Challenges with bipolar disorder drug discovery

Importance of the field: Post-genome drug development has been driven by the need to study biological perturbations at the molecular system level. Systems biology visualization tools can help researchers extract hidden patterns from complex and large Omics data sets, model disease molecular mechanisms, and identify drug targets and drugs with good pharmacological and toxicological profiles.

Areas covered in this review: This review covers basic concepts in developing and applying information visualization tools to systems biology. We describe a framework and basic data representation schemes for visual data analysis in systems biology. We review major application areas of these visualization tools within drug discovery by focusing on early-stage drug discovery tasks such as disease biology modeling, target identifications and lead identification. We also show case studies and summarize our experience using visualization tools as lessons to our readers.

What the reader will gain: The reader will understand what visualization tools are available for diverse types of systems biology studies in drug discovery and understand how these tools can help advance drug development.

Take home message: In spite of the complexity inherent in systems biology, proper use of information visualization tools may reveal emerging properties hidden in the data and enhance chances of success for drug discovery.     

线粒体在心肌缺血再灌注损伤中的作用研究进展

心肌缺血再灌注损伤(MIRI)的关键环节之一是细胞能量供应缺乏。线粒体作为细胞的能量供应站,与缺血再灌注损伤机制的多个环节密切相关,其功能障碍造成缺血再灌注对心肌细胞的严重损害的同时又能启动保护机制减轻MIRI。目前对线粒体在MIRI中所起作用的研究已深入到分子水平,以线粒体上某些分子如线粒体通透性转换孔和敏感性钾通道等为靶点,探索治疗MIRI的新策略成为近来研究的热点。本文就线粒体与MIRI相关的分子机制和以线粒体为治疗靶点的药物研究等方面做一综述。     

抑郁症治疗靶标及其药物研发进展

抑郁症的发病机制至今仍未完全阐明。传统的抗抑郁药是基于单胺递质假说而开发的。近年来,除了单胺类外,谷氨酸系统、HPA轴等一些新的抑郁症治疗靶标逐渐成为研究热点,基于这些靶标研发的新型抗抑郁药已取得重大进展,本文就抑郁症的治疗靶标和新药研发情况作一综述,为临床治疗和开发新药提供参考。     

抗真菌药物靶标及其抑制剂的研究进展

目的综述抗真菌药物靶标及其抑制剂的研究进展。方法本文结合自身研究工作,分析近5年文献,总结抗真菌药物靶标及其抑制剂的最新进展。结果β-1,3-葡聚糖合成酶、羊毛甾醇14α-去甲基化酶、N-肉豆蔻酰基转移酶和分泌型天冬氨酸蛋白酶是目前研究最为集中的抗真菌药靶,其抑制剂显示了良好的新药开发前景。结论优化现有药物化学结构和发现全新作用机制的先导化合物,对研发新一代抗真菌药物具有重要意义。     

Future challenges with DNA-encoded chemical libraries in the drug discovery domain

ABSTRACT

Introduction: DNA-encoded chemical libraries (DELs) have come of age and emerged to become a powerful technology platform for ligand discovery in biomedical research and drug discovery. Today, DELs have been widely adopted in the pharmaceutical industry and employed in drug discovery programs worldwide. DELs are capable of interrogating drug targets with an extremely large number of compounds highly efficiently.

Area covered: In this review, the authors introduce the history of DELs and provide an overview of the major technological components, including encoding methods, library synthesis, chemistry, selection methods, hit deconvolution strategy, and post-selection data analysis. A brief update on the hit compounds recently discovered from DEL selections against drug targets is also provided. Finally, the authors discuss their views on the present challenges and future directions for the development and application of DELs in drug discovery.

Expert opinion: DELs have provided great opportunities for lead compound discovery at an unprecedented scale and efficiency in drug discovery. The key to the future success of DELs as true discovery modalities, rather than just ‘a way to make many compounds,’ is to go beyond physical binding to functional or even phenotypic assays with the capability to probe the biological system.     

