Research & Review: Drugs and Drugs Development (e-ISSN: 2582-5720)

Advances and Applications of Gastro-Retentive Drug Delivery Systems

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0530

Oral drug delivery via gastro-retentive drug delivery systems (GRDDS) has gained widespread acceptance due to its simplicity, higher patient compliance, and site-specific medication delivery. The ideal drug delivery system should allow less frequent dosing or a single dose for the entire treatment duration, with drug release directly at the site of action. GRDDS ensures controlled temporal and spatial release of medication in the stomach or upper intestinal tract, prolonging gastric retention time (GRT) and enhancing drug absorption, thus improving therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. This paper explores various techniques employed to achieve gastro retentive drug delivery, including low-density systems, mucoadhesive systems, expandable/unfoldable systems, and high-density systems. Different types of drugs suitable for gastro retention are discussed, such as those absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract, drugs with local effects in the stomach, unstable drugs in the bowels or colon, and drugs for combating H. pylori in peptic ulcers. The focus is on floating drug delivery systems, classified as non-effervescent and effervescent systems. Non-effervescent systems, like Balanced Hydrodynamic Systems (HBS), utilize hydrophilic polymers to create floating bulk in the stomach, while effervescent systems produce gas to reduce density and maintain buoyancy. Mucoadhesive systems, on the other hand, form semi-permanent sticky links with the stomach wall's mucus, increasing drug retention. Overall, the development of innovative sustained-release drug delivery systems with gastro-retentive properties holds great promise for improving drug therapy from both academic and industrial perspectives.

The Era of Intelligent Drug Discovery: A Review of AI, ML, and DL in Computer-Aided Drug Design

Sribhashyam Mrunalini — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0530

There is a lot of interest in this fledgling industry because of the potential for computer-aided drug design (CADD) to expedite and lower the cost of the drug development process. It normally takes 10 to 15 years for a drug to reach the market, and the research involved in its creation is time and money-consuming. CADD has had a significant impact on this area of study. By merging CADD with AI, ML, and DL technologies to manage massive amounts of biological data generated by combinatorial chemistry, the time and cost associated with the drug development process have also been reduced. These methods help in the identification of prospective drug candidates, target identification, and therapeutic molecule optimization by utilizing large-scale data analysis, predictive modeling, and pattern recognition. To find significant patterns and links, AI-driven algorithms can analyze enormous volumes of biological data, including genomes, proteomics, and chemical databases. Support vector machines, random forests, and neural networks are examples of ML. In DL, a subset of ML, deep neural networks are used to train a hierarchical data representation, which improves performance on tasks like protein-ligand binding affinity prediction, de novo drug creation, and virtual screening. Problems persist despite their achievements. In this review, we'll discuss the many phases of the drug development process and how these tactics could be used. Additionally, we will describe several in silico techniques that are employed and how they interact.

Antioxidants and Antibacterial Potential of Extracts of Rhizome of Doronicum hookeri

Sunita Devi, Sachin Goyal, Ankush Dhiman, Shivali Singla — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0530

Infection is the ability of any microbe to interact with the immune system, which may result in any adverse or harmful impact on human organs. Contagious diseases are those brought on by infections. Both chronic and acute infections are possible. This study is based on the plant Doronicum hookeri's antioxidant and anti-microbial activities. This plant has a wide range of actions, including tonic effects on the heart, nervous system, liver, and antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. The dried rhizome was used to extract the active constituents using methanol as solvent. Doronicum hookeri's methanolic extract was discovered to have strong free radical scavenging and anti-microbial activity in in vitro testing. Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic underwent estimated toxicological activities for heavy metals by AAS, and values were obtained. Since neither pesticides nor aflatoxin were present, it was determined that the plant had not been treated with either substance.

Current Perspectives of Thiazolidine-2, 4-Diones as Novel Antioxidant Molecules

Leena Yadav, Nidhi Pandey, Aarti Chandra — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0530

Researchers have long been intrigued by the potential medical uses of tiny heterocyclic molecules containing sulfur and nitrogen. They are available in a wide number of structural configurations, and research has shown a wide range of therapeutic effects. Many heterocyclic scaffolds, including the thiazolidin-2,4-dione system, have been explored in the search for potent bioactive compounds throughout the drug development process. This moiety consists of a five-membered, saturated thiazolidine ring with sulfur at position 1, nitrogen at position 3, and two carbonyl functional groups at positions 2 and 4. The Thiazolidin-2, 4-dione (TZD) scaffold allows moiety replacement only at positions 3-5. The analogues of TZD offer a wide range of structural varieties and also possess a proven range of diversified therapeutic potentials. Heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen and sulfur have attracted attention in synthetic chemistry due to their prevalence in pharmacologically active natural products and as very potent agrochemicals and medicines. Several essential compounds need the thiazolidin-2,4-dione (TZD) moiety to function properly. Due to the availability of replacements at the third and fifth locations, the TZD scaffold is widely used and may be adapted to display a wide range of biological functions. Antioxidant activity of TZD analogues is shown by their ability to quench free radicals before they may cause cell damage. In this review article, we attempt to summarize the literature on TZD derivatives as prospective antioxidant agents from the beginning of 2013 to the end of 2022, including a discussion of their molecular mechanisms to TZD analogs.

Review on Hematinic Formulations Used in Anaemia Deficiency Disorders

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0530

Whenever the body has inadequate amounts of healthy red blood cells that supply oxygen to the body's organs, anaemia develops. Anaemia patients experience coldness, fatigue, and weakness. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most prevalent kind of anaemia. Red blood cells use a protein called haemoglobin, which iron creates, to deliver oxygen. Iron can be added to food to ease it. Anaemia brought on by inflammations brought on by infections, autoimmune disorders, cancer, and chronic kidney diseases is the second most common type of anaemia. In this type of anaemia, the blood iron level is low despite the body having a normal or even increasing quantity of iron stored in body tissues.

One of the most common dangerous diseases, especially in women, pregnant women, children, and adults, is anaemia deficiency. According to the World Health Organisation (2007), anaemia affects 30% to 50% of children and other groups as a result of iron deficiency. Out of the worldwide 1.6 billion anaemic populations, several hundred million suffer from iron deficiency anaemia. Therefore, iron deficiency is the main contributing factor to anaemia worldwide. Iron deficiency anaemia affects a part of the two billion persons who are iron nutritionally deficient globally. This hematinic medication, such as (Dexorange, Orofer XT and Feronia XT) is a form of iron supplement used for the treatment or prevention of low iron levels in the blood, which can occur due to anaemia or pregnancy. For the body to create red blood cells and sustain its health, iron is a crucial mineral.