Pharmacology Commons^™

Heat Islands, Fall/Winter 2014, Issue 29

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Behavior, Spring/Summer 2013, Issue 28

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Local Foods, Fall/Winter 2013, Issue 27

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Campus Sustainability, Spring/Summer 2014, Issue 30

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Untargeted Safety Pharmacology Screen Of Blood-Activating And Stasis-Removing Patent Chinese Herbal Medicines Identified Nonherbal Ingredients As A Cause Of Organ Damage In Experimental Models, Xinyan Liu, Rui Shao, Xinyue Yang, Guangxu Xiao, Shuang He, Benjamin Feng, Yan Zhu

Peer Reviewed Articles

Blood activation and stasis removal from circulation is a central principle for treatment of syndromes related to cerebral and cardiovascular diseases in Chinese herbal medicine. However, blood-activating and stasis-removing patent Chinese herbal medicine (BASR-pCHM) widely used with or without prescription in China and elsewhere are highly variable in composition and manufacture standard, making their safety assessment a challenging task. We proposed that an integrated evaluation of multiple toxicity parameters of BASR-pCHM would provide critical reference and guidelines for their safe clinical application. Examination of standardized extracts from 58 compound BASR-pCHM in vivo in VEGFR2-luc mice and in vitro in cardiac, …

Zero Waste, Spring/Summer 2017, Issue 36

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Consent Decrees, Fall/Winter 2017, Issue 35

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Human Ecology, Spring/Summer 2016, Issue 34

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Citizen Science, Fall/Winter 2016, Issue 33

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Urban Streams, Spring/Summer 2015, Issue 32

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Unconventional Energy, Fall/Winter 2015, Issue 31

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Carbon Neutral, Spring/Summer 2018, Issue 38

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Political Will, Fall/Winter 2018, Issue 37

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Adminstration Of Micronized Caffeine Using A Novel Oral Delivery Film Results In Rapid Absorption And Electroencephalogram Suppression, Rochelle M. Hines, Matthew Khumnark, Ben Macphail, Dustine J. Hines

Psychology Faculty Research

Route of administration is well-known to impact factors ranging from absorption and distribution, up through the subjective effects of active ingredients. Different routes of administration confer specific advantages, such as more rapid absorption resulting from intravenous injection, or increased convenience with oral administration, but a combination of both rapid and convenient delivery is highly desirable. QuickStrip™ was designed as a rapidly dissolving thin film matrix that contains active ingredients, which may be promising for rapid and convenient delivery via the oral mucosa. To assess the delivery of QuickStrip™, we administered the well-characterized active ingredient caffeine to mice and compared QuickStrip™ …

Our Envirome, Spring/Summer 2019, Issue 40

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Plastic Pollution, Fall/Winter 2019, Issue 39.3

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Plastic Pollution, Fall/Winter 2019, Issue 39.2

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Plastic Pollution, Fall/Winter 2019, Issue 39

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Astragaloside Iii Enhances Anti-Tumor Response Of Nk Cells By Elevating Nkg2d And Ifn-Γ, Xingmeng Chen, Xi Chen, Junxiao Gao, Han Yang, Yue Duan, Benjamin Feng, Xin He, Xiaoqun Gong, Hanjie Wang, Xiaoli Wu, Jin Chang

Peer Reviewed Articles

Natural killer (NK) cells play an irreplaceable role in the development of colon cancer, in which antitumor function of NK cells was impaired. Astragaloside III is a natural compound from Astragalus that has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects in various systems. However, few studies have evaluated the antitumor effects of Astragaloside III through stimulating systemic immunity and regulating NK cells. In this study, flow cytometry, immunohistochemical analysis, and immunofunctional assays were performed to elucidate the functions of Astragaloside III in restoring antitumor function of NK cells. We demonstrated that Astragaloside III significantly elevated the expression of natural killer group …

