Drug discovery today
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Drug discovery today · Oct 2010
ReviewArginine vasopressin receptor antagonists (vaptans): pharmacological tools and potential therapeutic agents.
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) attracted attention as a potentially important neurohormonal mediator of the heart failure (HF) syndrome and hyponatremic states in humans because AVP influences renal handling of free water, vasoconstriction and myocyte biology through activation of V₂ and V₁(a) receptors. Current research is exploring V₂- and dual V₁(a)/V₂ receptor antagonism for the treatment of hyponatremia, as well as for the congestion and edema associated with chronic HF, because vasopressin receptor antagonists might offer benefits in comparison with conventional loop diuretics. The purpose of this review is to update the current status of experimental and clinical studies with available vasopressin receptor antagonists (conivaptan and tolvaptan) and their potential role in the treatment of HF and hyponatremia of multiple causes.
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Drug discovery today · Oct 2010
ReviewCancer nanotechnology: application of nanotechnology in cancer therapy.
The application of nanotechnology for cancer therapy has received considerable attention in recent years. Cancer nanotechnology (an interdisciplinary area of research in science, engineering and medicine) is an upcoming field with extensive applications. ⋯ Target-specific drug therapy and methods for early diagnosis of pathologies are the priority research areas in which nanotechnology would play a vital part. This review focuses on the approaches of cancer nanotechnology in the advancement of cancer therapy.