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Biological Drugs in the World
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Biological Drugs in the World

A special issue of Biologics (ISSN 2673-8449).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 17396

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Raffaele Capasso

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
Interests: pharmacology; natural products; neurotransmission; behavioral pharmacology; experimental pharmacology; preclinical pharmacology; CB1 receptor; PPARs; cannabinoids; endocannabinoids; CB2 receptor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of this Special Issue is to involve and bring together researchers from all five continents (Asia, Africa, America, Australia, and Europe) who are interested in biological drugs from a chemical, pharmacological, technological and non-chemical point of view, neglecting natural and non-herbal medicines that have attracted the attention of many researchers in recent years.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of either original research manuscripts or reviews of the scientific literature, concerning biological drugs in different clinical and experimental settings of disease.

Prof. Dr. Raffaele Capasso
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biologics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • blood components
  • cells
  • drug discovery
  • vitamins
  • non herbal medicines
  • natural products
  • allergens
  • hormones
  • recombinant proteins
  • antibodies
  • gene therapy
  • endogenous and adventitious viruses
  • microbiome
  • vaccines

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1103 KiB  
Article
Validation of Adapted Neutralization Assays Developed to Discriminate Anti-Rabies Virus Activity of Two Different Anti-Rabies Virus Monoclonal Antibodies Administered as a Combination
by Arjen Companjen, Susan M. Moore, Bruno Boulanger, Stefan Kostense and Wilfred E. Marissen
Biologics 2023, 3(1), 11-22; https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3010002 - 19 Jan 2023
Viewed by 2592
Abstract
Assessment of rabies virus (RABV) neutralizing antibodies in subjects vaccinated or injected with anti-RABV immunoglobulins is central in determination of rabies protection. The rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) is used for assessment of anti-RABV activity in serum. The current anti-RABV polyclonal preparations [...] Read more.
Assessment of rabies virus (RABV) neutralizing antibodies in subjects vaccinated or injected with anti-RABV immunoglobulins is central in determination of rabies protection. The rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) is used for assessment of anti-RABV activity in serum. The current anti-RABV polyclonal preparations on the market pose difficulties in production and vary in quality. RABV neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are being evaluated as replacements. Different anti-RABV MAbs may neutralize different RABV isolates, thus two or more MAbs directed against different epitopes on the RABV glycoprotein are needed. It is therefore important to ensure neutralizing activity against all RABV isolates in sera of subjects injected with an anti-RABV MAb product consisting of two or more MAbs. The RFFIT, utilizing CVS-11 as challenge virus, cannot discriminate between the activities of different anti-RABV MAbs. We developed and validated two RFFIT methods enabling specific assessment of two different anti-RABV MAbs (CR57 and CR4098) in using two mutant CVS-11 strains resistant to either CR57 or CR4098 neutralization. The validation results demonstrate that both RFFIT assays using MAb resistant RABV are precise, accurate, linear, specific, and stable within the linear range of 0.025 IU/mL to 1.0 IU/mL. This method design can, therefore, be used to determine MAb specific anti-RABV activity in human serum samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Drugs in the World)
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12 pages, 4068 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial Activity of the Pyrogallol against Staphylococcus aureus Evaluated by Optical Image
by Lígia C. C. Oliveira, Francisco A. A. Rodrigues, Cristina Rodrigues dos Santos Barbosa, Joycy Francely Sampaio dos Santos, Nair Silva Macêdo, Zildene de Sousa Silveira, Henrique Douglas Melo Coutinho and Francisco Assis Bezerra da Cunha
Biologics 2022, 2(2), 139-150; https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics2020011 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4888
Abstract
The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is used to define the lowest concentration at which a substance can inhibit bacterial growth. This study aimed to evaluate the MIC of pyrogallol against Staphylococcus aureus and to propose a method for building growth inhibition curves of [...] Read more.
The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is used to define the lowest concentration at which a substance can inhibit bacterial growth. This study aimed to evaluate the MIC of pyrogallol against Staphylococcus aureus and to propose a method for building growth inhibition curves of bacterial strains from MIC assays. S. aureus strains 1199B (NorA) and 1199 (wild type) were used for the assays. Pyrogallol MIC tests were performed by the broth microdilution method. The proposed method uses RGB images of the microdilution plate using the R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) channels to extract information for the construction of the bacterial growth inhibition curve (GIC). Pyrogallol demonstrated a MIC of 512 µg/mL against the two S. aureus strains tested. The GIC was calculated and the MIC point of pyrogallol was identified against the tested strains. The proposed method suggested the same MIC point for pyrogallol when using microplate images before and after the addition of resazurin. Through this methodology, the subjectivity of visual analysis in MIC tests can be eliminated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Drugs in the World)
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11 pages, 1181 KiB  
Article
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench Pod Extract Revealed Antagonistic Effect against the Synergistic Antidiabetic Activity of Metformin and Acarbose upon Concomitant Administration in Glucose-Induced Hyperglycemic Mice
by Md. Anamul Haque, Md. Sanower Hossain, Nur Muhammad Abu Sayed, Mohammad Touhidul Islam, Md. Robin Khan, Foyez Ahmmed, Fatama Tous Zohora, Duygu Ağagündüz, Long Chiau Ming and Raffaele Capasso
Biologics 2022, 2(2), 128-138; https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics2020010 - 10 May 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5244
Abstract
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, commonly known as okra, is one of the most widely used vegetable crops currently used for diabetes treatment as well. It is thought that the large amount of soluble dietary fibers present in okra is responsible for the slowing [...] Read more.
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, commonly known as okra, is one of the most widely used vegetable crops currently used for diabetes treatment as well. It is thought that the large amount of soluble dietary fibers present in okra is responsible for the slowing of the absorption of glucose from the gut. However, its role in concomitant administration with commonly prescribed medications, including metformin (MET) and acarbose (ACR) for diabetes, is unclear. Therefore, this study assessed the effect of A. esculentus pod extract (AEE) administered concomitantly with MET and ACR in the glucose-induced hyperglycemic mice model. The AEE was prepared using green okra pods. In this experiment, each male Swiss Webster mouse was administered a 2.5 gm/kg/BW dose of glucose via gastric lavage to induce hyperglycemia. The experimental animals were divided into five groups: (i) negative control, (ii) positive control, (iii) MET only, (iv) MET and ACR, and (v) MET, ACR, and AEE. The orally administered doses of the MET, ACR, and the extract were 150 mg/kg/BW, 15 mg/kg/BW, and 0.2 mL/kg/BW, respectively. We found that MET only and a combination of MET and ACR reduced glucose levels significantly (p < 0.01) compared to the positive control. On the other hand, when MET, ACR, and AEE were administered simultaneously, the synergistic antihyperglycemic action of the MET and ACR was diminished. After 150 min, the blood glucose level was 4.50 ± 0.189 mmol/L (iv) and 6.58 ± 0.172 mmol/L (v). This study suggests that taking AEE concurrently with MET and ACR would reduce the effectiveness of antidiabetic drugs; thereby, concomitant administration of these antidiabetic agents is not recommended. This study provides an essential basis for decision-making about the consumption of AEE with conventional medicine. Further study is required to find the molecular insight of drug interactions in combination therapy of medicinal plants for diabetes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Drugs in the World)
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Review