Potassium channel subtypes as molecular targets for overactive bladder and other urological disorders

Potassium channels have re-emerged as attractive targets for overactive bladder and other urological diseases in recent years, in part due to an enhanced understanding of their molecular heterogeneity, tissue distribution, functional roles and regulation in physiological and pathological states. Cloning and heterologous expression analysis, coupled with the advancement of improved high-throughput screening techniques, have enabled expeditious identification of selective small-molecule openers and blockers for ATP-sensitive K⁺ channels, Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels and voltage-dependent K⁺ channel-KQT-like subfamily (KCNQ) members, and has paved the way in the assessment of efficacy and adverse effects in preclinical models. This review focuses on the rationale for molecular targeting of K⁺ channels, the current status of target validation, including preclinical proof-of-concept studies, and provides perspectives on the limitations and hurdles to be overcome in realising the potential of these targets for diverse urological indications such as overactive bladder, erectile dysfunction and prostate diseases.     

Targeting VDAC-bound hexokinase II: a promising approach for concomitant anti-cancer therapy

Introduction: Enhancement of glucose metabolism and repression of oxidative phosphorylation followed by the Warburg effect is the common hallmark of cancer cells. Hexokinase II (HKII) plays a dual role – first, HKII up-regulation results in increased glycolysis rates. Second, association of VDAC and HKII contributes to inhibition of apoptosis through repression of the formation of mitochondrial permeability transition pores.

Areas covered: In this review, the role of HKII in evasion of apoptosis, aspects of HKII expression regulation, novel approaches targeting HKII and VDAC–HKII complexes and their application areas are discussed.

Expert opinion: The dual role of HKII in cancer cells makes it an attractive target for anti-cancer therapy. Several agents, either synthetic or plant-derived, that target hexokinase and induce VDAC–HK complex dissociation have been identified to date. Targeting hexokinase, HK–VDAC complexes as well as other glycolytic proteins not only improves the efficacy of commonly used drugs. The most prominent benefit of this approach is the ability to overcome drug resistance, for example, to cisplatin or sorafenib. In some cases, it could create an insurmountable challenge for selection of appropriate therapy. Future studies and trials should address the issue of how to transfer these approaches into clinical practice.     

Alzheimer’s Disease: New Concepts on the Role of Autoimmunity and NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Pathogenesis of the Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), recognized as the most common neurodegenerative disorder, is clinically characterized by the presence of extracellular beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and by intracellular neurofibrillary tau tangles, accompanied by glial activation and neuroinflammation. Increasing evidence suggests that self-misfolded proteins stimulate an immune response mediated by glial cells, inducing the release of inflammatory mediators and the recruitment of peripheral macrophages into the brain, which in turn aggravate AD pathology.The present review aims to update the current knowledge on the role of autoimmunity and neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of the disease, indicating a new target for therapeutic intervention. We mainly focused on the NLRP3 microglial inflammasome as a critical factor in stimulating innate immune responses, thus sustaining chronic inflammation. Additionally, we discussed the involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the gut-brain axis. Direct targeting of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the associated receptors could be a potential pharmacological strategy since its inhibition would selectively reduce AD neuroinflammation.     

New approaches to blockade of alpha4-integrins, proven therapeutic targets in chronic inflammation

The recruitment of leukocytes into tissue is a pivotal step in inflammation. alpha4-Integrins are adhesion receptors on circulating leukocytes that mediate attachment to the endothelium and facilitate their migration into the inflamed tissue. This multistep process is mediated by the interaction of alpha4-integrins with their counter receptors VCAM-1 and MadCAM-1 that are expressed on endothelial cells. alpha4-Integrins act as both adhesive and signaling receptors. Paxillin, a signaling adaptor molecule, binds directly to the alpha4 cytoplasmic tail and its binding is important for cell migration. Blocking the adhesive functions of alpha4-integrins has been shown to be an effective therapeutic approach in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, but also carries the risk of defects in development, hematopoiesis and immune surveillance. Interfering with alpha4 signaling by inhibiting the alpha4-paxillin interaction decreases alpha4-mediated cell migration and adhesion to VCAM-1 and MadCAM under shear flow. These in vitro effects are accompanied by a selective impairment of leukocyte migration into inflammatory sites when the alpha4-paxillin interaction is blocked in vivo. Thus, blockade of alpha4-integrin signaling may offer a novel strategy for interfering with the functions of these receptors in pathological events while sparing important physiological functions.