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Analytical Cellular Pathology... 2020Metformin has been used for a long time as an antidiabetic medication for type 2 diabetes. It is used either as a monotherapy or in combination with other antidiabetic... (Review)
Review
Metformin has been used for a long time as an antidiabetic medication for type 2 diabetes. It is used either as a monotherapy or in combination with other antidiabetic medications. The drug came into prominence in diabetes and other conditions with cardiovascular risk after the landmark study of 1995 by the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study which emphasized its importance. However, the drug has been used in experimental trials in various aspects of medicine and pharmacology such as in reproductive medicine, cancer chemotherapy, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. It has been in use in the treatment of polycystic ovarian disease and obesity and is being considered in type 1 diabetes. This study seeks to evaluate the relevance of metformin in cancer management. Different mechanisms have been proposed for its antitumor action which involves the following: (a) the activation of adenosine monophosphate kinase, (b) modulation of adenosine A1 receptor (ADORA), (c) reduction in insulin/insulin growth factors, and (d) the role of metformin in the inhibition of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS); and its resultant damage to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule is another paramount antitumor mechanism.
Topics: Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Animals; Carcinogens; Clinical Trials as Topic; Humans; Metformin; Neoplasms; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32399389
DOI: 10.1155/2020/7180923 -
Microbial Biotechnology Jul 2023Antimicrobial resistance is a major obstacle for the treatment of infectious diseases and currently represents one of the most significant threats to global health.... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial resistance is a major obstacle for the treatment of infectious diseases and currently represents one of the most significant threats to global health. Staphylococcus aureus remains a formidable human pathogen with high mortality rates associated with severe systemic infections. S. aureus has become notorious as a multidrug resistant bacterium, which when combined with its extensive arsenal of virulence factors that exacerbate disease, culminates in an incredibly challenging pathogen to treat clinically. Compounding this major health issue is the lack of antibiotic discovery and development, with only two new classes of antibiotics approved for clinical use in the last 20 years. Combined efforts from the scientific community have reacted to the threat of dwindling treatment options to combat S. aureus disease in several innovative and exciting developments. This review describes current and future antimicrobial strategies aimed at treating staphylococcal colonization and/or disease, examining therapies that show significant promise at the preclinical development stage to approaches that are currently being investigated in clinical trials.
Topics: Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Staphylococcus aureus; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; Biological Products; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Drug Synergism; Immunoconjugates; Phage Therapy; Drug Development; Staphylococcal Infections; Humans
PubMed: 37178319
DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14268 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Dec 2021Natural adjuvants are novel options to reduce the doses of chemical herbicides. The aim of the current study was to examine the compositions and adjuvant effects of...
Natural adjuvants are novel options to reduce the doses of chemical herbicides. The aim of the current study was to examine the compositions and adjuvant effects of rosin and coconut oil on herbicides using a combination of indoor experiment and field trial. The GC-MS results showed that the main component of rosin was abietic acid (40.02%), and the main components of coconut oil were 2-pentanone, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl- (21.45%) and dodecanoic acid (14.59%). In greenhouse experiment, rosin showed a significant adjuvant effect on nicosulfuron against Digitaria sanguinalis and Amaranthus retroflexus, with the GR ratios of 1.47 and 1.69, respectively. The GR values of nicosulfuron in the present of coconut oil were 3.99 and 10.13 g a.i./hm against D. sanguinalis and A. retroflexus, lower than that of individual application. The adjuvant effect of rosin and coconut oil on mesotrione was also found. In field trial, the fresh weight control efficiency of nicosulfuron (45 g a.i./hm) and mesotrione (112.5 g a.i./hm) was significantly improved after the addition of rosin and coconut oil, similar with that of recommended dose. Rosin and coconut oil could reduce the contact angle of nicosulfuron, with the results of 56.68° and 53.90°, respectively, lower than that of individual application. Furthermore, rosin and coconut oil could decrease the surface tension, wetting and penetration time; and increase the spreading diameter and maximum retention. Both rosin and coconut oil have adjuvant effects on herbicides in the lab & field with multiple mechanisms. Thus, they have the potential to be developed into natural adjuvants for herbicide formulation to control weeds.
Topics: Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Coconut Oil; Cyclohexanones; Pyridines; Resins, Plant; Sulfonylurea Compounds
PubMed: 34509967
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112766 -
Journal of Food and Drug Analysis Apr 2018Processing of Chinese medicines is a pharmaceutical technique that transforms medicinal raw materials into decoction pieces for use in different therapies. Various... (Review)
Review
Processing of Chinese medicines is a pharmaceutical technique that transforms medicinal raw materials into decoction pieces for use in different therapies. Various adjuvants, such as vinegar, wine, honey, and brine, are used in the processing to enhance the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of crude drugs. Proper processing is essential to ensure the quality and safety of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Therefore, sound knowledge of processing principles is crucial to the standardized use of these processing adjuvants and to facilitate the production and clinical use of decoction pieces. Many scientific reports have indicated the synergistic effects of processing mechanisms on the chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics of the active ingredients in TCMs. Under certain conditions, adjuvants change the content of active or toxic components in drugs by chemical or physical transformation, increase or decrease drug dissolution, exert their own pharmacological effects, or alter drug pharmacokinetics. This review summarizes various processing methods adopted in the last two decades, and highlights current approaches to identify the effects of processing parameters on TCMs.
