Green propolis is collected by Apis mellifera from the flowers and buds of Baccharis dracunculifolia. It has several chemical compounds that confer anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, healing, and antioxidant biological activities. To report a series of clinical cases in the treatment of oral mucositis (OM) in patients with cancer undergoing radiotherapy in the head and neck region. Rapid treatment of OM means restoring quality of life to patients and lowering the cost of cancer treatment for public health. There male patients with oral carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy treatment were followed between August 2018 and April 2019. The patients presented themselves to the clinics in the Faculty of Dentistry of Federal University of Minas Gerais with erythematous and ulcerated coalescing lesions with purulent fibrin pseudomembranes in the oral mucosa, classified as grade IV OM according to the World Health Organization. The patients complained about the inability to eat, drink, and speak, which caused the radiotherapy interruption. After completing the clinical forms, anamnesis, and proper oral hygiene of each patient, a mucoadherent gel containing 5% propolis was prescribed for daily use, with a 3 time-a-day application every 8 h. After 7 days of use, there was an 80% lesion reduction, with total remission after 15 days of its application. The rapid response with total remission of lesions seems to be related to the chemical composition of propolis. Clinical and cellphone monitoring of patients, weekly and daily, respectively, were essential for successful treatment. The patients were monitored for one year, being encouraged to make constant use of the gel to control hyposalivation caused by changes in the salivary glands during radiotherapy.

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in December 2019 quickly escalated to pandemic levels and had a severe impact on public health. There are 761 million confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, with over 6.88 million deaths worldwide till March 2023. Severe cases of the disease caused critical respiratory failure followed by multiorgan involvement. Clinical escalation of COVID-19 has been correlated with markedly increased plasma inflammatory markers [e.g., C-reactive protein (CRP)] and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels [e.g., interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)]. Therapeutic options have mostly utilized corticosteroids, antivirals (e.g., remdesivir), and monoclonal antibody-based immunomodulation (e.g., tocilizumab). These existing treatments have adverse side effects, inadequate efficacy, and limitations in administering to patients with comorbidities and other underlying diseases. Monoclonal antibody-based therapies and some of the antivirals are very costly. Many phytochemicals have previously reported anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant properties. Studying the effectiveness of such phytochemicals against COVID-19 and identifying new plant-derived molecules with antiviral properties have been a focus since the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. This review article has documented in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies encompassing 28 different phytochemicals belonging to various chemical groups (e.g., polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes) that show anti-COVID-19 activity. These findings suggest that multiple phytochemicals can interfere with virus entry and replication inside the host cell. Many of them can protect from cytokine storm by acting on intracellular signalling pathways in addition to inhibiting virus multiplication. Phytochemicals may prove useful in alleviating post-COVID complications associated with kidney injury, and central nervous system complications, as well. Plant-derived compounds are usually cheaper and have fewer side effects. But, developing new formulations with better absorption and bioavailability remains a priority. This review informs the readers of the current status and indicates the ongoing research in this highly relevant field.

Protein therapeutics are extensively used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, but a subset of patients appears to be refractory to these treatments, mainly due to the development of an immune response to the drug. A better understanding of the mechanism underlying the therapeutic drug’s failure becomes fundamental for the development of new and more effective treatments. Unfortunately, there are few cases where the exact mechanisms through which drugs bypass immunological tolerance and provoke immunogenicity have been studied. In this context, peptide epitope identification gained increasing importance in investigating the molecular mechanism of therapeutic drug’s immune responses. Despite peptide identification and use to monitor anti-drug antibody (ADA) profiles is a promising research field, their use is far away from a wide application both at the research and at the commercial level. Herein it is reported a compilation of studies in which peptides are directly involved in anti-drug immune responses, becoming the molecular key step for a better understanding of refractory reactions in therapeutic drugs. An overview on T-cell and B-cell peptide recognition is given, showing the growing potential and advantages of peptides when used in the field of refractoriness to drugs. This review includes studies describing antigenic peptides that enable enhanced ADA detection directly in patients’ sera, as well as the proof of concept that asses the use of peptides instead of proteins, to facilitate the identification of neutralizing ADA.

