Recent Patents on Anti-Infective Drug Discovery

Oral-based formulations for the treatment of topical infectious and non-infectious disorders caused numerous adverse reactions including hepatic toxicity, higher metabolism, poor absorption, and serious skin events such as drug-drug interactions resulted from metabolism through the cytochrome P450 system [1-3]. Another preferred routes of administration is topical by which drug molecules deliver to the subcutaneous or epidermis and retained there for an optimum time to exert better therapeutic effect [3-5]. The skin is an ideal site for drug delivery in the treatment of topical infective and non-infective skin disease. But barrier nature of the skin, diseased condition, and physiochemical drug properties makes resistance in drug delivery [6]. Conventional topical formulations such as creams and ointments have failed to achieve controlled drug release and drug targeting for the treatment of topical disorders. For effective antiinfective drug therapies, the required quantity of drug should passes into or through the skin into the epidermis/ dermis via the sustained release of the drug [7]. But skin retention of the drug molecules is a challenging task to achieve due to restricted permeability through the skin. In this regard, the application of nanotechnology to the medicine entitled as nanomedicine has very bright features in the biomedical field [2-3]. Nanomedicines proved good results in the treatment of topical infectious and non-infectious disorders [8]. Nanomedicines, have superior characteristics over conventional formulations which is based on the development and fabrication of nanostructures [9]. To date, various nanoparticulate carrier have been investigated as effective drug delivery systems such as lipidic micro/nano-emulsion system, lipidic vesicular, metallic nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticle systems, etc. [10]. Among these, the implementation of silver nanoparticles gained wider attention as topical nanocarriers and promising model in the design of effective therapeutics against many pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, silver nanomedicine possesses several advantages including targeted drug delivery, minimizes the solubility or stability issues of the drug, low dose and minimizes drug-induced side effects [10].

Constantly, the human Skin is exposed to various microbes, viruses, pollutants, UV/other radiation and other stressors that exist in day today life. Eventually, our skin is most commonly encountered with infectious and noninfectious skin diseases such as psoriasis, acne, vitiligo, eczema, acrodermatitis, cutaneous candidiasis, athelete’s foot, cutaneous leishmaniasis and rosacea, skin cancer, etc [1-5]. To date, it is well established that topical medication in skin diseases is more effective and has lesser side effects than systemic application. Yet, physicochemical properties of drugs and skin anatomy particularly the stratum corneum are the major barriers in effective topical pharmacotherapy [6-8]. Exploiting the fact that beneath the stratum corneum, epidermis of the skin is composed lipids and lipoproteins, nanomedicines of lipophilic surface as a topical drug carrier are currently being developed and seems very promising at clinical stage [6-8]. In recent decades, many liposomes, nanoemulsion gels and lipid nanoparticles have been approved for the medication of infectious and non-infectious skin conditions. Many more from the diverse serious of lipidic and polymeric nanoparticles are currently being investigated at the preclinical level intended for improving the low penetration of active agents into the skin, which limits not only the topical therapy of skin disease but also transdermal therapy [9, 10]. This thematic issue presents a concise yet very focused on-going research on topical infective and non-infective diseases, available medications and its associated challenges in their treatment. Moreover, the implantation of nanodrug discovery for topical medication in infective and non-infective skin diseases has been introduced to overcome the problems associated with conventional topical formulations. Furthermore, In this issue, up-to-date, broadly and interdisciplinary discussed reviews on topical nano-drug discovery will help the pharmaceutical, biomedical researchers and dermatologists in understanding the challenges of topical drug delivery, and how with the nanomedicines strategy, we can improve our therapy. But still lack of sufficient evidence in a clinical setup is a constraint and more clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of nanomedicines in skin therapy are required.

Currently, the increased globally cases of tuberculosis dictated to continue long term extensive efforts in tuberculosis research to rectify the problems in treatment. Despite the inherent limitations in conventional drugs and conventional drug delivery systems, current anti-tubercular active drugs have everlasting vital position in the tuberculosis treatment using nanocarriers based therapy. In present review, we mainly would like to address pathogenesis, diagnosis, and the major challenges in conventional therapy, recent approaches for enhanced targeted drug delivery and the clinical aspect of treatment. In addition, nanotechnologies based delivery systems are described with important related patents in last decades with major finding. Current valuable information regarding tuberculosis therapy as revealed in recent WHO (World Health Organization) report and a short future scope of translational approach in research in the current therapy as “from bed to laboratory”