0
selected
-
1.
Development of natural products for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy against cancer.
Ri, MH, Ma, J, Jin, X
Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2021;:114370
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint is one of the most promising therapeutic targets for cancer immunotherapy, but several challenges remain in current anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Natural products, mainly derived from traditional medicine, could improve and expand anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy because of their advantages such as large diversity and multi-target effects. AIM OF THE STUDY This review summarize natural products, raw extracts, and traditional medicines with pharmacological effects associated with the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, particularly PD-L1. MATERIALS AND METHODS Electronic literature databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect, and online drugs and chemicals databases, including DrugBank, ZINC, PubChem, STITCH, and CTD, were searched without date limitation by February 2021. 'Natural product or herb or herbal plant or traditional medicine' and 'PD-L1' and 'Cancer immunotherapy' were used as the search keywords. Among 112 articles identified in database searching, 54 articles are full text articles, reporting in silico, in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials. 68 articles included are review articles and grey literature such as thesis and congress abstracts. RESULTS Several natural products and traditional medicines have exhibited diverse and multi-functional effects including direct blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions, modulation of PD-L1 expression, and cooperation with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. CONCLUSION Natural products and traditional medicines can facilitate the development of more effective and acceptable diverse strategies for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, but further exploration of natural products and pharmaceutical techniques is required.
-
2.
Psoriasis and Treatment: Past, Present and Future Aspects.
Reid, C, Griffiths, CEM
Acta dermato-venereologica. 2020;(3):adv00032
Abstract
The management of psoriasis has evolved considerably over the past 100 years. This has occurred in parallel with our understanding of the pathogenesis of this common, complex and enigmatic disease. It should be celebrated as an outstanding example of successful translational research. With precise targeting of immune pathways for the treatment of psoriasis with new biologics and small molecules has come the realisation that the most effective approach to patient management is a holistic one which encompasses the biopsychosocial nature of the disease. This involves a stratified medicine approach to identifying the best drug for an individual allied to patient education, screening for comorbidity, and regular review as both the clinical presentation and the patient's needs will change over time. Al-though there is not yet a cure for psoriasis - the whole person, systems approach to patient management, that is in part dependent on early intervention, should help to ensure an optimal outcome.
-
3.
Food biopharmaceuticals as part of a sustainable bioeconomy: Edible vaccines case study.
Cebadera Miranda, E, Castillo Ruiz-Cabello, MV, Cámara Hurtado, M
New biotechnology. 2020;:74-79
Abstract
The lack of immunization in developing countries is undoubtedly the most serious consequence of the difficulty in accessing traditional vaccination systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) has aimed to find low-cost vaccines, which are accessible to the population and are easy to store and distribute without the need for refrigeration. There is literature support that orally administered edible vaccines are promising agents to reduce the incidence of diseases such as hepatitis and diarrhoea, especially in the developing world. This article focuses on the study of the suitability of edible vaccines as biopharmaceuticals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, allowing to comprehensively address both malnutrition and the degree of immunization, mainly in the child population in developing countries. This is embedded within the scope of a new concept promulgated by the UN and FAO called' Therapeutic Food' or 'Ready to Use Therapeutic Food'. Biopharmaceuticals such as edible processed vaccines have the potential to play an important role in increasing global health to achieve the 2030 - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and beyond, as a solution to the dual problem of malnutrition and immunoprophylaxis as part of a sustainable bioeconomy. This article reviews their most promising applications, as well as the problems of a scientific and socioeconomic nature, including the complex current legislation that restricts their implementation.
-
4.
Management of cutaneous manifestations of lupus erythematosus: A systematic review.