Topics: Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Animals; Drug Compounding; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Humans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional
PubMed: 29703391
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfda.2018.02.004 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV) that is highly contagious and has an extremely high mortality rate...
African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV) that is highly contagious and has an extremely high mortality rate (infected by virulent strains) among domestic and wild pigs, causing huge economic losses to the pig industry globally. In this study, SDS-PAGE gel bands hybridized with ASFV whole virus protein combined with ASFV-convalescent and ASFV-positive pig serum were identified by mass spectrometry. Six antigens were detected by positive serum reaction bands, and eight antigens were detected in ASFV-convalescent serum. In combination with previous literature reports and proteins corresponding to MHC-II presenting peptides screened from ASFV-positive pig urine conducted in our lab, seven candidate antigens, including KP177R (p22), K78R (p10), CP204L (p30), E183L (p54), B602L (B602L), EP402R-N (CD2V-N) and F317L (F317L), were selected. Subunit-Group 1 was prepared by mixing above-mentioned seven ASFV recombinant proteins with MONTANIDETM1313 VG N mucosal adjuvant and immunizing pigs intranasally and intramuscularly. Subunit-Group 2 was prepared by mixing four ASFV recombinant proteins (p22, p54, CD2V-N1, B602L) with Montanide ISA 51 VG adjuvant and immunizing pigs by intramuscular injection. Anticoagulated whole blood, serum, and oral fluid were collected during immunization for flow cytometry, serum IgG as well as secretory sIgA antibody secretion, and cytokine expression testing to conduct a comprehensive immunogenicity assessment. Both immunogen groups can effectively stimulate the host to produce ideal humoral, mucosal, and cellular immune responses, providing a theoretical basis for subsequent functional studies, such as immunogens challenge protection and elucidation of the pathogenic mechanism of ASFV.
Topics: Animals; Swine; African Swine Fever Virus; African Swine Fever; Vaccination; Immunization; Adjuvants, Immunologic; Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; Immunity, Cellular
PubMed: 37720232
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1200297 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Mucosal vaccines have great potential and advantages in preventing infection caused by multiple pathogens. In developing mucosal vaccines, the biggest challenge comes... (Review)
Review
Mucosal vaccines have great potential and advantages in preventing infection caused by multiple pathogens. In developing mucosal vaccines, the biggest challenge comes from finding safe and effective adjuvants and drug delivery systems. Great progress has been made in the generation of mucosal adjuvants using detoxified bacterial toxin derivatives, pathogen-related molecules, cytokines, and various vaccine delivery systems. However, many problems, relating to the safety and efficacy of mucosal vaccine adjuvants, remain. Certain natural substances can boost the immune response and thus could be used as adjuvants in vaccination. These natural-product-based immune adjuvants have certain advantages over conventional adjuvants, such as low toxicity, high stability, and low cost of production. In this review, we summarize the latest natural-product-based immune adjuvants, and discuss their properties and clinical applications.
Topics: Adjuvants, Vaccine; Biological Products; Vaccines; Vaccination; Adjuvants, Immunologic; Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic
PubMed: 37090704
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1152855 -
Cells Dec 2022The vertebrate immune system functions to eliminate invading foreign nucleic acids and foreign proteins from infectious diseases and malignant tumors. Because pathogens... (Review)
Review
The vertebrate immune system functions to eliminate invading foreign nucleic acids and foreign proteins from infectious diseases and malignant tumors. Because pathogens and cancer cells have unique amino acid sequences and motifs (e.g., microbe-associated molecular patterns, MAMPs) that are recognized as "non-self" to the host, immune enhancement is one strategy to eliminate invading cells. MAMPs contain nucleic acids specific or characteristic of the microbe and are potential candidates for immunostimulants or adjuvants. Adjuvants are included in many vaccines and are a way to boost immunity by deliberately administering them along with antigens. Although adjuvants are an important component of vaccines, it is difficult to evaluate their efficacy ex vivo and in vivo on their own (without antigens). In addition, inflammation induced by currently candidate adjuvants may cause adverse events, which is a hurdle to their approval as drugs. In addition, the lack of guidelines for evaluating the safety and efficacy of adjuvants in drug discovery research also makes regulatory approval difficult. Viral double-stranded (ds) RNA mimics have been reported as potent adjuvants, but the safety barrier remains unresolved. Here we present ARNAX, a noninflammatory nucleic acid adjuvant that selectively targets Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in antigen-presenting dendritic cells (APCs) to safely induce antigen cross-presentation and subsequently induce an acquired immune response independent of inflammation. This review discusses the challenges faced in the clinical development of novel adjuvants.
