Anticancer Drug Discovery from Natural Compounds Targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway.

The term cancer is used to describe a complex pathology characterized by the uncontrollable proliferation of cells, which displays a fast metastatic spread, being a disease with difficult treatment. In this context, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) represents a promising pathway to be inhibited, aiming to develop anticancer agents, since it performs a pivotal role in regulating essential cellular processes, including cell proliferation, growth, autophagy, and apoptosis. In parallel, natural compounds can effectively represent a therapeutic strategy to fight against malignant cells.

Advances in Computational Methods to Discover New NS2B-NS3 Inhibitors Useful Against Dengue and Zika Viruses.

The Flaviviridae virus family consists of the genera Hepacivirus, Pestivirus, and Flavivirus, with approximately 70 viral types that use arthropods as vectors. Among these diseases, dengue (DENV) and zika virus (ZIKV) serotypes stand out, responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide. Due to the significant increase in cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared DENV a potential threat for 2019 due to being transmitted by infected travelers.

Bradykinin-target therapies in SARS-CoV-2 infection: current evidence and perspectives.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially fatal disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that preferentially infects the respiratory tract. Bradykinin (BK) is a hypotensive substance that recently emerged as one of the mechanisms to explain COVID-19-related complications. Concerning this, in this review, we try to address the complex link between BK and pathophysiology of COVID-19, investigating the role of this peptide as a potential target for pharmacological modulation in the management of SARS-CoV-2.

Revealing Insights into Natural Products Against mcr-1-Producing Bacteria.

Bacterial resistance has become a major global concern, affecting about 500, 000 individuals in 22 countries. Thus, it is clear that Gram-negative bacteria have been receiving more attention in this scenario. These bacteria perform several resistance mechanisms, such as modifying lipid A from lipopolysaccharides as a product of the mcr-1 gene expression.