With the continuous development of nanomaterials, nanofibers prepared by electrospinning have gradually occupied people’s vision because of their unique advantages, such as crisscross network and extracellular matrix-mimicking structure, high drug loading efficiency, and sustained release kinetics. Traditionally, electrospun fibers are mainly used as filter materials, wound dressings, and tissue engineering scaffolds, while their wide applications are limited to cancer nanomedicine applications due to their dense network structure. In recent years, two-dimensional fiber membranes have been transformed into short fibers that can be reconstructed to form fibrous rings or microspheres for cancer theranostics. Herein, this paper provides an overview of the recent advances in the design of electrospun short fibers that retain the advantages of nanofibers with good dispersibility for different nanomedicine applications, including cancer cell capture, cancer treatments, and cancer theranostics. The rational preparation of electrospun short fibers that are available to boost the development of nanomedicine is also discussed.

Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV; RHBV) is a significant concern during immunosuppressive therapy, as it can lead to severe hepatitis and liver failure. The article reports a case of RHBV during treatment with guselkumab, an interleukin-23 inhibitor in a patient with inactive HBV infection and psoriasis. This report highlights the importance of screening for HBV prior to immunosuppressive therapy and initiating prophylactic therapy when necessary to prevent reactivation and its complications.

Seaweeds, also known as marine algae, have gained attention as a promising source of bioactive compounds with potential applications in drug discovery. This review explores the emerging field of seaweed-based drug discovery and highlights the diverse range of bioactive compounds found in seaweeds, including polysaccharides, phlorotannins, pigments, and peptides. These compounds exhibit various pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer effects. Seaweeds have demonstrated particular promise in the areas of cancer research, with certain species showing potent antitumor properties. Additionally, their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective potential has captured scientific interest in the treatment of chronic diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. However, challenges related to compound identification, extraction methods, scalability of seaweed cultivation, and understanding the mechanisms of action still need to be addressed. As researchers employ advanced technologies and dive deeper into the chemical composition of seaweeds, the untapped potential of these marine organisms in drug discovery awaits further exploration and holds significant promise for future therapeutic advancements.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune cholangiopathy that affects mainly women and, if untreated, can evolve into biliary cirrhosis. Its prevalence varies worldwide, depending on race, and accounts for 22.27 cases/100,000 habitants in Europe. To establish the diagnosis of PBC according to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) guidelines, two criteria must be satisfied among alkaline phosphatase (ALP) alterations, autoantibody positivity, and histologic abnormalities. Early treatment is effective in prolonging survival. Current guidelines do not suggest hepatic biopsy in patients with autoantibody positivity without cholestasis alterations. However, many patients with these characteristics have been diagnosed with PBC disease only histologically, mainly patients with normal ALP and elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), whose normalization has been used as a marker for the follow-up. In contrast, this is the case of a patient with autoantibody positivity and both ALP and GGT within the range, diagnosed for PBC by histology. The manuscript wants to propose the re-evaluation of the role of liver biopsy in PBC diagnosis and the need for a serological or histological biomarker in the follow-up of patients without cholestatic alterations.

3₁₀-Helices represent the third most abundant secondary structure proteins. Although understandably overshadowed by α-helices for decades, the 3₁₀-helix structure is slowly regaining certain relevance in protein science. The key role of this secondary structure in biological processes has been highlighted in reports over the last decade. In addition, 3₁₀-helices are considered key intermediates in protein folding as well as a crucial structure for the antimicrobial activity of naturally occurring peptaibols. Thus, it is clear that 3₁₀-helices are relevant scaffolds to take into consideration in the field of biomimetics. In this context, this review covers the strategies developed to stabilize the 3₁₀-helix structure in peptide chains, from the incorporation of constrained amino acids to stapling methodologies. In the last section, the use of 3₁₀-helices as scaffolds of interest in the development of bioactive compounds, catalysts for enantioselective reactions, supramolecular receptors, and membrane-embedded signal transducers are discussed. The present work aims to highlight the relevance, sometimes underestimated, of 3₁₀-helices in chemical biology and protein science, providing the tools to develop functional biomimetics with a wide range of potential applications.

