Oral administration is the most convenient route among various routes of drug delivery as it offers high patient compliance. However, the poor aqueous solubility and poor enzymatic/metabolic stability of drugs are major limitations in successful oral drug delivery. There are several approaches to improve problems related to hydrophobic drugs. Among various approaches, nanotechnology based drug delivery system has potential to overcome the challenges associated with the oral route of administration. Novel drug delivery systems are available in many areas of medicine. The application of these systems in the treatment of hypertension continues to broaden. The present review focuses on various nanocarriers available in oral drug administration for improving solubility profile, dissolution, and consequently bioavailability of hydrophobic antihypertensive drugs.
The nuclear matrix from HeLa cells heated at 45 degrees C was isolated to determine the effect of thermal shock on its composition and structure. The matrix from unheated cells contained about 10 per cent of total cell protein and was observed to be spherical particle with a diameter ranging from 3 to 5 microns with the major constituent polypeptides having molecular weights of 45, 47, 55, 57, 59 and 65 kilodaltons. The nuclear-matrix protein mass increased linearly with increasing exposure time at 45 degrees C with no observable change in its size or shape. The additional proteins were observed in general to have molecular weights greater than 45 kilodaltons, with marked increases in polypeptides of 28.5, 38.5, 60, 66, 75, 81, 88, 100 and 115 kilodaltons. An exponential relationship was observed between heat-induced cytotoxicity and the nuclear matrix protein mass increase. A 15 per cent increase in matrix protein mass was sustained prior to the onset of cytotoxicity, while a 35 per cent increase in matrix protein content was associated with a 63 per cent probability of cell killing. The results indicate that redistribution of cell protein or alterations in the mass or structure of the nuclear matrix may be involved in heat-induced cytotoxicity.
Diabetes mellitus is rising globally touching more than 180 million people worldwide. This is prevailing mostly in type 2 diabetes and according to WHO report the incidence is likely to be more than doubled by 2030. α-Glucosidase inhibitors work by reducing the amount of glucose that the intestines absorb from food. In this work, forty-five benzimidazole analogues were studied using 3D QSAR, HQSAR, pharmacophore mapping and based on their results 60 compounds were designed. The results show that the best Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) model has q2 = 0.742 and r2 = 0.973, and the best Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis (CoMSIA) model has q2 = 0.679 and r2 = 0.918. For HQSAR the best model has q2 = 0.773 and r2 = 0.964. The r2 value for boostrap for CoMFA and CoMSIA are 0.98 and 0.97 respectively. Pharmacophore mapping revealed varied bioactive regions of ligand. Thus, these compounds could be used as lead for designing the synthesis of potent alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.
Keywords: Acarbose, Alpha-glucosidase inhibition, Benzimidazoles, Molecular modelling, Post-prandial hyperglycemia
COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] has resulted in over 204,644,849 confirmed cases and over 4,323,139 deaths throughout the world as of 12 August 2021, a total of 4,428,168,759 vaccine doses have been administered. The lack of potentially effective drugs against the virus is making the situation worse and dangerous. Numerous forces are working on finding an effective treatment against the virus but it is believed that a de novo drug would take several months even if huge financial support is provided. The only solution left with is drug repurposing that would not only provide effective therapy with the already used clinical drugs, but also save time and cost of the de novo drug discovery. The initiation of the COVID-19 infection starts with the attachment of spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 to the host receptor. Hence, the inhibition of the binding of the virus to the host membrane and the entry of the viral particle into the host cell are one of the main therapeutic targets. This paper not only summarizes the structure and the mechanism of spike protein, but the main focus is on the potential covalent spike protein inhibitors.
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