Abstract-At present, chemotherapy is one of the principal methods of treatment of cancer. For many years, chemotherapy is possibly the only way to control cancers that do not respond to either surgery or radiation. To date a good number of chemotherapeutic drugs have been developed which are effective in the treatment of human cancers. But, A few drugs have been known to be safe and promising. The most widely used chemotherapeutic drugs include methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil etc. In this review, the molecular basis of drug interaction of methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and 5-fluorouracil has been studied. Understanding of the molecular basis of drug interaction of the chemotherapeutic agents is fundamental in order to enhance the clinical effectiveness of chemotherapy as well as to increase our knowledge of the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. Increased understanding of the pharmacokinetics and the mechanism of action also help to develop biomodulating strategies. The boundary between the efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs is very narrow. So, novel approaches are needed to be formulated in order to enhance the efficacy and to minimize the toxic effects of the chemotherapeutic agents. Though a lot of information is needed to be learned and a lot of task is needed to be accomplished, chemotherapy can be the ultimate and feasible way for controlling cancers if the toxic effects of chemotherapy can be reduced or minimized.
Curing of cancer or at least prolonging the life of a cancer patient can be done by the development of anticancer drugs which can kill the cancer cells selectively. Artemisinin (ART), a natural endoperoxide containing sesquiterpene lactone, is a naturally occurring antimalarial with potent anticancer properties. Despite high efficacy, the therapeutic value of ART is limited by its low solubility in oil and water, short half-life after administration, poor bioavailability etc. In order to avoid these limitations, several derivatives of artemisinin have been synthesized which are more active than the parent artemisinin molecule and also exhibit enhanced anticancer activity in nano-to-micro molar range. Thus, ART derivatives can be a good treatment option for cancer treatment. However, further research is needed in order to develop better ART derivatives with greater efficacies. Again, the use of ART derivatives in cancer treatment must be addressed by better understanding of the mechanism of action of the derivatives which will help to increase the clinical effectiveness of the derivatives. The aim of this review paper is to provide an overview about ART, its synthetic derivatives and their anticancer properties.
The immune system possesses the capability to identify tumor cells and eradicate early malignant tumor cells. Thus, activating the immune system of cancer patients provides great therapeutic benefits. Inhibitory T-cell immune checkpoints play a vital role in tumor immune escape. Thus, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have attracted attention in cancer immunotherapy. In ICI therapy, the therapeutic targets are the expressed immune checkpoints of T cells. Immune checkpoints induce T-cell dysfunction in cancer. However, ICIs or immunomodulators restore the antitumor actions of cytotoxic T cells by blocking immune checkpoints. ICIs have become desirable treatment options because of their broad range of activities and response rates ranging from 15% to 90% in several cancer types. Generally, ICIs also have favorable toxicity profiles. This paper will first delve deeper into the best-known immune checkpoints and then review ICIs that are attractive treatment options in immunotherapy.
The emergence and expansion of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria have become a global threat to both humans and animals. Immense use, overuse and misuse of antibiotics over several decades have increased the frequencies of resistance in pathogenic bacteria and resulted in significant medical problems. To fight against the widespread drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria has become a terrific challenge for the modern healthcare system. The major challenges to fight against pathogenic bacteria involve long-term antibiotic therapy with combinations of drugs. The abundance of resistance mechanisms in pathogenic bacteria has compelled many therapeutic antibiotics to become ineffective. As a result, the elimination of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria requires a judicious strategy. The advent of nanotechnology has unveiled a new horizon in the field of nanomedicine. Nanoparticle-based techniques have the potential to overcome the challenges faced by traditional antimicrobials. In this way, self-assembling amphiphilic molecules have emerged as a fascinating technique to fight against pathogenic bacteria because of their ability to function as nanocarriers of bactericidal agents and interact and disrupt bacterial membranes. Nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems can mitigate toxicity issues and the adverse effects of high antibiotic doses. The focus of this chapter is to discuss various amphiphilic nanocarriers and their roles and possibilities in fighting against pathogenic bacteria.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.