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Current
Pharmaceutical Analysis
ISSN: 1573-4129
Current Pharmaceutical
Analysis
Volume 4, Number 1, February 2008
Contents
Protein-ligand Docking: A Review of Recent Advances
and Future Perspectives Pp. 1-19
Montserrat Vaqué, Anna Ardévol, Cinta Bladé,
M. Josepa Salvadó, Mayte Blay, Juan Fernández-Larrea,
Lluís Arola and Gerard Pujadas
[Abstract]
V. Amygdalina: Folk Medicine, Analysis,
and Potential Application for Cancer Treatment Pp.
20-24
Ernest B. Izevbigie, C.B. Howard and K.S. Lee
[Abstract]
Analytical Methods for Determination of Counter-ions
in Pharmaceutical Salts Pp. 25-32
Marie-Josée Rocheleau
[Abstract]
Studies on the Electrochemical Behavior of the
Pilocarpine Complex and its Application Using a Flow through
Polarographic Sensor Pp. 33-38
Lai-Hao Wang and Yi-Hui Li
[Abstract]
Agaricus blazei Water Extracts as Alternative
Medicines Pp. 39-43
Kenji Sorimachi and Takashi Koge
[Abstract]
Abstracts
[Back to top]
Protein-ligand Docking: A Review of Recent Advances and Future
Perspectives
Montserrat Vaqué, Anna Ardévol, Cinta Bladé,
M. Josepa Salvadó, Mayte Blay, Juan Fernández-Larrea,
Lluís Arola and Gerard Pujadas
Understanding the interactions between proteins and ligands
is crucial for the pharmaceutical and functional food industries.
The experimental structures of these protein/ligand complexes
are usually obtained, under highly expert control, by time-consuming
techniques such as X-ray crystallography or NMR. These techniques
are therefore not suitable for routinely screening the possible
interaction between one receptor and thousands of ligands.
To overcome this limitation, computational algorithms (i.e.
docking algorithms) have been developed that use the individual
structures of the receptor and ligand to predict the structure
of their complex. The present review, then, summarizes: (a)
the fundamentals of the algorithms of the most commontly used
docking programmes (with particular emphasis on their strengths
and limitations); (b) how the results from different docking
algorithms compare (i.e. which software gives the
best predictions); and (c) the future perspectives and challenges
for docking techniques.
[Back to top]
V. Amygdalina: Folk Medicine, Analysis, and Potential
Application for Cancer Treatment
Ernest B. Izevbigie, C.B. Howard and K.S. Lee
Folk medicine (FM) is practiced by people without access
to conventional medical services; it usually involves the
use of natural remedies such as herbs or vegetable substances.
Before the use of pharmaceutical drugs, and surgical procedures,
these healing methods were used, and are still in use today.
It is estimated that twenty five percent of all therapeutic
drugs trace their origins to plants, and almost two-thirds
of the people of the world rely on their healing powers. One
hundred years ago, health care in the U.S. was provided by
a highly competitive medical sect, and quite infrequently,
folk medicine practitioners were patronized. However, FM usage
in the U.S. has increased drastically during the past decade.
National surveys of adults (18 years of age or older) show
that one in three adults use unconventional therapies or Complementary
and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the U.S. The rate of CAM
usage is more than eighty percent among cancer patients. Vernonia
amygdalina (VA) is well known for its medicinal importance.
Fractionation of the VA extracts with solvents of varying
polarities, by silica gels analyses, UV Spectrophotometer,
HPLC, TLC and NMR techniques have yielded some biologically-active
fractions.
[Back to top]
Analytical Methods for Determination of Counter-ions in Pharmaceutical
Salts
Marie-Josée Rocheleau
Inorganic ions as well as organic acids or bases are
frequently employed as counter-ions of ionizable drug substances.
Therefore, analytical methods are required to confirm production
of the correct salt form and to quantify the level of the
counter-ion present in each batch of drug substances manufactured.
Several options exist for determination of counter-ions in
pharmaceutical salts and will be discussed in this review.
Ion chromatography (IC) with conductivity detection is probably
the most frequently employed method for ion determination.
Other techniques such as capillary electrophoresis (CE) represent
an alternative to IC for determination of counter-ions in
pharmaceutical salts. Due to the lack of chromophores, detection
of small ions in CE is typically performed using indirect
UV detection. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC)
with evaporative light-scattering (ELSD) or refractive index
detection can also be used for determination of non-UV absorbing
ions. Each technique will be described and their advantages
highlighted. Current and future trends in measuring counter-ions
in pharmaceutical salts will also be discussed.
[Back to top]
Studies on the Electrochemical Behavior of the Pilocarpine
Complex and its Application Using a Flow through Polarographic
Sensor
Lai-Hao Wang and Yi-Hui Li
Pilocarpine (2(3H)-Furanone, -ethyldihydro-4-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)methyl]-)
reacts with cobalt (II) in an acid medium and forms an electroactive
complex with two sensitive reduction waves that are measurable
using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry on mercury-coated
gold electrodes. We studied the electrochemical behaviors
of this complex and its use for detecting pilocarpine in pharmaceuticals.
We used carbon fiber with a surface deposit of mercury as
a sensor in liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection
(LCEC) to increase the sensitivity and selectivity of analytical
methods for the determining trace concentrations of the cobalt
(II)-pilocarpine complex.
[Back to top]
Agaricus blazei Water Extracts as Alternative Medicines
Kenji Sorimachi and Takashi Koge
A great amount of attention has recently been given to
the water extracts of the basidiomycete Agaricus blazei,
a kind of mushroom, to evaluate the applicability of their
biological activity as an alternative medicine. Agaricus
blazei is native to Brazil and was imported to Japan
in 1965. Since Agaricus blazei was first cultured
at Iwade Mycology Institute in Japan in 1975, its biological
activity spectrum has been evaluated not only in in vivo,
but also in in vitro experiments. Antitumor activity
was first detected in Agaricus blazei water extracts
in 1980. Since then, many groups have reported this antitumor
activity, which results from polysaccharides such as β
-D-glucans and their derivatives. In general, the antitumor
activity appears to be mainly due to the activation of the
immune system rather than to any direct effects of the water
extracts on tumor cells. This idea is supported by the fact
that macrophages derived from rat bone marrow were activated
and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α
), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-8, and nitric oxide (NO) were
secreted, in response to these water extracts in in vitro
experiments. Furthermore, oral administration of Agaricus
blazei water extracts to mice induced the activation
of macrophages and T cells in vivo. Anti-genotoxic,
anti-mutagenic and anti-clastogenic effects were also detected
in Agaricus blazei water extracts. As well, anti-viral
activity of Agaricus blazei hypha water extracts
was observed on the cytopathic effects induced by Western
Equine Encephalitis (WEE) virus in vitro. Thus, based
on both in vivo and in vitro experiments,
Agaricus blazei water extracts appear to have great
potential for development as alternative medicines.
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