scholarly journals Drug Repurposing, an Attractive Strategy in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Preclinical and Clinical Updates

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3946
Author(s):  
Laura De Lellis ◽  
Serena Veschi ◽  
Nicola Tinari ◽  
Zhirajr Mokini ◽  
Simone Carradori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Bioinformatic Analysis ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Immunomodulatory Agents ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Unresectable Stage ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Toxic Drugs

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest malignancies worldwide, since patients rarely display symptoms until an advanced and unresectable stage of the disease. Current chemotherapy options are unsatisfactory and there is an urgent need for more effective and less toxic drugs to improve the dismal PC therapy. Repurposing of non-oncology drugs in PC treatment represents a very promising therapeutic option and different compounds are currently being considered as candidates for repurposing in the treatment of this tumor. In this review, we provide an update on some of the most promising FDA-approved, non-oncology, repurposed drug candidates that show prominent clinical and preclinical data in pancreatic cancer. We also focus on proposed mechanisms of action and known molecular targets that they modulate in PC. Furthermore, we provide an explorative bioinformatic analysis, which suggests that some of the PC repurposed drug candidates have additional, unexplored, oncology-relevant targets. Finally, we discuss recent developments regarding the immunomodulatory role displayed by some of these drugs, which may expand their potential application in synergy with approved anticancer immunomodulatory agents that are mostly ineffective as single agents in PC.

scholarly journals Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Origin, Impact, and Drug Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaresh Mishra ◽  
Nisha Nair ◽  
Amit K. Yadav ◽  
Pratima Solanki ◽  
Jaseela Majeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Sequence Identity ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The People ◽  
Health Organization

At the end of December 2019, in Wuhan, China, a rapidly spreading unknown virus was reported to have caused coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Origin linked to Wuhan’s wholesale food market where live animals are sold. This disease is caused by SARS Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is closely related to the Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This virus shares a high sequence identity with bat-derived SARS-like Coronavirus, which indicating its zoonotic origin. The virus spread globally, provoking widespread attention and panic. This Coronavirus is highly pathogenic and causes mild to severe respiratory disorders. Later, it was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its highly infectious nature and worldwide mortality rate. This virus is a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome, and its genome length about 26 to 32 kb that infects a broad range of vertebrates. The researchers worldwide focus on establishing treatment strategies on drug and vaccine development to prevent this COVID-19 pandemic. A drug repurposing approach has been used to identify a rapid treatment for the people affected by COVID-19, which could be cost-effective and bypass some Food and Drug Association (FDA) regulations to move quickly in phase-3 trials. However, there is no promising therapeutic option available yet. This book chapter addresses current information about the COVID-19 disease, including its origins, impacts, and the novel potential drug candidates that can help treat the COVID-19.

miRNA-mediated Drug Repurposing Unveiled Potential Candidate Drugs for Prolactinoma Treatment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Büşra Aydin ◽  
Sema Arslan ◽  
Fatih Bayraklı ◽  
Betül Karademir ◽  
Kazim Yalcin Arga
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Data Integration ◽  
Cell Viability ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Serum Prolactin ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Mirna Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Cell Cycle Phases

Introduction: Prolactinomas, also called lactotroph adenomas, are the most encountered type of hormone-secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNET) in the clinic. The preferred first-line therapy is a medical treatment with dopamine agonists (DA), mainly cabergoline, to reduce serum prolactin levels, tumor volume, and mass effect. However, in some cases, patients have displayed DA-resistance with aggressive tumor behavior or are faced with recurrence after drug withdrawal. Also, currently used therapeutics have notorious side effects and impair the life quality of the patients. Methods: Since the amalgamation of clinical and laboratory data besides tumor histopathogenesis and transcriptional regulatory features of the tumor emerge to exhibit essential roles in the behavior and progression of prolactinomas, in this work, we integrated mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) level transcriptome data that exploit disease-specific signatures in addition to biological and pharmacological data to elucidate a rational prioritization of pathways and drugs in prolactinoma. Results: We identified eight drug candidates through drug repurposing based on mRNA-miRNA level data integration and evaluated their potential through in vitro assays in the MMQ cell line. Seven re-purposed drugs including 5-flourocytosine, nortriptyline, neratinib, puromycin, taxifolin, vorinostat, and zileuton were proposed as potential drug candidates for the treatment of prolactinoma. We further hypothesized possible mechanisms of drug action on MMQ cell viability through analyzing PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and cell cycle arrest via flow cytometry and western blotting. Discussion: We presented the transcriptomic landscape of prolactinoma through miRNA and mRNA level data integration and proposed repurposed drug candidates based on this integration. We validated our findings through testing cell viability, cell cycle phases, and PI3K/Akt protein expressions. Effects of the drugs on cell cycle phases and inhibition of PI3K/Akt pathway by all drugs gave us promising output for further studies using these drugs in the treatment of prolactinoma. This is the first study that reports miRNA-mediated repurposed drugs for prolactinoma treatment via in vitro experiments.

scholarly journals Microbiome—Friend or Foe of Pancreatic Cancer?

