Current Chemical Biology 

About: Current Chemical Biology is an academic journal published by Bentham Science Publishers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Chemistry & Cancer. It has an ISSN identifier of 1872-3136. Over the lifetime, 305 publications have been published receiving 4550 citations.

Functional Characterization of Chitin and Chitosan

Abstract: Chitin and its deacetylated derivative chitosan are natural polymers composed of randomly distributed � -(1-4)- linked D-glucosamine (deacetylated unit) and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (acetylated unit). Chitin is insoluble in aqueous media while chitosan is soluble in acidic conditions due to the free protonable amino groups present in the D-glucosamine units. Due to their natural origin, both chitin and chitosan can not be defined as a unique chemical structure but as a fam- ily of polymers which present a high variability in their chemical and physical properties. This variability is related not only to the origin of the samples but also to their method of preparation. Chitin and chitosan are used in fields as different as food, biomedicine and agriculture, among others. The success of chitin and chitosan in each of these specific applica- tions is directly related to deep research into their physicochemical properties. In recent years, several reviews covering different aspects of the applications of chitin and chitosan have been published. However, these reviews have not taken into account the key role of the physicochemical properties of chitin and chitosan in their possible applications. The aim of this review is to highlight the relationship between the physicochemical properties of the polymers and their behaviour. A functional characterization of chitin and chitosan regarding some biological properties and some specific applications (drug delivery, tissue engineering, functional food, food preservative, biocatalyst immobilization, wastewater treatment, molecular imprinting and metal nanocomposites) is presented. The molecular mechanism of the biological properties such as biocompatibility, mucoadhesion, permeation enhancing effect, anticholesterolemic, and antimicrobial has been up- dated.

Reactive Oxygen Species, Cancer and Anti-Cancer Therapies

Abstract: Mammalian cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are carcinogens, key actors of the non-specific immune defense against pathogens and, in a more subtle way, of signal transduction, cellular metabolism and functions. Oxidative stress can induce severe damage to the host which in turn adapted to face oxidative injury. Disruption of redox balance leads to various pathological conditions, such as cancer. In this review we explore the network linking ROS, cancer cells, anti-tumor immunity and therapy. We emphasize recent findings regarding the oxidative tumor microenvironment and the correlation between ROS, proliferation and death of cancer cells. Further-on we highlight that granulocytes, as key inflammatory cells and ROS producers, are nowadays exploited for eradication of cancer cells. Finally, we focus on ROS-inducing anti-neoplastic therapies (radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy) and on controversial issues regarding the interference between chemotherapy, ROS and antioxidants. This review is directed mainly to researchers involved in anti-cancer drug development by pointing out that redox balance is a suitable therapeutic target, either alone or in combination with other pathways of cancer cells killing. We emphasize critical redox- controlled checkpoints that have to be taken into account in drug design for achieving good therapeutic efficiency and convenient side-effects.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates Production From Low-cost Sustainable Raw Materials

Abstract: The unnerving price of petroleum will push a major change from a petroleum based economy to a natural feed- stock based economy. Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using industrial and agriculture by-products can al- low the use of low-cost feedstock to produce materials with specific monomer composition and therefore, with the appro- priate physicochemical properties to be used in a broad range of applications. Depending on the monomer composition, PHAs properties can range from thermoplastic to elastomeric materials. Even though PHA has been described as useful polymers due to thier intrinsic biodegradability and biocompatibility, their high price has limited their application signifi- cantly. The raw material cost has been known to contribute significantly to the manufacturing cost of PHA. Therefore, much research has been carried out using renewable cheap raw materials to replace the expensive commercial medium, which should reduce the overall production cost. In this review, the production of PHAs using low-cost sustainable raw materials such as molasses, whey, lignocelluloses, fats and oils, glycerol and wastewater are described. Finally, the phys- icochemical properties of PHAs produced from various carbon sources are discussed.

Properties and Architecture of Drugs and Natural Products Revisited

Abstract: Computer-based analysis revealed that natural products exhibit a remarkable structural diversity of molecular frameworks and scaffolds that could be systematically exploited for combinatorial synthesis. Natural products offer a rich pool of unique molecular frameworks that complement "drug space". They possess desirable druglike properties rendering them ideal starting points for molecular design considerations. This review provides an overview of chemotype diversity and molecular properties of collections of drugs and druglike molecules, pure natural products, and natural product- derived compounds. Compared to druglike molecules, pure natural products contain more oxygen atoms and chiral cen- ters, and have less aromatic atoms on average. Among the natural product library we identified more than one thousand scaffolds that were not contained in any other compound set analyzed. This outcome provides a basis for the design of new natural product-derived compound libraries. Our study demonstrates that computational chemical biology can assist in finding suitable molecular entities in collections of natural products for drug discovery.