The presence of high-quality water is essential not only for human survival but also for the well-being of plants and animals. This research aimed to examine studies investigating the occurrence of antibiotics, endocrine disruptors, and other pharmaceutical products in water, sediments, and organisms within aquatic ecosystems. These substances have been linked to numerous adverse health effects on both humans and aquatic life, including reproductive issues and neurotoxic effects. The pervasive utilization of antibiotics in medical and agricultural domains has precipitated their ascension as formidable environmental contaminants. Effluents discharged from pharmaceutical industries constitute significant contributors to aquatic ecosystems’ contamination with antibiotics. These pharmacological agents permeate diverse environmental niches, spanning groundwater, surface water, soils, and wastewater treatment facilities, exhibiting concentrations ranging from nanograms to grams per liter. Concurrently, the indiscriminate and excessive application of antibiotics worldwide has engendered escalating apprehensions pertaining to antimicrobial resistance—a formidable global health exigency. This review also delves into the impact of pharmaceutical pollutants on aquatic environments, particularly as endocrine-disrupting compounds. Analysis of surface water in River Taff and River Ely reveals a consistent discharge of approximately 6 kilograms of pharmaceuticals per day. The study examines particular pharmaceuticals, such as diethylstilbestrol (DES), chlorotriazines, chloroquine, and antineoplastic drugs, elucidating their varied effects on reproductive cycles. Pharmaceutical pollutants in aquatic ecosystems, originating from sources like wastewater, agriculture, and improper disposal, persist and adversely affect organisms through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. These contaminants pose significant ecological and health risks, necessitating effective mitigation strategies.

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.

In recent times, there has been a revolutionary surge in antioxidant research, with a focus on harnessing microalgae to enhance wellness and extend human longevity. Microalgae, a diverse group of unicellular photosynthetic organisms, have emerged as promising sources of natural antioxidants due to their ability to synthesize various bioactive compounds, including carotenoids, polyphenols, and tocopherols. These antioxidants play a pivotal role in scavenging free radicals and reducing oxidative stress, known contributors to aging and chronic diseases. This review provides an over-view of recent advancements in understanding microalgae’s antioxidant potential, covering their biochemical composition, extraction techniques, and purification methods. Moreover, it delves into compelling in vitro and in vivo studies showcasing microalgae-derived antioxidants’ protective effects against oxidative damage, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. The sustainable cultivation of microalgae in controlled environments further supports the potential for large-scale production and commercialization of their antioxidant compounds. As microalgae continue to revolutionize antioxidant research, they hold immense promise in developing novel preventive and therapeutic strategies to promote human health and wellbeing.

Peptides constitute an important component of Nature’s pharmacy and they play a significant role in several signaling pathways acting as natural biological messengers. While nature has mastered the cycle of creation, application, and destruction of large and short peptides to the benefit of the host organism, organic and medicinal chemists have in their capacity and small steps, made big developments in the field of peptide synthesis as well as in developing them as therapeutics. In comparison to their big counterparts, i.e. proteins, short peptides encompass several advantages, from the ease of synthesis to their physico-chemical properties. However, the real challenge for in vivo application of therapeutic peptides is to overcome their low plasma availability and their fast enzymatic degradation. This review briefly covers the relevant areas of medicinally important short peptides and the recent developments made to turn these peptides into therapeutics. Also presented in this article are important efforts and strategies used to overcome some of the inherent limitations of peptidic molecules and thereby facilitate their progression in the clinical phases towards approved drugs.

Despite recent advancements in the field of neuro-ophthalmology, the rising rates of neurological and ophthalmological conditions, mismatches between supply and demand of clinicians, and an aging population underscore the urgent need to explore new therapeutic approaches within the field. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), traditionally used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, are becoming increasingly appreciated for their diverse applications. Recently, GLP-1RAs have been approved for the treatment of obesity and recognized for their cardioprotective effects. Emerging evidence indicates some GLP-1RAs can cross the blood-brain barrier and may have neuroprotective effects. Therefore, this article aims to review the literature on the neurologic and neuro-ophthalmic role of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). This article describes GLP-1 peptide characteristics and the mechanisms mediating its known role in increasing insulin, decreasing glucagon, delaying gastric emptying, and promoting satiety. This article identifies the sources and targets of GLP-1 in the brain and review the mechanisms which mediate its neuroprotective effects, as well as implications for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Furthermore, the preclinical works which unravel the effects of GLP-1 in ocular dynamics and the preclinical literature regarding GLP-1RA use in the management of several neuro-ophthalmic conditions, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) are discussed.

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.