Polysaccharide-based carriers have become attractive materials for the delivery of therapeutics targeted to colon. Ferulated arabinoxylans (AX), polysaccharides with gelling and antioxidant capacities that can be degraded by colonic microbiota are ideal candidates for use as oral drug delivery systems. Recently, AX-based microspheres have demonstrated potential applications as colon-targeted drug carriers. The non-cytotoxicity of AX-based microspheres is a required property for their use as a colon-targeted biomaterial. This study reports the antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity on human colon cells of covalently cross-linked particles based on AX (AXP). The in vitro antioxidant activity of AX before and after gelation was measured using the ABTS+, DPPH, and FRAP methods. Besides, the effect of AX and AXP on the proliferation of human colon cells (CCD 841 CoN) was evaluated using the MTT assay. AXP presented a spherical shape and rough surface with a three-dimensional and porous network. Gelation decreased the antioxidant activity of AX by 61–64 %. AX and AXP did not affect proliferation or show any toxic effect on the regular human colon cell line CCD 841 CoN. The results indicate that AXP are promising biocompatible materials with antioxidant activity. AXP could be suitable materials for the development of drug delivery systems targeted to colon.

Objectives: to investigate the effect of biopsychological age indicators on the severity of Covid-19 disease in adults of different age groups of the Russian Federation population during the 2020 epidemic. Methods: comprehensive studies and questionnaires were carried out (Longitudinal study). The indicators of biopsychological age were measured in the middle of 2019, and in the middle of 2020. Additionally, in the middle and end of 2020, the number of cases, the severity of the disease and its outcome were assessed. 447 people aged 35-70 years (women 306) were examined. Group 1 (working adults) - 239 people (155 women). Group 2 (risk group) - unemployed pensioners with chronic diseases - 208 people (151 women). The indicators of biological age, self-assessment of health, indicators of subjective psychological age were evaluated. The significance of biopsychological age indicators influence on disease severity was calculated by Anova analysis.

Results. In mid-2020 (during quarantine), an increase in biological age and biological aging index was observed in Group 1. For men - (by 3.9 - 8 years) P <0.05; for women, a slight increase (at the level of the trend); On the contrary, in group 2 there was no increase in the rate of biological aging during quarantine. According to the indicators of subjective psychological age, group 1 (working people) began to feel younger (by 3.3 - 7.2 years) P <0.05, but the expected retirement age did not change and remained below that established in Russia. The number of COVID-19 cases was: 0.2% in the middle of 2020 and 16.5% at the end of 2020. The influence of indicators of biopsychological age on the severity of the disease in group 1 was revealed. In women, biological age, relative biological aging, pulse pressure, self-assessment of diseases increased the severity of the disease. An increase in relative psychological aging, on the contrary, reduced the severity of the disease (p <0.05). Body weight, static balancing had no effect. In men, biological age, deterioration in self-esteem of diseases increased the severity of the disease, while relative psychological aging also decreased the severity of the disease. Blood pressure, time of breath holding on inspiration, relative biological aging, psychological age, static balancing did not affect the severity of symptoms of the disease in men. In contrary to our expectation, no any cases of the COVID-19 in group 2 (risk group) were observed.

Conclusions: Indicators of relative biological and psychological aging of an individual affect the development of the disease and its severity, while the combination of increase in relative biological aging and underestimated psychological age are the most dangerous and increase the probability of developing severe forms of Covid-19 (P <0.05). The identified indicators can point to special attention groups for intensive treatment and priority vaccination during the COVID-19 epidemic.

This work was supported by Russian Science Foundation, No. 19-18-00058

20 million - this refers to the number of people who suffer from schizophrenia worldwide [1]. Hallucinations, distortions in thinking, abnormal motor behavior are the symptoms that impair the everyday life of people with schizophrenia and their families. Although numerous medications are available for this condition, many of them cause serious side effects, including agranulocytosis, sedation, or increased serum lipid concentration [2]. Extensive research has been carried out on dopamine D₂ receptors. Results of these studies suggest that there are links between the impaired dopaminergic neurotransmission and the presence of characteristic symptoms of the disease [3,4]. Thus providing this group of patients with potent dopamine D₂ receptor antagonists may benefit their treatment. Although multi-target ligands of aminergic G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are most efficient as drugs for schizophrenia treatment, it should be emphasized that all marketed drugs against this disease are dopamine D₂ receptor antagonists or partial/biased agonists.

Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) techniques, in particular 3D-QSAR methods, are vital in developing novel ligands. Proper understanding of the structure-activity relationship can assist the design of novel drugs characterized by low toxicity and high efficacy [5]. The CoMFA method is a widely used 3D-QSAR approach that can be implemented to correlate the steric and the electrostatic properties of a series of molecules with their pharmacological activities.

Identification of a pharmacological gap in the treatment of schizophrenia became an incentive to thoughtfully examine the structure-activity relationship among a series of dopamine D₂ receptor antagonists. In our opinion, the constructed CoMFA model, characterized by good statistical parameters:(Q²=0.76, R²=0.92, F-value=338.9), will assist further drug design and enable to obtain ligands characterized by low toxicity and high bioactivity [6].

Nanotechnology has the potential to improve bioavailability and drug delivery for bioactive compounds derived black seed (Thymoquinone, TQ) for the effective management of different human diseases. Therefore, numerous Nanoformulations have been developed improved oral bioavailability of Thymoquinone. The current study gives a review of the applications of Nanomedicine to enhance the biological activities of TQ to control different diseases in several in vivo studies as preliminary investigation for human diseases treatment by Nano-TQ. Nano-TQ effectively augments the anticancer roles of doxorubicin by upregulation of P53, downregulation of Bcl2 and potentiated paclitaxel’s apoptosis in MCF-7, breast cancer cell. Moreover, Nano-TQ protects against diabetes, inflammation, CNS, and hepatotoxicity mainly by enhancement of organs’ antioxidant status. From the current studies, we can conclude that Nano-TQ is a promising nutraceutical for human health in the prevention and treatment of various disorders.

Currently, the methods of treating neurodegenerative diseases are not fully effective. The available drugs are not able to stop the disease process, but to slow it down, [1] therefore, research on new compounds and new approaches to treating these disorders is still ongoing. We are looking for compounds with neuroprotective properties that will prevent cell death as well as restore the function and number of damaged neurons [2].

The presented research focuses on developing an effective treatment of neurodegenerative diseases based on the compound with neuroprotective properties.

A multi-target antipsychotic compound, D2AAK1, was used in the conducted research. The experiments were carried out on mouse hippocampal neuron cells (HT-22), neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) and male Swiss mice. The conducted studies showed that the compound causes an increase in cell proliferation and improves memory in mice models. Moreover, the compound caused a reduction in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitrogen (RNS), a decrease in intracellular calcium levels (Ca²⁺) and the level of DNA damage in the form of micronuclei (MN).

Summarizing, the obtained preliminary results are promising for the future development of treatment for neurodegenerative diseases.

[1] F.J.E. Vajda, Neuroprotection and neurodegenerative disease, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 9 (2002) 4–8. https://doi.org/10.1054/jocn.2001.1027.

[2] M.C. Monteiro, M.D. Coleman, E.J. Hill, R.D. Prediger, C.S.F. Maia, Neuroprotection in Neurodegenerative Disease: From Basic Science to Clinical Applications, Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017 (2017) 2949102. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/2949102.