Chitosan nanoparticles as a promising tool in nanomedicine with particular emphasis on oncological treatment.

The study describes the current state of knowledge on nanotechnology and its utilization in medicine. The focus in this manuscript was on the properties, usage safety, and potentially valuable applications of chitosan-based nanomaterials. Chitosan nanoparticles have high importance in nanomedicine, biomedical engineering, discovery and development of new drugs. The manuscript reviewed the new studies regarding the use of chitosan-based nanoparticles for creating new release systems with improved bioavailability, increased specificity and sensitivity, and reduced pharmacological toxicity of drugs. Nowadays, effective cancer treatment is a global problem, and recent advances in nanomedicine are of great importance. Special attention was put on the application of chitosan nanoparticles in developing new system for anticancer drug delivery. Pre-clinical and clinical studies support the use of chitosan-based nanoparticles in nanomedicine. This manuscript overviews the last progresses regarding the utilization, stability, and bioavailability of drug nanoencapsulation with chitosan and their safety.

Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of asperuloside, a systematic review.

Plants are a natural source of bioactive compounds such as secondary metabolites. These molecules, also called phytochemicals, are fundamental for plant survival and often show therapeutic properties used for the treatment of human diseases. Asperuloside is a secondary metabolite which belongs to iridoid glycosides and is commonly present in the plant family Rubiaceae. In this review we aim to summarize the scientific knowledge on asperuloside, with a special emphasis on its pharmacological properties as anti-viral, anti-malarial, anti-protozoal, anti-tumorigenic, anti-hypertensive, anti-obesity, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. Preclinical studies in animal models suggest that asperuloside has therapeutic potential that could be evaluated in humans. However, despite its tangible phytochemical characteristics, no clinical trial has been performed so far. Thus, we hope that this review will facilitate scientific dissemination of asperuloside pharmacological properties and encourage researchers to evaluate both pharmacokinetic and toxicity of asperuloside in animal models. This will be the first step towards clinical studies in humans.

A comprehensive review of patented antileishmanial agents.

On 14 October 2010, the WHO reported that more than 1 billion people worldwide who live in remote rural areas are affected by neglected tropical diseases. Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoa of more than 20 different species in humans. The three major forms of disease are cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Cutaneous leishmaniasis causes an ulcer on exposed parts of the body and it was estimated that 0.7-1.3 million cases occur worldwide annually. Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis leads to destruction of mucous membranes in various parts of the body and it was reported that it occurs widely in South America. VL is a deadly disease and it is characterized by various symptoms, such as anemia, fever, fatigue and weight loss. The WHO estimated that 200,000-400,000 cases per annum of VL occur worldwide. Although different drugs and drug combinations are used for leishmaniasis, US FDA-approved drugs are limited. Miltefosine is the only drug approved for all forms of leishmaniasis and AmBisome(®) is approved for VL. Moreover, the drugs used for leishmaniasis have severe side effects. The article summarizes the patents filed between January 2010 and June 2013 for antileishmanial activity. The article covers only the chemical agents and excludes the vaccines and the peptides. A large number of compounds are filed for antileishmanial activity annually, but only a few are more potent than reference drugs such as miltefosine, pentamidine and metronidazole. In addition, most of the compounds are not as efficient as amphotericin B. Therefore, there is a need for novel compounds that are not only potent than the FDA-approved AmBisome and miltefosine, but are also less toxic and more cost effective in humans. This article provides an eclectic compilation of different classes of compounds that are active against amastigotes (the protozoa form found in humans) for the treatment of leishmaniasis.