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Ectodomain shedding (ES) is a fundamental process involving the proteolytic cleavage of membrane-bound proteins, leading to the release of soluble extracellular fragments (shed ectodomains) with potential paracrine and autocrine signaling functions. In the central nervous system (CNS), ES plays pivotal roles in brain development, axonal regulation, synapse formation, and disease pathogenesis, spanning from cancer to Alzheimer's disease. Recent evidence also suggests its potential involvement in neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and schizophrenia. Past investigations of ES in the CNS have primarily relied on cell culture supernatants or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples, but these methods have limitations, offering limited insights into how ES is modulated in the intact brain parenchyma. In this study, we introduce a methodology for analyzing shed ectodomains globally within rodent brain samples. Through biochemical tissue subcellular separation, mass spectrometry, and bioinformatic analysis, we show that the brain's soluble fraction sheddome shares significant molecular and functional similarities with in vitro neuronal and CSF sheddomes. This approach provides a promising means of exploring ES dynamics in the CNS, allowing for the evaluation of ES at different developmental stages and pathophysiological states. This methodology has the potential to help us deepen our understanding of ES and its role in CNS function and pathology, offering new insights and opportunities for research in this field.

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Fibrosis is a common pathological process that can affect virtually all the organs, but there are hardly any effective therapeutic options. This has led to an intense search for antifibrotic therapies over the last decades, with a great number of clinical assays currently underway. We have systematically reviewed all current and recently finished clinical trials involved in the development of new antifibrotic drugs, and the preclinical studies analyzing the relevance of each of these pharmacological strategies in fibrotic processes affecting tissues beyond those being clinically studied. We analyze and discuss this information with the aim of determining the most promising options and the feasibility of extending their therapeutic value as antifibrotic agents to other fibrotic conditions.

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Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a prevalent vaginal illness resulting from a disruption in the vaginal microbial equilibrium. The vaginal microbiota has been shown to have a substantial impact on the development and continuation of BV. This work utilized 16S rRNA sequence analysis of vaginal microbiome samples (Control vs BV samples) utilizing Parallel-Meta 3 to investigate the variations in microbial composition. The unique genes identified were used to determine prospective therapeutic targets and their corresponding inhibitory ligands. Further, molecular docking was conducted and then MD simulations were carried out to confirm the docking outcomes. In the BV samples, we detected several anaerobic bacteria recognized for their ability to generate biofilms, namely Acetohalobium, Anaerolineaceae, Desulfobacteraceae, and others. Furthermore, we identified Dalfopristin, Clorgyline, and Hydrazine as potential therapeutic options for the management of BV. This research provides new insights into the causes of BV and shows the potential effectiveness of novel pharmacological treatments.

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With the spread of the "omics" sciences, the approaches of systems biology can be considered as new paradigms of pharmacological research for discovery of novel targets and/or treatments for complex multifactorial diseases. Data from omics sciences can be used for the design of biologic networks, that in turn can be quantitatively analyzed to identify new pharmacological targets. In this review, we will introduce the concept of network pharmacology, particularly the application of this innovative approach in the field of ocular pharmacology, with a focus on retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma.

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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, serious, and incurable disease characterized by high lung pressure. PAH-approved drugs based on conventional pathways are still not exhibiting favorable therapeutic outcomes. Drawbacks like short half-lives, toxicity, and teratogenicity hamper effectiveness, clinical conventionality, and long-term safety. Hence, approaches like repurposing drugs targeting various and new pharmacological cascades and/or loaded in non-toxic/efficient nanocarrier systems are being investigated lately. This review summarizes the status of conventional, repurposed, either in vitro, in vivo, and/or in clinical trials of PAH treatment. In-depth description, discussion, and classification of the new pharmacological targets and nanomedicine strategies with a description of all the nanocarriers that showed promising efficiency in delivering drugs are discussed. Ultimately, an illustration of the different nucleic acids tailored and nanoencapsulated within different types of nanocarriers to restore the pathways affected by this disease is presented.

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TANK-binding kinase 1 protein (TBK1) is a kinase that belongs to the IκB (IKK) family. TBK1, also known as T2K, FTDALS4, NAK, IIAE8, and NF-κB, is responsible for the phosphorylation of the amino acid residues, serine and threonine. This enzyme is involved in various key biological processes, including interferon activation and production, homeostasis, cell growth, autophagy, insulin production, and the regulation of TNF-α, IFN-ß, and IL-6. Mutations in the TBK1 gene alter the protein's normal function and may lead to an array of pathological conditions, including disorders of the central nervous system. The present study sought to elucidate the role of the TBK1 protein in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a human neurodegenerative disorder. A broad evolutionary and phylogenetic analysis of TBK1 was performed across numerous organisms to distinguish conserved regions important for the protein's function. Subsequently, mutations and SNPs were explored, and their potential effect on the enzyme's function was investigated. These analytical steps, in combination with the study of the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure of TBK1, enabled the identification of conserved motifs, which can function as novel pharmacological targets and inform therapeutic strategies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

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Post-partum depression (PPD) with varying clinical manifestations affecting new parents remains underdiagnosed and poorly treated. This minireview revisits the pharmacotherapy, and relevant etiological basis, capable of advancing preclinical research frameworks. Maternal tasks accompanied by numerous behavioral readouts demand modeling different paradigms that reflect the complex and heterogenous nature of PPD. Hence, effective PPD-like characterization in animals towards the discovery of pharmacological intervention demands research that deepens our understanding of the roles of hormonal and non-hormonal components and mediators of this psychiatric disorder.

