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Pharmaceutics
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Antiviral and Antibacterial: Focus on Novel Therapeutic Agents and Drug...
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Antiviral and Antibacterial: Focus on Novel Therapeutic Agents and Drug Delivery Systems

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Targeting and Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 5625

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sara Consalvi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences, Health and Health Professions, Link Campus University, Via del Casale di San Pio V, 44, 00165 Rome, Italy
Interests: drug delivery; medicinal chemistry; drug discovery and development; antimycobacterial agents; antiviral agents; tuberculosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovative therapies against bacterial and viral diseases are an urgent need. The lack of a strong pipeline of anti-infective drugs and the increase of bacterial and viral resistance have caused a worldwide health crisis over the last decade, with well-known infectious diseases, such as AIDS and tuberculosis, still affecting millions of people worldwide. Moreover, three years of COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that also new and emerging pathogens can pose a serious threat to countries’ global health systems, demanding novel approaches in infectious disease drug development.

The aim of this Special Issue is to summarize recent research in the field of antiviral and antibacterial agents, covering all the stages and the aspects of novel candidates for infectious disease treatment, including biopharmaceuticals and innovative delivery protocols of both existing and novel antibacterials and antivirals. Potential topics to be covered include, but are not limited to:

  • Discovery and Development of novel and effective antibacterial and antiviral agents;
  • Innovative drug delivery systems for infectious diseases;
  • Repurposing drugs to treat these infections;
  • Innovative strategies to overcome drug resistance;
  • Host-targeted therapies.

Dr. Sara Consalvi
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. 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

  • medicinal chemistry
  • antibacterials
  • antivirals
  • drug development
  • drug resistance
  • drug delivery
  • drug candidates
  • drug repurposing

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1860 KiB  
Article
Targeted Elimination of Influenza Virus and Infected Cells with Near-Infrared Antiviral Photoimmunotherapy (NIR-AVPIT)
by Terumi Mizukoshi, Koichiro Tateishi, Mizuki Tokusanai, Yoshiyuki Yoshinaka, Aisaku Yamamoto, Naoki Yamamoto and Norio Yamamoto
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(2), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17020173 - 28 Jan 2025
Viewed by 996
Abstract
Background: Seasonal influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality each year. Since viruses can easily acquire drug-resistant mutations, it is necessary to develop new antiviral strategies with different targets. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a type of anti-cancer therapy that has recently attracted considerable [...] Read more.
Background: Seasonal influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality each year. Since viruses can easily acquire drug-resistant mutations, it is necessary to develop new antiviral strategies with different targets. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a type of anti-cancer therapy that has recently attracted considerable attention, with favorable outcomes reported for several cancers. In this study, we investigated whether this approach could be used as a novel anti-influenza therapy to destroy influenza virus and infected cells. Methods: To evaluate the efficacy of near-infrared antiviral photoimmunotherapy (NIR-AVPIT), we prepared an anti-hemagglutinin (HA) monoclonal antibody without neutralizing activity against influenza A virus (FluV) labeled with IR-700 and reacted it with FluV and infected cells, as well as HA-expressing HEK293 cells. Results: NIR-AVPIT strongly inactivated FluV virions, suppressed cytopathic effects, and achieved more than a 4-log reduction in viral RNA amplification. Treatment of FluV-infected cells with the antibody-IR700 complex and NIR in the early stages of infection significantly inhibited viral propagation, and double treatment with time apart exerted a greater inhibitory effect. NIR-AVPIT rapidly induced morphological changes in HA-expressing HEK293 cells and inhibited the proliferation of these cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that NIR-AVPIT targeting HA antigens could inactivate FluV and eliminate infected cells in vitro. This strategy is a promising approach to treat various viral infections, including influenza. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral and Antibacterial: Focus on Novel Therapeutic Agents and Drug Delivery Systems)
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25 pages, 1517 KiB  
Article
Effects of Combined Treatment with Sodium Dichloroacetate and Sodium Valproate on the Genes in Inflammation- and Immune-Related Pathways in T Lymphocytes from Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection with Pneumonia: Sex-Related Differences
by Donatas Stakišaitis, Linas Kapočius, Vacis Tatarūnas, Dovydas Gečys, Auksė Mickienė, Tomas Tamošuitis, Rasa Ugenskienė, Arūnas Vaitkevičius, Ingrida Balnytė and Vaiva Lesauskaitė
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(3), 409; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16030409 - 16 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2019
Abstract
The study presents data on the anti-inflammatory effects of a combination of sodium dichloroacetate and sodium valproate (DCA–VPA) on the expression of inflammation- and immune response-related genes in T lymphocytes of SARS-CoV-2 patients. The study aimed to assess the effects of DCA–VPA on [...] Read more.
The study presents data on the anti-inflammatory effects of a combination of sodium dichloroacetate and sodium valproate (DCA–VPA) on the expression of inflammation- and immune response-related genes in T lymphocytes of SARS-CoV-2 patients. The study aimed to assess the effects of DCA–VPA on the genes of cytokine activity, chemokine-mediated signaling, neutrophil chemotaxis, lymphocyte chemotaxis, T-cell chemotaxis, and regulation of T-cell proliferation pathways. The study included 21 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and pneumonia: 9 male patients with a mean age of 68.44 ± 15.32 years and 12 female patients with a mean age of 65.42 ± 15.74 years. They were hospitalized between December 2022 and March 2023. At the time of testing, over 90% of sequences analyzed in Lithuania were found to be of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. The T lymphocytes from patients were treated with 5 mmol DCA and 2 mmol VPA for 24 h in vitro. The effect of the DCA–VPA treatment on gene expression in T lymphocytes was analyzed via gene sequencing. The study shows that DCA–VPA has significant anti-inflammatory effects and apparent sex-related differences. The effect is more potent in T cells from male patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and pneumonia than in females. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral and Antibacterial: Focus on Novel Therapeutic Agents and Drug Delivery Systems)
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Review

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36 pages, 8173 KiB  
Review
Amino Acid Biosynthesis Inhibitors in Tuberculosis Drug Discovery
by Michela Guida, Chiara Tammaro, Miriana Quaranta, Benedetta Salvucci, Mariangela Biava, Giovanna Poce and Sara Consalvi
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(6), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16060725 - 28 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1928
Abstract
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report, an estimated 10.6 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in 2022, and 1.30 million died. A major concern is the emergence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains, fueled by the length [...] Read more.
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report, an estimated 10.6 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in 2022, and 1.30 million died. A major concern is the emergence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains, fueled by the length of anti-TB treatment and HIV comorbidity. Innovative anti-TB agents acting with new modes of action are the only solution to counteract the spread of resistant infections. To escape starvation and survive inside macrophages, Mtb has evolved to become independent of the host by synthesizing its own amino acids. Therefore, targeting amino acid biosynthesis could subvert the ability of the mycobacterium to evade the host immune system, providing innovative avenues for drug discovery. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the most recent progress in the discovery of amino acid biosynthesis inhibitors. Among the hits discovered over the past five years, tryptophan (Trp) inhibitors stand out as the most advanced and have significantly contributed to demonstrating the feasibility of this approach for future TB drug discovery. Future efforts should be directed at prioritizing the chemical optimization of these hits to enrich the TB drug pipeline with high-quality leads. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antiviral and Antibacterial: Focus on Novel Therapeutic Agents and Drug Delivery Systems)
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