Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease characterized by reduced bone mass and the deterioration of bone microarchitecture leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. Conventional anti-osteoporotic pharmaceutics are effective in the treatment and prophylaxis of osteoporosis, however they are associated with various side effects that push many women into seeking botanicals as an alternative therapy. Traditional folk medicine is a rich source of bioactive compounds waiting for discovery and investigation that might be used in those patients, and therefore botanicals have recently received increasing attention. The aim of this review of literature is to present the comprehensive information about plant-derived compounds that might be used to maintain bone health in perimenopausal and postmenopausal females.

Along with the increase in life expectancy in the populations of developed and developing countries resulting from better access and improved health care, the number of patients with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is growing. The disease was first diagnosed and described at the beginning of the 20th century. However, to this day, there is no effective causal therapy, and symptomatic treatment often improves patients’ quality of life only for a short time. The current pharmacological therapies are based mainly on the oldest hypotheses of the disease—cholinergic (drugs affecting the cholinergic system are available), the hypothesis of amyloid-β aggregation (an anti-amyloid drug was conditionally approved by the FDA in 2020), and one drug is an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist (memantine). Hypotheses about AD pathogenesis focus on the nervous system and the brain. As research progresses, it has become known that AD can be caused by diseases that have been experienced over the course of a lifetime, which could also affect other organs. In this review, we focus on the potential association of AD with the digestive system, primarily the gut microbiota. The role of diet quality in preventing and alleviating Alzheimer’s disease is also discussed. The problem of neuroinflammation, which may be the result of microbiota disorders, is also described. An important aspect of the work is the chapter on the treatment strategies for changing the microbiota, potentially protecting against the disease and alleviating its course in the initial stages.

Regarding that the chronic use of commonly available non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is often restricted by their adverse effects, there is still a current need to search for and develop new, safe and effective anti-inflammatory agents. As a continuation of our previous work, we designed and synthesized a series of 18 novel N-substituted-1,2,4-triazole-based derivatives of pyrrolo[3,4-d]pyridazinone 4a-c-9a-c. The target compounds were afforded via a convenient way of synthesis, with good yields. The executed cell viability assay revealed that molecules 4a-7a, 9a, 4b-7b, 4c-7c do not exert a cytotoxic effect and were qualified for further investigations. According to the performed in vitro test, compounds 4a-7a, 9a, 4b, 7b, 4c show significant cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activity and a promising COX-2/COX-1 selectivity ratio. These findings are supported by a molecular docking study which demonstrates that new derivatives take position in the active site of COX-2 very similar to Meloxicam. Moreover, in the carried out in vitro evaluation within cells, the title molecules increase the viability of cells pre-incubated with the pro-inflammatory lipopolysaccharide and reduce the level of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in induced oxidative stress. The spectroscopic and molecular modeling study discloses that new compounds bind favorably to site II(m) of bovine serum albumin. Finally, we have also performed some in silico pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness predictions. Taking all of the results into consideration, the molecules belonging to series a (4a-7a, 9a) show the most promising biological profile.

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Antimicrobial peptides are a promising group of compounds used for the treatment of infections. In some cases, metal ions are essential to activate these molecules. Examples of metalloantibiotics are, for instance, bleomycin and dermcidin. This study is focused on three new pseudopeptides with potential biological activity. The coordination behavior of all ligands with Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions has been examined. Various analytical methods such as potentiometric titration, UV-Vis and CD spectroscopies, and mass spectrometry were used. All compounds are convenient chelators for metal ion-binding. Two of the ligands tested have histidine residues. Surprisingly, imidazole nitrogen is not involved in the coordination of the metal ion. The N-terminal amino group, Dab side chains, and amide nitrogen atoms of the peptide bonds coordinated Cu(II) and Ni(II) in all the complexes formed. The cytotoxicity of three pseudopeptides and their complexes was evaluated. Moreover, their other model allowed for assessing the attenuation of LPS-induced cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activities were also evaluated, the results of which revealed to be very promising.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is used in HIV-infected patients. Alongside the prolongation of patients’ life, adverse side effects associated with long-term therapy are becoming an increasing problem. Therefore, optimizing of HAART is extremely important. The study is aimed at evaluating the toxicity of abacavir and etravirine in monotherapy on the reproductive system, liver, kidneys, and bones in young, sexually mature, male rats. Thirty-six 8-week-old male Wistar rats randomized into three 12-animal groups received either normal saline (control), abacavir 60 mg/kg (AB group), or etravirine 40 mg/kg (ET group) once daily for 16 weeks. Semen morphology, oxide–redox state parameters (MDA, SOD, catalase, GPx, glutathione, GSH/GSSG ratio) in tissue homogenates (testes, liver, kidneys), and serum samples were studied. In bones, microcomputed tomography and a four-point bending test were performed. Total sperm count, sperm concentration, motility, and sperm morphology did not differ significantly in AB or ET groups compared to the control. In the flow cytometry of semen, an increased percentage of cells with denatured DNA was noticed for both tested drugs. However, no significant changes of oxide–redox state in testicular homogenates were found, except of increased SOD activity in the AB-receiving group. Additionally, ET significantly altered catalase and GPx in the liver and SOD activity in kidneys. Abacavir decreased catalase in the liver and GSH levels in kidneys. AB caused significant changes to bone microarchitecture (bone volume fraction, trabecular number, connectivity density, total porosity) and increased Young’s modulus. Etravirine had a greater impact on macrometric parameters of bones (tibial index, mid-tibial diameter, femur length). After 4 weeks in the ET group, a lower 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 serum concentration was found. The results showed that abacavir and etravirine disturb oxidative stress. An increase in the percentage of sperms with chromatin damage suggests decreased fertility in rats receiving the studied drugs. Both drugs affected bone formation in growing rats. Additionally, etravirine disturbed vitamin D metabolism.

Hydroxyapatite has been used in medicine for many years as a biomaterial or a cover for other biomaterials in orthopedics and dentistry. This study characterized the physicochemical properties (structure, particle size and morphology, surface properties) of Li+- and Li+/Eu3+-doped nanohydroxyapatite obtained using the wet chemistry method. The potential regenerative properties against neurite damage in cultures of neuron-like cells (SH-SY5Y and PC12 after differentiation) were also studied. The effect of nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) on the induction of repair processes in cell cultures was assessed in tests of metabolic activity, the level of free oxygen radicals and nitric oxide, and the average length of neurites. The study showed that nanohydroxyapatite influences the increase in mitochondrial activity, which is correlated with the increase in the length of neurites. It has been shown that the doping of nanohydroxyapatite with Eu3+ ions enhances the antioxidant properties of the tested nanohydroxyapatite. These basic studies indicate its potential application in the treatment of neurite damage. These studies should be continued in primary neuronal cultures and then with in vivo models.

This study reports an impact of structure (XRPD, FT-IR) and surface morphology (SEM-EDS) of imatinib-functionalized galactose hydrogels, loaded and unloaded with nHAp, on osteosarcoma cell (Saos-2 and U-2OS) viability, levels of free oxygen radicals, and nitric oxide, levels of BCL-2, p53, and caspase 3 and 9, as well as glycoprotein-P activity. It was investigated how the rough surface of the crystalline hydroxyapatite-modified hydrogel affected amorphous imatinib (IM) release. The imatinib drug effect on cell cultures has been demonstrated in different forms of administrationdirectly to the culture or the hydrogels. Administration of IM and hydrogel composites could be expected to reduce the risk of multidrug resistance development by inhibiting Pgp.