Strategic Approaches to Target the Enzymes using Natural Compounds for the Management of Alzheimer's Disease: A Review.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease. It is clinically characterized by memory loss and intellectual decrease, among other neurological deficits. The etiology of AD is not completely understood but includes amyloid plaques and intracellular helical filaments as well as neurofibrillary tangles with hyperphosphorylated tau protein. AD is also associated with alterations in amyloid processing genes, such as PSEN1 or PSEN2 and APP. The modulation of the immune system, cholesterol metabolism, and synaptic vesicle endocytosis have all been shown to remediate AD. In this review, enzymes such as AChE, BuChE, ß-secretase, γ-secretase, MAO, and RAGE are discussed as potential targets for AD treatment. The aim of this review was to address the molecular mechanisms as well as various genetic factors in AD etiology. The use of natural compounds against these targets might be beneficial for the management of AD.

Cancer stem cell-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy: Challenges and prospects.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) with their self-renewal ability are accepted as cells which initiate tumors. CSCs are regarded as interesting targets for novel anticancer therapeutic agents because of their association with tumor recurrence and resistance to conventional therapies, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells are engineered T cells which express an artificial receptor specific for tumor associated antigens (TAAs) by which they accurately target and kill cancer cells. In recent years, CAR-T cell therapy has shown more efficiency in cancer treatment, particularly regarding blood cancers. The expression of specific markers such as TAAs on CSCs in varied cancer types makes them as potent tools for CAR-T cell therapy. Here we review the CSC markers that have been previously targeted with CAR-T cells, as well as the CSC markers that may be used as possible targets for CAR-T cell therapy in the future. Furthermore, we will detail the most important obstacles against CAR-T cell therapy and suggest solutions.