Nucleic acid therapeutics are emerging as a promising class of medicines, offering unique therapeutic options for cancer at the gene level. However, the druggability of nucleic acid therapeutics is fundamentally restricted by their low stability, poor membrane permeability, and low bioavailability, necessitating the use of delivery vectors. Various delivery vectors have been developed for nucleic acid therapeutics. The fate of established nucleic acid delivery systems (NADS) in vivo substantially affects the delivery efficiency and therapeutic efficacy. The physicochemical properties of NADS (such as size, charge, shape, etc) are crucial for the interaction of NADS with various biological barriers in the body, thereby determining the fate of NADS in the body. Nanoparticle (NP) size is an important parameter defining the blood circulation, distribution, tumor accumulation, and cellular uptake of NADS. This mini-review briefly introduces the various biological barriers of NADS in cancer treatment and focuses on the influence of the particle size of delivery vectors on the in vivo fate of NADS and their therapeutic efficacy, which provides new insights into the rational design of NADS.

The environmental impact of drug manufacturing raises concerns about sustainability in healthcare. To address this, exploring alternative approaches to drug production is crucial. This review focuses on seaweed as a sustainable resource for greening drug manufacturing processes. Seaweed offers advantages such as renewability, abundance, and a positive environmental footprint. The review begins by providing an overview of sustainable drug manufacturing practices and the challenges faced in achieving sustainability. It then discusses seaweed as a sustainable resource, including cultivation techniques and environmental benefits. Seaweed has various applications in drug manufacturing, including extracting and purifying bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic properties. Seaweed’s role in developing green technologies, such as seaweed-based excipients, biodegradable packaging materials, and as a source of sustainable energy for drug manufacturing processes, is highlighted. The environmental and economic implications of incorporating seaweed-based solutions are discussed, emphasizing reduced carbon footprint and cost-effectiveness. Regulatory and industrial perspectives are addressed, examining challenges, and opportunities for implementing seaweed-based drug manufacturing. Collaboration between academia, industry, and regulatory bodies is crucial for successful integration. The review presents future directions and opportunities, including emerging trends and innovations in seaweed-based drug manufacturing, areas for further research, policy development, and industry engagement recommendations. Incorporating seaweed into drug production facilitates a reduction in environmental impact, promotes resource efficiency, and contributes to sustainable healthcare. This review showcases seaweed-based solutions as a means to foster a greener future for drug manufacturing, addressing environmental concerns, and promoting sustainability.

The influenza virus glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) participates in critical steps of the attachment of viral particles to the host cell membrane receptor and membrane fusion. Due to its crucial involvement in the initial phases of influenza A infections, HA emerges as a promising target in the search of novel drug-like candidates. Given its pivotal role in the early stages of influenza A infections, intense drug discovery efforts have been undertaken to target HA in the past decades. Drug discovery studies mainly rely on preventing the recognition of sialic acid units by the receptor binding site in the globular head (GH) domain, or the conformational rearrangement required for the fusion of viral and cell membranes. In this work, the aim is to summarize the progress made in HA-targeted development of small molecule fusion inhibitors. To this end, attention will primarily be focused on the analysis of the X-ray crystallographic structures of HA bound to fusion inhibitors. Furthermore, this study also aims to highlight the efforts made in exploiting the structural information in conjunction with molecular modeling techniques to discern the mechanism of action of the fusion inhibitors and to assist the design and interpretation of structure-activity relationships of novel lead compounds will be highlighted. The final section will be dedicated to elucidating novel and promising antiviral strategies proceeding from the transformation of known small molecule antivirals in proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC)-based targeted protein degradation. This knowledge will be valuable to assist the exploitation of classical and novel antiviral structure-based strategies, together with a deeper understanding of the mechanism of action and minimization of the impact of drug resistance.