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This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Health Sociology Review. Renae Fomiatti, J. R. Latham, Suzanne Fraser, David Moore, Kate Seear & Campbell Aitken (2019) A ‘messenger of sex’? Making testosterone matter in motivations for anabolic-androgenic steroid injecting, Health Sociology Review, 28:3, 323-338, DOI: 10.1080/14461242.2019.1678398. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The cosmetics industry is one of the most profitable in the world today. This multi-billion-dollar industry has a profound sociological impact worldwide. Its influence is global, with most individuals being concerned with conserving their physical appearance, beauty, and youth. The consumers' desire for novel, better, and safer products has stimulated the utilization of natural-product-based cosmeceutical formulations over synthetic chemicals. With remarkable advancements in marine bioresource technology, algal polysaccharides have gained much attention as bioactive ingredients in cosmeceuticals. Algae biosynthesize a variety of polysaccharides including fucoidans, alginates, carrageenans, galactans, agar, porphyran, glucans, and ulvans, all of which exhibit distinctive structural and functional properties. Many of these materials have been proven to possess skin-protective effects, including anti-wrinkle, lightening, moisturizing, UV protective, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, they have a wide spectrum of physicochemical properties, such as the ability to form hydrogels, which extend their utilization as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and viscosity controlling ingredients in cosmeceuticals. Accordingly, algal hydrocolloids and their synthetic derivatives can also be applied in tissue engineering and cosmetic surgery. The challenge is to increase awareness about these polysaccharides and consequently generate value-added products. This review discusses the beneficial biological and physicochemical properties of algal polysaccharides, highlighting their potential in cosmeceutical applications.

Ursolic acid (UA), belongs to a group of pentacyclic triterpenoids and is known to possess some very interesting biological properties. Protocols have been developed in order to synthesize bioactive UA analogs which have resulted in numerous ursolic acid analogs being synthesized during the period 2012-2016. Ursolic acid and its analogues can be employed to treat various cancers, inflammatory diseases, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and AIDS to mention but a few. Areas covered: This review covers patents on therapeutic activities of ursolic acid (UA) and its synthetic derivatives published during the four year period 2012-2016. A discussion about structure-activity relationships (SAR) of these analogs is also included. Expert opinion: Ursolic acid and its synthetic derivatives demonstrated excellent anticancer, antidiabetic, antiarrhythmic, anti-hyperlipidemic, antimicrobial, anti-hypercholesterolemic, and anti-cardiovascular properties. Additionally, various ursolic acid analogues have been synthesized through modification at positions C

Introduction: Boswellic acids (BAs), a group of pentacyclic triterpenoids, have demonstrated very interesting biological properties that resulted in a number of protocols being developed for their synthesis. During the last twenty-five years (1990–2015), numerous BAs have been prepared. Both natural BAs and their synthetic derivatives can be used to treat various cancers as well as inflammatory diseases.Areas covered: This review covers patents on therapeutic activities of natural BAs and their synthetic derivatives published in last twenty-five years (1990–2015). Only BA patents to treat cancer and inflammation are available. A discussion about structure-activity relationships (SAR) of these analogs is also included.Expert opinion: BAs possess excellent anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. A large number of BAs and their analogues have been prepared through modification at the C3-OH and C24-CO2H functional groups. Most importantly, the C-24 amide and amino derivatives demonstrated increas...

Ever since the discovery of cyclodextrins, a family of cyclic oligosaccharides based on α (1 → 4) linkage among glucopyranose subunits, these versatile supramolecular hosts have received tremendous attention for scientific explorations. Due to their property of forming host-guest type inclusion complex, cyclodextrins and their synthetic derivatives exhibit wide range of utilities in different areas viz. pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, cosmetics, food and nutrition, textile and chemical industry etc.The purpose of this review is to highlight properties, advantages, recent studies and versatile benefits of cyclodextrins and to re-strengthen their prospective applications in novel directions for future research.This article summarizes a variety of applications of cyclodextrins in various industrial products, technologies, analytical and chemical processes and recent industrial advancements by extensively literature search on various scientific databases, Google and websites of various associated pharmaceutical industries and patenting authorities across the world.Due to possibility of multidimensional changes in physical and chemical properties of molecules upon inclusion complexation in cyclodextrins, these compounds are of great commercial interest and may offer solution to many of the scientific problems of the current world.

A new model of lung cell membrane chromatography has been established by using a lung cell membrane stationary phase (CMSP), in which lung cell membranes were immobilized on activated silica by the adsorption. Retention characteristics of 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) and its synthetic derivatives were investigated under the chromatographic conditions described. The affinities of 2-ME and its synthetic derivatives were expressed by k′ values. The affinity of drugs in the lung cell membrane was consistent with the results of cytotoxicity in vitro. The study indicated that 2-ME had the property of adsorption on the membrane of the lung.

The retinoids, natural or synthetic derivatives of vitamin A, exhibit a variety of biological effects that may have implications in cancer chemoprevention and therapy. The chemopreventative action of classical retinoids has been ascribed to receptor-mediated modulation of a range of biological processes, including cell differentiation and proliferation. The therapeutic interest of several synthetic retinoids (also known as retinoid-related molecules) is related to their proapoptotic activity, which appears to be independent of the receptor-transactivating activity. This review focuses on the relevant features of recently reported synthetic retinoids, with particular reference to their therapeutic potential and current understanding of the mechanism of action. These agents are structurally heterogeneous compounds, including molecules closely related to natural retinoids and molecules with a retinoid-like structure (e.g., atypical retinoids) that include retinoic acid receptor (RAR) selective compounds or R...

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) is a lignan found in large amounts in the ethnobotanically important plant, Larrea tridentata (Moc. & Sess.) Cov. (Zygophyllaceae). Research on this compound and its natural and synthetic derivatives has shown them to be potentially useful in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, viral and bacterial infections, and as regulators of fertility. The usefulness of these compounds is hindered by the lack of understanding of the mechanisms of action for each activity. While a great deal of observational and correlative data have been reported, there have been few comprehensive mechanistic or structure-function studies conducted on NDGA. Additionally, toxicological and pharmacokinetic data on NDGA is rather sparse and the metabolic breakdown products of this compound have not been reported. The present review is meant to summarize many of the biological activities reported for NDGA and its derivatives and to draw attention to areas which need to be further explored in the hopes of stimulating research on this potentially useful natural product.

Research on immunomodulation by natural products or synthetic derivatives is of key interest for anti-infective therapy for a number of reasons. Many plant remedies well-known in traditional medicine or refined natural products in clinical use exert their anti-infective effects not only (if at all) by directly affecting the pathogen. At least part of their effect is indirect, by stimulating natural and adaptive defense mechanisms of the host. These findings have now given many empirical therapies a rationale, scientific basis and thereby a means for 'intelligent' improvement. In discovering the molecular mechanisms by which known remedies exert their effects, chosen elements further down the 'chain of command' might be synthesized and applied directly for more rapid and selective cure, omitting unwanted side effects. The direct use of recombinant cytokines, often in combination with antibiotics, is one consequence of this rationale.

The study of vitamin biochemistry is still in a relatively early stage of development. The discovery of allithiamine in Japan gave a strong impetus to the study of thiamine as a potential therapeutic agent rather than a simple vitamin replacement. When it was discovered that allithiamine was a naturally occurring substance that is formed when thiamine combines with a principle in garlic bulbs, a massive research effort was mounted by Japanese investigators. This resulted in a range of synthetic derivatives which were demonstrated to have some remarkable properties. It is surprising that more use has not been made of this information. Little is known in the West about these compounds and this is the purpose of this review.