Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 22, Issue 25, 2022

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a critical health issue prevailing in nearly half a billion people worldwide. It is one of the most threatening metabolic diseases. Type 2 DM is caused due to insulin resistance and accounts for 90% of diabetes cases. If it remains untreated, it can lead to major frightening complications and can cause death, which ultimately threatens humankind. Discussion: Various oral hypoglycaemic dr Read More

Naphthoquinone is a heterocyclic moiety whose natural derivatives are present as bioactive compounds in many plants and have stimulated a resurgence of interest in the past decades due to their wide range of pharmacological activities. Naphthoquinone agents have dynamic pharmacophores and privileged sub-structures in the chemistry of medicine. They have received much interest in drug discovery as tryp Read More

Background: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity is induced by cellular immune activation and therefore associated with inflammatory diseases, among others psychiatric disorders. This review aims to elucidate IDO activity reflected by kynurenine (KYN) to tryptophan (TRP) ratio in severe mental disorders. Methods: A systematic literature search in MEDLINE and EMBASE was conducted targeting clinical trials in Engli Read More

Background: The increased degradation of tryptophan (Trp) along the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway due to inflammation and/or activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis has been reported among the biological factors involved in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicide. However, the interaction among these multiple factors is not yet completely clarified. Methods: We studied Read More

Background: Immune activation or high levels of stress may lead to increased metabolism of tryptophan during pregnancy. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), the “keystone” periodontal pathogen, induces immune and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activation. Thus, we hypothesized that larger gestational decreases in tryptophan and elevations in neopterin and kynurenine would occur in pregnant women with elevate Read More