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 5624
Author(s):  
Jaroslaw Daniluk ◽  
Urszula Daniluk ◽  
Pawel Rogalski ◽  
Andrzej Dabrowski ◽  
Agnieszka Swidnicka-Siergiejko
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Ductal Adenocarcinoma ◽  
Overall Survival Rate ◽  
Improve Treatment ◽  
Potential Marker ◽  
Deadly Disease

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the deadliest human neoplasms. Despite the development of new surgical and adjuvant therapies, the prognosis remains very poor, with the overall survival rate not exceeding 9%. There is now increasing evidence that the human microbiome, which is involved in many physiological functions, including the regulation of metabolic processes and the modulation of the immune system, is possibly linked to pancreatic oncogenesis. However, the exact mechanisms of action are poorly understood. Our review summarizes the current understanding of how the microbiome affects pancreatic cancer development and progression. We discuss potential pathways of microbe translocation to the pancreas, as well as the mechanism of their action. We describe the role of the microbiome as a potential marker of pancreatic cancer diagnosis, progression, and survival. Finally, we discuss the possibilities of modifying the microbiome to improve treatment effectiveness for this deadly disease.

scholarly journals Translational and Clinical Pharmacology Considerations in Drug Repurposing for X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy-A Rare Peroxisomal Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julianne Tieu ◽  
Siddhee Sahasrabudhe ◽  
Paul Orchard ◽  
James Cloyd ◽  
Reena Kartha
Keyword(s):  
Drug Target ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Pharmacokinetics And Pharmacodynamics ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Target Patient Population ◽  
Site Of Action ◽  
Repurposed Drugs ◽  
Gait Disturbances ◽  
Spastic Quadriparesis

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is an inherited, neurodegenerative rare disease that can result in devastating symptoms of blindness, gait disturbances, and spastic quadriparesis due to progressive demyelination. Typically, the disease progresses rapidly, causing death within the first decade of life. With limited treatments available, efforts to determine an effective therapy that can alter disease progression or mitigate symptoms have been undertaken for many years, particularly through drug repurposing. Repurposing has generally been guided through clinical experience and small trials. At this time, none of the drug candidates have been approved for use, which may be due, in part, to the lack of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) information on the repurposed medications in the target patient population. Greater consideration for the disease pathophysiology, drug pharmacology, and potential drug-target interactions, specifically at the site of action, would improve drug repurposing and facilitate development. Although there is a good understanding of X-ALD pathophysiology, the absence of information on drug targets, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics hinders the repurposing of drugs for this condition. Incorporating advanced translational and clinical pharmacological approaches in preclinical studies and early stages clinical trials will improve the success of repurposed drugs for X-ALD as well as other rare diseases.

Development and Advances of Drugs for Cancer Theranostics – PART-IV

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 1644-1644
Author(s):  
Lian-Shun Feng
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Anticancer Activity ◽  
Anticancer Drug ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Profiles ◽  
Hybrid Molecules

Cancer, a highly heterogeneous disease at intra/inter patient levels, is one of the most serious threats to human health across the world [1, 2]. Notwithstanding the noteworthy advances in its treat-ment, the morbidity and mortality of cancer are projected to grow for a long period, and the global cancer burden is expected to be 28.4 million cases in 2040, a 47% rise from 2020 [3]. Accordingly, there is a constant need to explore novel anticancer agents. <p> There are several strategies to discover novel anticancer candidates: (1) new lead hits or candidates from natural resources [4] whichexhibit various biological properties and are a rich source of com-pounds in drug discovery due to the structural and mechanistic diversity, and more than 60% anti-cancer agents can be traced to a natural product; (2) Molecular hybridization is one of the most prom-ising strategies for the discovery of novel anticancer drug candidates since hybrid molecules have the potential to bind multiple targets or to enhance the effect through acting with another bio-target or to counterbalance the side effects caused by the other part of the hybrid [5]; (3) Dimerization is a useful tool to develop novel anticancer drug candidates with enhanced biological activity, reduced side effects and improved pharmacokinetic profiles [6]; (4) Drug repurposing strategy is is an attractive strategy and has been approved, along with non-anticancer macrolide drugs for the treatment of cancer, for anticancer drug discovery since toxicity and pharmacokinetic profiles have already been estab-lished [7]. <p> Heterocycles coumarin, β-lactone, macrolide and triazole are useful anticancer pharmacophores since their derivatives could exert the anticancer activity through diverse mechanisms, inclusive of inhibition of aromatase, carbonic anhydrase, ki-nase, P-glycoprotein, sulfatase, telomerase, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 and tubulin [8-11]. In particular, nat-ural-derived coumarin, β-lactone and macrolide derivatives are important sources of new anticancer lead hits/candidates; mac-rolide repurposed drugs can circumvent high cost and long-time associated with traditional drug discovery strategies; couma-rin, β-lactone and macrolide hybrids as well as bis-triazole compounds have the potential to enhance the anticancer activity, overcome drug resistance, reduce the side effects and improve pharmacokinetic profiles.