Dual Inhibition Of The Pi3k/Akt And Mek5/Erk5 Pathways For The Treatment Of Breast Cancer, Thomas Douglas Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease state with several challenging frontiers. In particular, aberrations in the Phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathways have been linked to increased breast cancer proliferation and survival. It has been proposed that these survival characteristics are enhanced through compensatory signaling and crosstalk mechanisms. New evidence suggests that MEK5/ERK5, a member of the MAPK family, is a crucial component in the proliferation and survival of several aggressive cancers. We hypothesize that inhibiting both PI3K/Akt and MEK5/ERK5 pathways will decrease cell viability while maintaining limited collateral toxicity. In this study, we examined the effects …

Investigation Of Riluzole’S Synaptic Protection Mechanism Through Hsf1-Bdnf Axis, Yi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The FDA-approved amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drug Riluzole has great potential in treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) based on promising animal data as well as its known action on modulating synaptic transmission. However, its detailed mechanism of action is not fully understood. Here, we proposed work aiming to address this aspect via focus- ing on the Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1)-dependent mechanisms. We found that Riluzole could increase HSF1 and BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) expression both at transcriptional and translational levels. CA1 (Cornu Ammonia, the first region in the hip- pocampal circuit), is its main target. We also demonstrated a protective …

The Role Of Secretory Phospholipase A2 Group Iia In Obesity And Metabolism, Michael S. Kuefner

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Secretory phospholipase A2 group IIA (PLA2G2A) is a member of a family of secretory phospholipases previously implicated in inflammation, atherogenesis, and antibacterial actions. These enzymes hydrolyze glycerophospholipids at the sn-2 position releasing lysophospholipids and fatty acids. Though studies have shown PLA2G2A is pro-inflammatory and promotes atherosclerosis, no research has analyzed the role of this enzyme in obesity and metabolism. Studies in the past 5-10 years utilizing various knock- out or over-expression mouse models have analyzed the role of different secretory phospholipase A2s (sPLA2) in metabolic diseases. From these studies, it is known that at least seven of the 11 sPLA2 …

The Wet Bridge Transfer System: An Novel In Vitro Tool For Assessing Exogenous Surfactant As A Pulmonary Drug Delivery Vehicle, Brandon J. Baer

Western Research Forum

Background:

Due to its complex branching structure, direct drug delivery to the remote areas of the lung is a major challenge. Consequently, most therapies, such as those treating pulmonary infection and inflammation, must utilize large systemic dosing, with the potential for adverse side effects. A novel alternative strategy is to use exogenous surfactant, a material capable of distributing throughout the lung, as a pulmonary drug delivery vehicle.

Objective:

Utilize an in vitro transferring system to assess exogenous surfactant (BLES) as a pulmonary delivery vehicle for different therapeutics.

Methods:

An in vitro technique was developed to simultaneously study surfactant delivery and …

Developmental Expression Of The Cytosolic Sulfotransferases In Human Liver., Sarah Dubaisi, Joseph A. Caruso, R Gaedigk, Carrie A. Vyhlidal, Philip C. Smith, Ronald N. Hines, Thomas A. Kocarek, Melissa Runge-Morris

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The liver is the predominant organ of metabolism for many endogenous and foreign chemicals. Cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) catalyze the sulfonation of drugs and other xenobiotics, as well as hormones, neurotransmitters, and sterols, with consequences that include enhanced drug elimination, hormone inactivation, and procarcinogen bioactivation. SULTs are classified into six gene families, but only SULT1 and SULT2 enzymes are expressed in human liver. We characterized the developmental expression patterns of SULT1 and SULT2 mRNAs and proteins in human liver samples using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), RNA sequencing, and targeted quantitative proteomics. Using a set of prenatal, infant, and …

Reversal Of P-Glycoprotein And Breast Cancer Resistance Protein Mediated Multidrug Resistance In Vitro Using In Silico Identified Novel Compounds, Amila Nanayakkara

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major cause of chemotherapy failure. Overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) are two well-studied drug transporters which are associated with MDR. These two transporters also act as a major functional unit of the blood brain barrier to protect the brain from xenobiotics and toxins. Lack of clinically approved P-gp and BCRP inhibitors renders chemotherapy treatments of many MDR cancers ineffective and obstructs drug uptake into the brain.