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Cholesterol and its metabolites have important biological functions. Cholesterol is able to maintain the physical properties of cell membrane, play an important role in cellular signaling, and cellular cholesterol levels reflect the dynamic balance between biosynthesis, uptake, efflux and esterification. Cholesterol metabolism participates in bile acid production and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Increasing evidence suggests a strict link between cholesterol homeostasis and tumors. Cholesterol metabolism in tumor cells is reprogrammed to differ significantly from normal cells, and disturbances of cholesterol balance also induce tumorigenesis and progression. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that controlling cholesterol metabolism suppresses tumor growth, suggesting that targeting cholesterol metabolism may provide new possibilities for tumor therapy. In this review, we summarized the metabolic pathways of cholesterol in normal and tumor cells and reviewed the pre-clinical and clinical progression of novel tumor therapeutic strategy with the drugs targeting different stages of cholesterol metabolism from bench to bedside.

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Drug development from herbal medicines or botanical sources is believed to have a prominent role in the exploration of novel counteractive drugs that has sparked much interest in recent times. Paederia foetida is one such medicinal plant used in both traditional and folkloric medicine. Several parts of the herb are locally utilised as a natural curative agent for several ailments since time immemorial. Paederia foetida indeed possesses anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidaemic, antioxidant, nephro-protective, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antitussive, thrombolytic, anti-diarrhoeal, sedative-anxiolytic, anti-ulcer, hepatoprotective activity, anthelmintic and anti-diarrhoeal activity. Furthermore, growing evidence shows many of its active constituents to be effective in cancer, inflammatory diseases, wound healing and spermatogenesis as well. These investigations shed light on possible pharmacological targets and attempts to establish a mechanism of action for these pharmacological effects. These findings contrast the significance of this medicinal plant for further research and for the exploration of novel counteractive drugs to establish a mechanism of action before being employed to healthcare. Pharmacological activities of Paederia foetida and their mechanism of action.

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Programmed cell death protein 1 or Programmed death-1 (PD-1) and Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) research have tremendously been taken into great consideration in the field of cancer immune pharmacology. Cancer immunotherapy has been convoyed by a capable outcome over the past few years. PD-1 and PD-L1 play a pivotal role in attenuating immune involvement, modulating the activity of T-cells, and promoting different types of programmed cell death. Participation of antigen-specific T cells and regulatory T cells and their acute mutations during cancer cell invasion and migration may lead to challenges for three programmed cell death methods, namely, pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis called "PANoptosis". This review aimed to explore the correlation between the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in "PANoptosis" using available recently published literature with several schematic representations. Hopefully, the review will facilitate the biomedical scientist targeting cancer immune pharmacological aspect for the management of Breast Adenocarcinoma shortly.

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Mitochondria and mitochondrial proteins represent a group of promising pharmacological target candidates in the search of new molecular targets and drugs to counteract the onset of hypertension and more in general cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Indeed, several mitochondrial pathways result impaired in CVDs, showing ATP depletion and ROS production as common traits of cardiac tissue degeneration. Thus, targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes can represent a successful strategy to prevent heart failure. In this context, the identification of new pharmacological targets among mitochondrial proteins paves the way for the design of new selective drugs. Thanks to the advances in omics approaches, to a greater availability of mitochondrial crystallized protein structures and to the development of new computational approaches for protein 3D-modelling and drug design, it is now possible to investigate in detail impaired mitochondrial pathways in CVDs. Furthermore, it is possible to design new powerful drugs able to hit the selected pharmacological targets in a highly selective way to rescue mitochondrial dysfunction and prevent cardiac tissue degeneration. The role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the onset of CVDs appears increasingly evident, as reflected by the impairment of proteins involved in lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dynamics, respiratory chain complexes, and membrane polarization maintenance in CVD patients. Conversely, little is known about proteins responsible for the cross-talk between mitochondria and cytoplasm in cardiomyocytes. Mitochondrial transporters of the SLC25A family, in particular, are responsible for the translocation of nucleotides (e.g., ATP), amino acids (e.g., aspartate, glutamate, ornithine), organic acids (e.g. malate and 2-oxoglutarate), and other cofactors (e.g., inorganic phosphate, NAD+, FAD, carnitine, CoA derivatives) between the mitochondrial and cytosolic compartments. Thus, mitochondrial transporters play a key role in the mitochondria-cytosol cross-talk by leading metabolic pathways such as the malate/aspartate shuttle, the carnitine shuttle, the ATP export from mitochondria, and the regulation of permeability transition pore opening. Since all these pathways are crucial for maintaining healthy cardiomyocytes, mitochondrial carriers emerge as an interesting class of new possible pharmacological targets for CVD treatments.