Fairley, JL, Oon, S, Saracino, AM, Nikpour, M
Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism. 2020;(1):95-127
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), occurring with or without systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a group of inflammatory skin diseases that can be very debilitating, causing significant psychological distress, and sometimes scarring. OBJECTIVES We sought to comprehensively present the evidence for different treatment modalities in patients with cutaneous manifestations of lupus erythematosus (LE). METHODS Medline, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched electronically from 1990 to March 2019, using keywords related to cutaneous lupus and synonyms and treatment. Articles retrieved were screened for relevance, including reference lists of retrieved reviews. We included clinical trials, observational studies or case series with ≥5 patients focussing on treatment of CLE, with or without SLE. RESULTS The search identified 6637 studies, of which 107 were included. Each study commonly included a heterogeneous mixture of CLE subtypes, with or without SLE. The 107 included studies investigated 11 different categories of treatment in 7343 patients. Treatments included topical calcineurin inhibitors (13 studies), sun protection (5 studies), R-salbutamol cream (2 studies), antimalarials (22 studies), synthetic DMARDs (10 studies), retinoids (2 studies), thalidomide/lenalidomide (22 studies), biologic therapies (15 studies), intravenous immune globulin (3 studies), laser (6 studies) and other therapies (7 studies). General measures to be considered include smoking cessation, sun protection measures and optimisation of vitamin D levels. Moderate evidence exists for benefit with topical CNIs, particularly as a steroid sparing agent in areas at high risk of steroid complications (e.g. facial skin). There is moderate evidence for hydroxychloroquine, which is first-line in SLE patients, limited evidence to support other synthetic DMARDs, and moderate evidence supporting thalidomide but with significant risk of toxicity. Of biologic therapies, there are moderate data to support belimumab. Limited evidence exists for other therapies. CONCLUSION Many management options are available for CLE, including topical, systemic and biologic therapies, with a variable balance of efficacy and toxicity. There is a paucity of high-quality clinical trial data. Further trials are required to better understand optimal management of CLE, particularly in specific subgroups.
-
5.
The Gut Microbiota in Causation, Detection, and Treatment of Cancer.
Murphy, CL, OʼToole, PW, Shanahan, F
The American journal of gastroenterology. 2019;(7):1036-1042
Abstract
The gut microbiota has emerged as an important consideration in clinical oncology. The role of the microbiome in cancer extends beyond causation and cancer risk. It is now known that the microbiome not only acts at a local epithelial level in the gut but also modifies immune responses within intestinal and extraintestinal tumors. Microbial signaling influences the clinical course of cancer including the efficacy, bioavailability, and toxicity of chemotherapeutic and immunotherapy agents. This has focused research on microbiota profiling in different cancer states with an aim of developing prognostic biomarkers of risk. The potential value of microbiome manipulation with live biotherapeutics or microbial transplantation has also become a realistic consideration. Maintenance of microbial diversity in patients with cancer is a variable challenge given the modifying influences of the tumor itself, chemotherapy, nutritional status, and sporadic antimicrobial therapy. Here, we address current evidence for the role of the microbiome in cancer therapy.
-
6.
Using CRISPR-Cas systems as antimicrobials.
Bikard, D, Barrangou, R
Current opinion in microbiology. 2017;:155-160
-
-
Free full text
-
Abstract
Although CRISPR-Cas systems naturally evolved to provide adaptive immunity in bacteria and archaea, Cas nucleases can be co-opted to target chromosomal sequences rather than invasive genetic elements. Although genome editing is the primary outcome of self-targeting using CRISPR-based technologies in eukaryotes, self-targeting by CRISPR is typically lethal in bacteria. Here, we discuss how DNA damage introduced by Cas nucleases in bacteria can efficiently and specifically lead to plasmid curing or drive cell death. Specifically, we discuss how various CRISPR-Cas systems can be engineered and delivered using phages or phagemids as vectors. These principles establish CRISPR-Cas systems as potent and programmable antimicrobials, and open new avenues for the development of CRISPR-based tools for selective removal of bacterial pathogens and precise microbiome composition alteration.
-
7.
Seeking new anti-cancer agents from autophagy-regulating natural products.