Topics: Humans; Adjuvants, Immunologic; Vaccines; Immune System; Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Antigens; Inflammation; Nucleic Acids
PubMed: 36552770
DOI: 10.3390/cells11244006 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2022Throughout the United States, cancer remains the second leading cause of death. Traditional treatments induce significant medical toxic effects and unpleasant adverse... (Review)
Review
Throughout the United States, cancer remains the second leading cause of death. Traditional treatments induce significant medical toxic effects and unpleasant adverse reactions, making them inappropriate for long-term use. Consequently, anticancer-drug resistance and relapse are frequent in certain situations. Thus, there is an urgent necessity to find effective antitumor medications that are specific and have few adverse consequences. Curcumin is a polyphenol derivative found in the turmeric plant ( L.), and provides chemopreventive, antitumor, chemo-, and radio-sensitizing properties. In this paper, we summarize the new nano-based formulations of polyphenolic curcumin because of the growing interest in its application against cancers and tumors. According to recent studies, the use of nanoparticles can overcome the hydrophobic nature of curcumin, as well as improving its stability and cellular bioavailability in vitro and in vivo. Several strategies for nanocurcumin production have been developed, each with its own set of advantages and unique features. Because the majority of the curcumin-based nanoformulation evidence is still in the conceptual stage, there are still numerous issues impeding the provision of nanocurcumin as a possible therapeutic option. To support the science, further work is necessary to develop curcumin as a viable anti-cancer adjuvant. In this review, we cover the various curcumin nanoformulations and nanocurcumin implications for therapeutic uses for cancer, as well as the current state of clinical studies and patents. We further address the knowledge gaps and future research orientations required to develop curcumin as a feasible treatment candidate.
Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Antineoplastic Agents; Biological Availability; Curcumin; Humans; Nanoparticles; Neoplasms
PubMed: 36014474
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27165236 -
Annals of Oncology : Official Journal... Jun 2007Gastric cancer is still a major health problem and a leading cause of cancer mortality despite a worldwide decline in incidence. Surgery is the primary curative... (Review)
Review
Gastric cancer is still a major health problem and a leading cause of cancer mortality despite a worldwide decline in incidence. Surgery is the primary curative treatment of locoregional gastric cancer. In Western countries, however, at the time of resection, most patients are expected to have regional lymph node involvement with poor prognostic implications. To improve these results, different trials have been carried out in the adjuvant or neo-adjuvant setting. Many phase III trials of adjuvant therapy have been conducted; however, postoperative treatment modalities have not proven to be superior to postsurgical observation alone. Therefore, at present the routine use of adjuvant therapy should be regarded as an investigational approach. Improved clinical trial designs with standardized surgical techniques and the incorporation of newer active drugs are needed. On the contrary, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy has shown promising results as suggested by the final results of UK Medical Research Council Adjuvant Gastric Infusional Chemotherapy trial.
Topics: Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic; Antineoplastic Agents; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; Humans; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Stomach Neoplasms
PubMed: 17591804
DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdm239 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Rhizoma Bolbostemmatis, the dry tuber of , has being used for the treatment of acute mastitis and tumors in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, tubeimoside...
Rhizoma Bolbostemmatis, the dry tuber of , has being used for the treatment of acute mastitis and tumors in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, tubeimoside (TBM) I, II, and III from this drug were investigated for the adjuvant activities, structure-activity relationships (SAR), and mechanisms of action. Three TBMs significantly boosted the antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses and elicited both Th1/Th2 and Tc1/Tc2 responses towards ovalbumin (OVA) in mice. TBM I also remarkably facilitated mRNA and protein expression of various chemokines and cytokines in the local muscle tissues. Flow cytometry revealed that TBM I promoted the recruitment and antigen uptake of immune cells in the injected muscles, and augmented the migration and antigen transport of immune cells to the draining lymph nodes. Gene expression microarray analysis manifested that TBM I modulated immune, chemotaxis, and inflammation-related genes. The integrated analysis of network pharmacology, transcriptomics, and molecular docking predicted that TBM I exerted adjuvant activity by interaction with SYK and LYN. Further investigation verified that SYK-STAT3 signaling axis was involved in the TBM I-induced inflammatory response in the C2C12 cells. Our results for the first time demonstrated that TBMs might be promising vaccine adjuvant candidates and exert the adjuvant activity through mediating the local immune microenvironment. SAR information contributes to developing the semisynthetic saponin derivatives with adjuvant activities.
Topics: Female; Mice; Animals; Molecular Docking Simulation; Adjuvants, Immunologic; Saponins; Cytokines; Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic
PubMed: 36845089
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1108244