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Alcohol is a generic pharmacological agent with only a few recognized primary targets. Nmethyl- D-aspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glycine, 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (serotonin), nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and L-type Ca2+ channels and G-protein-activated inwardly rectifying K channels are all involved. Following the first hit of alcohol on specific brain targets, the second wave of indirect effects on various neurotransmitter/neuropeptide systems begins, leading to the typical acute behavioral effects of alcohol, which range from disinhibition to sedation and even hypnosis as alcohol concentrations rise. Recent research has revealed that gene regulation is significantly more complex than previously thought and does not fully explain changes in protein levels. As a result, studying the proteome directly, which differs from the genome/transcriptome in terms of complexity and dynamicity, has provided unique insights into extraordinary advances in proteomic techniques that have changed the way we can analyze the composition, regulation, and function of protein complexes and pathways underlying altered neurobiological conditions. Neuroproteomics has the potential to revolutionize alcohol research by allowing researchers to gain a better knowledge of how alcohol impacts protein structure, function, connections, and networks on a global scale. The amount of information collected from these breakthroughs can aid in identifying valuable biomarkers for early detection and improved prognosis of an alcohol use disorder and future pharmaceutical targets for the treatment of alcoholism.

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Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs) encompass a broad spectrum of conditions resulting from atypical brain development. Over the past decades, we have had the fortune to witness enormous progress in diagnosis, etiology discovery, modeling, and mechanistic understanding of NDDs from both fundamental and clinical research. Here, we review recent neurobiological advances from experimental models of NDDs. We introduce several examples and highlight breakthroughs in reversal studies of phenotypes using genetically engineered models of NDDs. The in-depth understanding of brain pathophysiology underlying NDDs and evaluations of reversibility in animal models paves the foundation for discovering novel treatment options. We discuss how the expanding property of cutting-edge technologies, such as gene editing and AAV-mediated gene delivery, are leveraged in animal models for the therapeutic development of NDDs. We envision opportunities and challenges toward faithful modeling and fruitful clinical translation.

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Patients with heart failure (HF) usually present with skeletal muscle diseases of varying severity, ranging from early fatigue on exercise to sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity or cachexia, and frailty, which are significant predictors of HF prognosis. Abnormal mitochondrial metabolism has been identified as one of the earliest signs of skeletal muscle injury in HF and is associated with pathological alterations in muscle, manifested as muscle wasting, myocyte atrophy and apoptosis, fiber type shift, impaired contractile coupling, and muscle fat infiltration. In this review, we update the evidence for skeletal muscle mitochondrial remodeling in HF patients or animal models, including the impairments in mitochondrial ultrastructure, oxidative metabolism, electron transport chain (ETC), phosphorylation apparatus, phosphotransfer system, and quality control. We also focus on molecular regulatory mechanisms upstream of mitochondria, including circulating factors (e.g., RAAS, TNF-α IL-6, IGF-1, GH, ghrelin, adiponectin, NO) and molecular signals within myocytes (e.g., PGC-1α, PPARs, AMPK, SIRT1/3, ROS, and MuRF1). Besides the therapies targeting the signaling pathways mentioned above, such as AdipoRon and elamipretide, we further summarize other potential pharmacological approaches like inhibitors of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4), as well as some natural products, which may have the beneficial effects on improving the skeletal muscle mitochondrial function of HF. Targeting myocyte mitochondrial biogenesis, oxidative metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and reduction of oxidative stress injury are promising future opportunities for the prevention and management of skeletal muscle myopathy in HF.

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Irregularities in cholesterol metabolism occur in a range of human cancers. Cholesterol precursors and derivatives support tumorigenesis and weaken immune responses. Intriguing preclinical and clinical findings demonstrate that cholesterol biosynthesis inhibition achieved by targeting major events and metabolites in cholesterol metabolism is an ideal anti-tumor strategy. Investigations addressing the effects of ß-hydroxy ß-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase (HMGCR), 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC), squalene synthase (SQS), liver X receptors (LXR), and cholesterol trafficking and esterification inhibition on cancer progression have shown encouraging results. Notably, manipulation of cholesterol metabolism strengthens the function of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In this review, I discuss the role of cholesterol metabolism in cancer progression and the latest research related to cholesterol metabolism-based anti-cancer therapies and intend to bring this stylish biochemistry topic to the Sri Lankan research landscape.

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Heart failure management has been repeatedly reviewed over time. This strategy has resulted in improved quality of life, especially in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). It is for this reason that new mechanisms involved in the development and progression of heart failure, along with specific therapies, have been identified. This review focuses on the most recent guidelines of therapeutic interventions, trials that explore novel therapies, and also new molecules that could improve prognosis of different HFrEF phenotypes.