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29 pages, 14220 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Impact of Herbal Therapies on COVID-19 and Influenza: Investigating Novel Delivery Mechanisms for Emerging Interventions
by Lucas Fornari Laurindo, Ledyane Taynara Marton, Giulia Minniti, Victória Dogani Rodrigues, Rodrigo Buzinaro Suzuki, Virgínia Maria Cavallari Strozze Catharin, Rakesh Kumar Joshi and Sandra Maria Barbalho
Biologics 2023, 3(3), 158-186; https://doi.org/10.3390/biologics3030009 - 11 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3482
Abstract
Synthetic antivirals and corticosteroids have been used to treat both influenza and the SARS-CoV-2 disease named COVID-19. However, these medications are not always effective, produce several adverse effects, and are associated with high costs. Medicinal plants and their constituents act on several different [...] Read more.
Synthetic antivirals and corticosteroids have been used to treat both influenza and the SARS-CoV-2 disease named COVID-19. However, these medications are not always effective, produce several adverse effects, and are associated with high costs. Medicinal plants and their constituents act on several different targets and signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of influenza and COVID-19. This study aimed to perform a review to evaluate the effects of medicinal plants on influenza and COVID-19, and to investigate the potential delivery systems for new antiviral therapies. EMBASE, PubMed, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, and COCHRANE databases were searched. The studies included in this review showed that medicinal plants, in different formulations, can help to decrease viral spread and the time until full recovery. Plants reduced the incidence of acute respiratory syndromes and the symptom scores of the illnesses. Moreover, plants are related to few adverse effects and have low costs. In addition to their significance as natural antiviral agents, medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds may exhibit low bioavailability. This highlights the need for alternative delivery systems, such as metal nanoparticles, which can effectively transport these compounds to infected tissues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Drugs in the World)
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