Using computational methods, we have identified new compounds that inhibit P-gp (Brewer et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 2014). Several of …

Reversal Of P-Glycoprotein And Breast Cancer Resistance Protein Mediated Multidrug Resistance In Vitro Using In Silico Identified Novel Compounds, Amila Nanayakkara

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major cause of chemotherapy failure. Overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) are two well-studied drug transporters which are associated with MDR. These two transporters also act as a major functional unit of the blood brain barrier to protect the brain from xenobiotics and toxins. Lack of clinically approved P-gp and BCRP inhibitors renders chemotherapy treatments of many MDR cancers ineffective and obstructs drug uptake into the brain.

Using computational methods, we have identified new compounds that inhibit P-gp (Brewer et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 2014). Several of …

Novel Antiviral Effect Of A Small Molecule Onc201 And Its Potential Application In Hiv-1 Eradication, Runze Zhao

Theses & Dissertations

Despite the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART), eradication of HIV-1 from brain reservoirs remains elusive. HIV-1 brain reservoirs include perivascular macrophages that are behind the blood-brain barrier and difficult to access by ART. Macrophages express transcription factor FOXO3a and the TNF superfamily cytokine TRAIL, which are known to target HIV-1-infected macrophages for viral suppression. ONC201 is a novel and potent FOXO3a activator capable of inducing TRAIL. It can cross the blood-brain barrier, and has shown an antitumor effect in clinical trials. We hypothesized that activation of FOXO3a/TRAIL by ONC201 will reduce the size of HIV-1 brain reservoirs. Using primary human …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Long-Acting Emtricitabine Prodrug Nanoformulation, Ibrahim M. Ibrahim

Theses & Dissertations

The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy led to a paradigm shift in the management of HIV/AIDS changing a disease considered “a death sentence” to “a manageable chronic disease”. Nevertheless, challenges exist for successful treatment of HIV, including patient adherence to the complex daily regimens and the inability of current formulations to target viral sanctuaries. Introduction of nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a promising alternative to tackle these challenges. Our laboratory has been focusing on developing long-acting (LA) nanoformulated antiretrovirals and has succeeded in developing LA integrase inhibitors. However, challenges for this approach extend to a range of short-acting hydrophilic …

Development Of A Long-Acting Nanoformulation Of Dolutegravir For Prevention And Treatment Of Hiv-1 Infection, Brady Sillman

Theses & Dissertations

Dolutegravir (DTG) is a potent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI) with a high barrier to viral drug resistance. However, opportunities to improve its profile abound. These include extending the drug’s apparent half-life, increasing penetrance to “putative” viral reservoirs, and reducing inherent toxicities. These highlight, in part, the need for long-acting, slow effective release antiretroviral therapy (LASER ART) delivery schemes. A long-acting (LA) DTG was made by synthesizing a hydrophobic and lipophilic prodrug encased with poloxamer (P407) surfactant. This modified DTG (MDTG) reduced systemic metabolism and polarity, increased lipophilicity and membrane permeability, improved encapsulation, and formed …

Development Of Bar-Peptide Nanoparticles And Electrospun Fibers For The Prevention And Treatment Of Oral Biofilms., Mohamed Yehia Mahmoud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Periodontal diseases are globally prevalent inflammatory disorders that affect ~47% of U.S adults. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) has been identified as a “keystone” pathogen that disrupts host-microbe homeostasis and contributes to the initiation and progression of periodontitis. Pg associates with oral streptococci in supragingival plaque and this interaction represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Previously our group developed a peptide (designated BAR), that potently inhibits Pg/Streptococcus gordonii (Sg) adherence in vitro and Pg virulence in a murine model of periodontitis. While efficacious, BAR (SspB Adherence Region) provided transient inhibition and required higher concentrations of BAR to disrupt established …