Pharmaceutics

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonio Franconetti

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Guest Editor

CIC bioGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), 48160 Derio, Spain
Interests: non-covalent interactions; glycans; modelling; nanoparticles

Dr. June Ereño-Orbea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

CIC bioGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, BRTA, Bizkaia Technology Park, 48160 Derio, Spain
Interests: proteins; glycans; structural biology; cancer; immunology

Dr. Helena Coelho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
2. UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: molecular recognition; NMR; glycosylation; bacterial infections; host-glycan/bacterial interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Glycans are essential molecules in our everyday life. The vast diversity of their chemical structures, locations and biological functions makes them a topic of continuous interest and development. These glycans are involved in cell–cell and cell–pathogen interactions, stimulating the immune response or cell signaling in cancer. Targeting their receptors, gathered as sugar-binding proteins, may provide new insights for the design of glycan-based therapeutics.

This Special Issue will bridge the gap between molecular features of glycoconjugates and their therapeutic functions. Original research articles, reviews, and emerging ideas are welcome which demonstrate how the current knowledge of molecular recognition (experimental and in silico perspectives) enables efficient delivery and drug design, thus affording tunable pharmaceutical applications.

Dr. Antonio Franconetti
Dr. June Ereño-Orbea
Dr. Helena Coelho
Guest Editors

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. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2900 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

carbohydrate-based vaccines
siglecs and immunity
molecular recognition
C-type lectins
glycosidase inhibitors
modelling
infectious diseases

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 5166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Protective Effect of Mangiferin on Formaldehyde-Induced HT22 Cell Damage and Cognitive Impairment

by Fan Chen, Na Wang, Xinyan Tian, Juan Su, Yan Qin, Rongqiao He and Xiaping He

Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(6), 1568; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15061568 - 23 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1130

Abstract

Formaldehyde (FA) has been found to induce major Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-like features including cognitive impairment, Aβ deposition, and Tau hyperphosphorylation, suggesting that it may play a significant role in the initiation and progression of AD. Therefore, elucidating the mechanism underlying FA-induced neurotoxicity is crucial for exploring more comprehensive approaches to delay or prevent the development of AD. Mangiferin (MGF) is a natural C-glucosyl-xanthone with promising neuroprotective effects, and is considered to have potential in the treatment of AD. The present study was designed to characterize the effects and mechanisms by which MGF protects against FA-induced neurotoxicity. The results in murine hippocampal cells (HT22) revealed that co-treatment with MGF significantly decreased FA-induced cytotoxicity and inhibited Tau hyperphosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. It was further found that these protective effects were achieved by attenuating FA-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), as indicated by the inhibition of the ERS markers, GRP78 and CHOP, and downstream Tau-associated kinases (GSK-3β and CaMKII) expression. In addition, MGF markedly inhibited FA-induced oxidative damage, including Ca²⁺ overload, ROS generation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, all of which are associated with ERS. Further studies showed that the intragastric administration of 40 mg/kg/day MGF for 6 weeks significantly improved spatial learning ability and long-term memory in C57/BL6 mice with FA-induced cognitive impairment by reducing Tau hyperphosphorylation and the expression of GRP78, GSK-3β, and CaMKII in the brains. Taken together, these findings provide the first evidence that MGF exerts a significant neuroprotective effect against FA-induced damage and ameliorates mice cognitive impairment, the possible underlying mechanisms of which are expected to provide a novel basis for the treatment of AD and diseases caused by FA pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glycan-Based Scaffolds in Pharmaceutical Applications)

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Review

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16 pages, 1432 KiB

Open AccessReview

Immunomodulatory Effect and Biological Significance of β-Glucans

by Xuemei Zhong, Guoqing Wang, Fu Li, Sixian Fang, Siai Zhou, Akihiro Ishiwata, Alexander G. Tonevitsky, Maxim Shkurnikov, Hui Cai and Feiqing Ding

Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(6), 1615; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15061615 - 29 May 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2465

Abstract

β-glucan, one of the homopolysaccharides composed of D-glucose, exists widely in cereals and microorganisms and possesses various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor properties. More recently, there has been mounting proof that β-glucan functions as a physiologically active “biological response modulator (BRM)”, promoting dendritic cell maturation, cytokine secretion, and regulating adaptive immune responses—all of which are directly connected with β-glucan-regulated glucan receptors. This review focuses on the sources, structures, immune regulation, and receptor recognition mechanisms of β-glucan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glycan-Based Scaffolds in Pharmaceutical Applications)

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