Hua, F, Shang, S, Hu, ZW
Journal of Asian natural products research. 2017;(4):305-313
Abstract
Natural products are an important original source of many widely used drugs, including anti-cancer drugs. Early research efforts for seeking anti-cancer therapy from the natural products are mainly focused on the compounds with cytotoxicity capability. The good examples include vinblastine, vincristine, the camptothecin derivatives; topotecan, irinotecan, epipodophyllotoxin derivatives and paclitaxel. In a recent decade, the fundamental progression has been made in the understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms regarding tumor initiation, metastasis, therapeutic resistance, immune escape, and relapse, which provide a great opportunity for the development of new mechanism-based anticancer drugs, especially drugs against new molecular and cellular targets. Autophagy, a critical cell homeostasis mechanism and promising drug target involved in a verity of human diseases including cancer, can be modulated by many compounds derived from natural products. In this review, we'll give a short introduction of autophagy and discuss the roles of autophagy in the tumorigenesis and progression. And then, we summarize the accumulated evidences to show the anti-tumor effects of several compounds derived from natural products through modulation of autophagy activity.
-
8.
Challenges of conducting clinical trials of natural products to combat cancer.
Paller, CJ, Denmeade, SR, Carducci, MA
Clinical advances in hematology & oncology : H&O. 2016;(6):447-55
Abstract
Numerous drugs that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for use in cancer therapy are derived from plants, including taxanes such as paclitaxel and vinca alkaloids such as vinblastine. Dietary supplements are another category of natural products that are widely used by patients with cancer, but without the FDA-reviewed evidence of safety and efficacy--be it related to survival, palliation, symptom mitigation, and/or immune system enhancement-that is required for therapy approval. Nearly half of patients in the United States with cancer report that they started taking new dietary supplements after being given a diagnosis of cancer. Oncologists are challenged in providing advice to patients about which supplements are safe and effective to use to treat cancer or the side effects of cancer therapy, and which supplements are antagonistic to standard treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, and/or immunotherapy. Despite the large number of trials that have been launched, the FDA has not approved any dietary supplement or food to prevent cancer, halt its growth, or prevent its recurrence. In this article, we review the primary challenges faced by researchers attempting to conduct rigorous trials of natural products, including shortages of funding due to lack of patentability, manufacturing difficulties, contamination, and lack of product consistency. We also highlight the methods used by dietary supplement marketers to persuade patients that a supplement is effective (or at least safe) even without FDA approval, as well as the efforts of the US government to protect the health and safety of its citizens by ensuring that the information used to market natural products is accurate. We close with a summary of the most widely used databases of information about the safety, efficacy, and interactions of dietary supplements.
-
9.
Modulation of Toll-like receptor signaling in innate immunity by natural products.
Chen, L, Yu, J
International immunopharmacology. 2016;:65-70
-
-
Free full text
-
Abstract
For centuries, natural products and their derivatives have provided a rich source of compounds for the development of new immunotherapies in the treatment of human disease. Many of these compounds are currently undergoing clinical trials, particularly as anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer agents. However, the function and mechanism of natural products in how they interact with our immune system has yet to be extensively explored. Natural immune modulators may provide the key to control and ultimately defeat disorders affecting the immune system. They can either up- or down-regulate the immune response with few undesired adverse effects. In this review, we summarize the recent advancements made in utilizing natural products for immunomodulation and their important molecular targets, members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family, in the innate immune system.
-
10.
Anti-Psoriasis Agents from Natural Plant Sources.
Bonesi, M, Loizzo, MR, Provenzano, E, Menichini, F, Tundis, R
Current medicinal chemistry. 2016;(12):1250-67
Abstract
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated skin disease. It affects most races, does not have any sexual predilections and can manifest at any age of life. Psoriasis is more frequent in certain racial groups and geographical areas. For these reasons, both genetic and environmental factors could be considered. In this review, we discuss promising natural compounds, their molecular targets and mechanisms, which may help the further design of new anti-psoriasis agents. Literature documents the widespread use of herbal remedies worldwide, and the presence of some phytochemicals supports the efficacy of some botanical treatments. The research on natural products has greatly contributed to the progress in the treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis and many of these compounds are now being used. Understanding the mechanism of these molecules will contribute to the development of more specific preventive strategies for the treatment of psoriasis.