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Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 31, Issue 7, 2025

Volume 31, Issue 7

Volume 31, Issue 7, 2025

    • Nano Revolution: Harnessing Nanoparticles to Combat Antibiotic-resistant Bacterial Infections

      https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128337749241021084050

      Nanoparticles, defined as particles ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers in size, are revolutionizing the approach to combating bacterial infections amid a backdrop of escalating antibiotic resistance. Bacterial infections remain a formidable global health challenge, causing millions of deaths annually and encompassing a spectrum from common illnesses like throat to severe diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. The misuse of antibiotics has precipitated the rise of resistant strains like methicillin-resistant (MRSA), multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB), and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), underscoring the critical need for innovative therapeutic strategies. Nanotechnology offers a promising avenue in this crisis. Nanoparticles possess unique physical and chemical properties that distinguish them from traditional antibiotics. Their high surface area to volume ratio, ability to be functionalized with various molecules, and distinctive optical, electronic, and magnetic characteristics enable them to exert potent antibacterial effects. Mechanisms include physical disruption of bacterial membranes, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and release of metal ions that disrupt bacterial metabolism. Moreover, nanoparticles penetrate biofilms and bacterial cell walls more effectively than conventional antibiotics and can be precisely targeted to minimize off-target effects. Crucially, nanoparticles mitigate the development of bacterial resistance by leveraging multiple simultaneous mechanisms of action, which make it challenging for bacteria to adapt through single genetic mutations. As research advances, nanotechnology holds immense promise in transforming antibacterial treatments, offering effective solutions that address current infections and combat antibiotic resistance globally. This review provides a comprehensive overview of nanoparticle applications in antibacterial therapies, highlighting their mechanisms, advantages over antibiotics, and future directions in healthcare innovation.

    • Advancing Pharmaceutical Science with Artificial Neural Networks: A Review on Optimizing Drug Delivery Systems Formulation

      https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128301129240911064028

      Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) have been developed to address the challenges associated with traditional drug delivery methods. These DDS aim to improve drug administration, enhance patient compliance, reduce side effects, and optimize target therapy. To achieve these goals, it is crucial to design DDS with optimal performance characteristics. The final properties of a DDS are determined by several factors that go into formulating a pharmaceutical preparation. Thus, optimizing these factors can lead to the ideal DDS formulation. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are computational models that mimic the function of biological neurons and neural networks and perform mathematical operations on inputs to generate outputs. ANN is widely used in medical sciences for modeling disease diagnosis and treatment, dose adjustment in combination therapy, medical education, and other fields. In the pharmaceutical sciences, ANN has gained significant attention for designing and optimizing pharmaceutical formulations. This article reviews the use of ANN in the design and optimization of pharmaceutical formulations, specifically DDS. Since DDS is highly diverse, different factors are examined for each type of DDS. These factors are considered independent and dependent parameters for each ANN model, and various examples are provided. By utilizing ANN, it is possible to establish the relationship between the formulation factors and the resulting DDS characteristics, ultimately leading to the development of optimized DDS.

    • Lipid-based Non-viral Vector: Promising Approach for Gene Delivery

      https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128324084240828084904
      Objectives

      The present review aims to discuss various strategies to overcome intracellular and extracellular barriers involved in gene delivery as well as the advantages, challenges, and mechanisms of gene delivery using non-viral vectors. Additionally, patents, clinical studies, and various formulation approaches related to lipid-based carrier systems are discussed.

      Methods

      Data were searched and collected from Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Springer.

      Results

      In this review, we have investigated the advantages of non-viral vectors over viral vectors. The advantage of using non-viral vectors are that they seek more attention in different fields. They play an important role in delivering the genetic materials. However, few non-viral vector-based carrier systems have been found in clinical settings. Challenges are developing more stable, site-specific gene delivery and conducting thorough safety assessments to minimize the undesired effects.

      Conclusion

      In comparison to viral vectors, non-viral vector-based lipid nanocarriers have more advantages for gene delivery. Gene therapy research shows promise in addressing health concerns. Lipid-based nanocarriers can overcome intracellular and extracellular barriers, allowing efficient delivery of genetic materials. Non-viral vectors are more attractive due to their biocompatibility, ease of synthesis, and cost-effectiveness. They can deliver various nucleic acids and have improved gene delivery efficacy by avoiding degradation steps. Despite limited clinical use, many patents have been filed for mRNA vaccine delivery using non-viral vectors.

    • Unraveling the Core Components and Critical Targets of Thunb. in Treating Non-small Cell Lung Cancer through Network Pharmacology and Multi-omics Analysis

      https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128330427241017110325
      Objective

      This study aimed to preliminary explore the molecular mechanisms of Thunb. (; Saururaceae) in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the goal of screening drug potential targets for clinical drug development.

      Methods

      This study employed a multi-omics and multi-source data integration approach to identify potential therapeutic targets of against NSCLC from the TCMSP database, GEO database, BioGPS database, Metascape database, and others. Meanwhile, target localization was performed, and its possible mechanisms of action were predicted. Furthermore, dynamics simulations and molecular docking were used for verification. Multi-omics analysis was used to confirm the selected key genes' efficacy in treating NSCLC.

      Results

      A total of 31 potential therapeutic targets, 8 key genes, and 5 core components of against NSCLC were screened out. These potential therapeutic targets played a therapeutic role mainly by regulating lipid and atherosclerosis, the TNF signaling pathway, the IL-17 signaling pathway, and others. Molecular docking indicated a stable combination between MMP9 and quercetin. Finally, through multi-omics analysis, it was found that the expression of some key genes was closely related not only to the progression and prognosis of NSCLC but also to the level of immune infiltration.

      Conclusion

      Through comprehensive network pharmacology and multi-omics analysis, this study predicts that the core components of play a role in treating NSCLC by regulating lipid and atherosclerosis, as well as the TNF signaling pathway. Among them, the anti-NSCLC activity of isoramanone is reported for the first time.

    • Screening of Natural Compounds as Inhibitor of Mpro SARS-CoV-2 Protein; A Molecular Dynamics Approach

      https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128315762240828052002
      Background

      New strains of SARS-CoV-2 are continually emerging worldwide. Recently, WHO warned of a severe new wave in Europe. Current vaccines cannot fully prevent reinfection in vaccinated individuals.

      Aim

      Given this issue, recent research focuses on new antiviral candidates with high efficacy and minimal side effects.

      Objectives

      Screen natural compounds as inhibitors of Mpro SARS-CoV-2 protein using molecular dynamics.

      Methods

      In this study, we have screened the potential of plant-based natural anti-viral compounds. A library of the 579 compounds was generated using currently available literature and online databases. All these compounds were screened based on their binding affinities as predicted by molecular docking analysis and compounds having binding affinity values ≤ -10 Kcal/mol were considered for analysis. Furthermore, from physicochemical assessment, drug-likeness initially nine compounds were identified as the antiviral targets for the selected viral proteins. After ADMET analysis and simulations, the compound 9064 with the lowest RMSD, Coul-SR interaction energy (-71.53 kJ/mol), and LJ-SR energy (-95.32 kJ/mol) was selected as the most stable drug candidate against COVID-19 main protease Mpro.

      Results

      The ΔG value, calculated using MMGBSA also revealed strong binding of the compound with Mpro. The selected antiviral compound 9064 is an antioxidant flavonoid (Catechin or Cianidanol), which was previously known to have significant immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.

      Conclusion

      Considering the limitations of currently available vaccines, our study may provide new insight into potential drugs that may prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans.

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