a cause or a consequence, between most risk factors of CRC and the way they promote or contribute to CRC development.

Background: Liver cancer is a major medical problem because of its high morbidity and mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. Currently, the mechanism of HCC is unclear, and the prognosis is poor with limited treatment. Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify hub genes and potential therapeutic drugs for HCC. Methods: We used the GEO2R algorithm to analyze the differential expression of each gene in 4 gene expression profiles (GSE101685, GSE62232, GSE46408, and GSE45627) between HCC and normal hepatic tissues. Next, we screened out the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by corresponding calculation data according to adjusted P-value < 0.05 and | log fold change (FC) | > 1.0. Subsequently, we used the DAVID software to analyze the DEGs by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. Then, we carried out the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis of DEGs using the STRING tool, and the PPI network was constructed by Cytoscape software. MCODE plugin was used for module analysis, and the hub genes were screened out by the Cyto- Hubba plugin. Meanwhile, we used The Kaplan-Meier plotter, GEPIA2 and HPA databases to exert survival analysis and verify the expression alternation of hub genes. Furthermore, we used ENCORI, TargetScan, miRDB and miRWalk database to predict the upstream regulated miRNA of hub genes and construct a miRNA-hub genes network by Cytoscape software. Finally, we selected potential therapeutic drugs for HCC through DGIdb databases. Results: A total of 415 DEGs were screened in HCC, including 196 up-regulated DEGs and 219 down-regulated DEGs. The results of KEGG pathway analysis suggested that the up-regulated DEGs can regulate the cell cycle, and DNA replication signal pathway, while the down-regulated DEGs were associated with metabolic pathways. In this study, we identified 11 hub genes (AURKA, BUB1B, TOP2A, MAD2L1, CCNA2, CCNB1, BUB1, KIF11, CDK1, CCNB2 and TPX2), which were independent risk factors of HCCand all up-regulated DEGs. We verified the expression difference of hub genes through the GEPIA2 and HPA database, which was consistent with the results of GEO data. We found that those hub genes were mutations in HCC according to the cBioPortal database. Finally, we used the DGIdb database to select 32 potential therapeutic targeting drugs for hub genes. Conclusion: In summary, our study provided a new perspective for researching the molecular mechanism of HCC. Hub genes, miRNAs, and candidate drugs provide a new direction for the early diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Background: LncRNA NBR2 is a key regulator in cancer metabolism. However, its role in lung cancer is unknown. Objective: This study aimed to explore the function of NBR2 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is the most common type of lung cancer. Methods: Paired NSCLC and non-cancer tissues were collected from 68 patients with NSCLC. The expression of NBR2 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in these samples was analyzed by RT-qPCR. The prognostic value of NBR2 for NSCLC was explored by performing a 5-year follow-up study. The interaction between NBR2 and TGF-β1 in two NSCLC cell lines was detected by overexpression assay, followed by RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate the role of NBR2 and TGF-β1 in regulating NSCLC cell stemness. Results: NBR2 was significantly downregulated in NSCLC tissues than that in non-cancer tissues of NSCLC patients, and low expression levels of NBR2 predicted poor survival. TGF-β1 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues than that in non-cancer tissues, and was inversely correlated with NBR2. Overexpression of NBR2 downregulated TGF-β1, while overexpression of TGF-β1 did not affect the expression of NBR2. Overexpression of NBR2 inhibited, while overexpression of TGF-β1 promoted NSCLC cell stemness. Overexpression of TGF-β1 attenuated the effects of overexpression of NBR2. Mechanically, NBR2 interacted with Notch1 protein to inhibit its expression, thereby inhibiting the expression of TGF-β1 and further affecting the proportion of CD133+ cells. Conclusion: LncRNA NBR2 regulates cancer cell stemness and predicts survival in NSCLC possibly by downregulating TGF-β1 through Notch1.

Background: Antibiotic-resistant is considered one of the critical health challenges in the management of infectious diseases. Resistant bacterial strains to different antibacterial agents have been spread worldwide. Anti-microbial peptides (AMPs), also called host defense peptides, have a broad spectrum of activity and targeting even to multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, therefore, they have been extensively studied and developed as novel therapeutic antibacterial agents. Objectives: The study aims to design a novel SK4 hybrid peptide with improved characteristics compared with the BMAP-27 and Cecropin-A natural parents’ peptides. Methods: The bioinformatic analysis of the SK4 peptide compared with the parents BMAP-27 and Cecropin-A peptides was conducted and fully characterized using specialized software. The antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of SK4 was tested, followed by a synergistic study with five conventional antibiotics (Levofloxacin, Rifampicin, Chloramphenicol, Doxycycline, and Ampicillin). Finally, the cytotoxicity against horse erythrocytes and mammalian cells was assessed. Results: The SK4 peptide demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against both grampositive and gram-negative bacteria. The peptide also did not show any hemolytic activity even when used at concentrations ten folds higher than its MICs value. The SK4 peptide also showed a synergistic mode of action when combined with antibiotics, which resulted in a significant decrease in MIC values for both the peptide and the antibiotics. Conclusion: The SK4 peptide showed better activity, selectivity, and safety profile than the parent peptides, making it a novel potential treatment for MDR bacterial infections.