scholarly journals Recent developments in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

BMJ ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 329 (7467) ◽  
pp. 668-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun S Takhar ◽  
Ponni Palaniappan ◽  
Rajpal Dhingsa ◽  
Dileep N Lobo
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Recent Developments

scholarly journals Natural Products as Modulators of Sirtuins

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (14) ◽  
pp. 3287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berin Karaman Mayack ◽  
Wolfgang Sippl ◽  
Fidele Ntie-Kang
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Histone Deacetylases ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Chemical Space ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Potent Drug

Natural products have been used for the treatment of human diseases since ancient history. Over time, due to the lack of precise tools and techniques for the separation, purification, and structural elucidation of active constituents in natural resources there has been a decline in financial support and efforts in characterization of natural products. Advances in the design of chemical compounds and the understanding of their functions is of pharmacological importance for the biomedical field. However, natural products regained attention as sources of novel drug candidates upon recent developments and progress in technology. Natural compounds were shown to bear an inherent ability to bind to biomacromolecules and cover an unparalleled chemical space in comparison to most libraries used for high-throughput screening. Thus, natural products hold a great potential for the drug discovery of new scaffolds for therapeutic targets such as sirtuins. Sirtuins are Class III histone deacetylases that have been linked to many diseases such as Parkinson`s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type II diabetes, and cancer linked to aging. In this review, we examine the revitalization of interest in natural products for drug discovery and discuss natural product modulators of sirtuins that could serve as a starting point for the development of isoform selective and highly potent drug-like compounds, as well as the potential application of naturally occurring sirtuin inhibitors in human health and those in clinical trials.

scholarly journals Renal angiomyolipomatosis and bleeding aneurysms in a tuberous sclerosis context: selective artery embolization in a girl with end-stage renal failure

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Pelizzo ◽  
Mario Giuseppe Vallone ◽  
Mario Milazzo ◽  
Gregorio Rosone ◽  
Salvatore Amoroso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Failure ◽  
Peritoneal Dialysis ◽  
Tuberous Sclerosis ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Endovascular Embolization ◽  
End Stage Renal Failure ◽  
Renal Aneurysm ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Right ◽  
End Stage

Recent developments in endovascular radiological techniques and devices have rendered embolization a major therapeutic option prior to surgery in many renal vascular or neoplastic diseases. A 19-yearold female patient, with a diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in childhood, was admitted with severe anemia. Polycystic kidney disease in end-stage renal failure appeared four years before and the patient has been undergoing peritoneal dialysis. The patient’s medical history also included bilateral renal angiomyolipomas (AMLs). One year earlier, a unilateral endovascular embolization was performed to repair a bleeding aneurysm at the right renal upper pole. A second bilateral ruptured renal aneurysm was diagnosed at admission. To continue with peritoneal dialysis and prevent intrarenal hemorrhage and intraperitonal bleeding, an urgent bilateral renal AE was performed. Two months later she underwent a bilateral retroperitoneal nephrectomy. The posterior surgical approach, preserved the peritoneal surface area and adequate conditions to continue dialysis. At histology, bilateral AMLs were confirmed and a renal cell carcinoma of the right kidney was concurrently discovered. She undergoes continuous peritoneal dialysis. Urgent selective renal AE represents a feasible treatment for bilateral AML bleeding. It is safe and feasible before performing nephrectomy in patients with end-stage renal failure.

Porous Materials for Immune Modulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Moonkyoung Jeong ◽  
Hansol Kim ◽  
Ji-Ho Park
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Porous Materials ◽  
Immune Modulation ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
The Body ◽  
Immunomodulatory Agents ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Future Direction ◽  
Antigen Presenting ◽  
Immunomodulatory Potential

Abstract Biocompatible materials have a great potential to engineer immunology towards therapeutic applications. Among them, porous materials have attracted much attention for immune modulation due to their unique porous structure. The large surface area and pore space offer high loading capacity for various payloads including peptides, proteins and even cells. We first introduce recent developments in the porous particles that can deliver immunomodulatory agents to antigen presenting cells for immunomodulation. Then, we review recent developments in the porous implants that can act as a cellattracting/ delivering platform to generate artificial immunomodulatory environments in the body. Lastly, we summarize recent findings of immunogenic porous materials that can induce strong immune responses without additional adjuvants. We also discuss future direction of porous materials to enhance their immunomodulatory potential for immunotherapeutic applications.

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