Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of Novel Therapeutic Agents For The Treatment Of Chronic Dry Eyes, Lilian Huynh, Evonie Villarete, Surajit Dey

Annual Research Symposium

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial ocular condition, where disrupted tear film stability and ocular surface inflammation affected between 5% to 34% of the worldwide population in 2015 and posed a challenge to conventional ophthalmic treatments. Recent advances have led to potential novel therapeutics aiming to alleviate symptoms and improve patient outcomes.

A Closer Look At The Humanistic Aspects Of The Opioid Epidemic And Its Implications For Pharmaceutical Ethics And Law, Eriel Burns

Gaines Fellow Senior Theses

This paper elucidates the humanistic elements of this crisis, that is, the ethical challenges it poses and the role of culture in it. The opioid crisis disturbs several bioethics principles as indicated by the fact that it burgeoned out of the health care system as opposed to the illicit environments of the underground market. The book Dreamland by investigative journalist and storyteller, Sam Quinones encapsulates the complexity of the opioid epidemic through research and interviews with important figures related to the crisis such as physicians, people with opioid use disorder, and pharmaceutical sales representatives, among others. Quinones details that the …

Analyzing Functional Interactions Of Designed Peptides By Nmr Spectroscopy, Wonsuk Choi

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

The development of small peptide-based therapeutics can be accelerated by the knowledge of relationships between the peptide structure and its functional interactions. Here, we report the analysis of two groups of synthetic peptides designed for two applications – broad bactericidal action and inhibition of protein-protein interactions in human cells. Novel amphiphilic peptides designed for antibacterial application incorporated arginine as cationic amino acids and non-natural amino acids that have aromatic side chains with similar hydrophobic properties as tryptophan. The interaction of lead cyclic peptides and their linear analogs with a phospholipid bilayer mimicking a bacterial membrane was studied using nuclear magnetic …

November / December 2023, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the November & December 2023 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

September / October 2023, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the September & October 2023 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

Characterization Of Epithelial Growth Factor Transcripts Identified In Crotalus Atrox Venom, Ivan Lopez, Ying Jia

Research Symposium

Epithelial Growth Factor (EGF) is the primary source in regeneration and stimulation of essential fibroblasts cells commonly found in epithelium. Studies have shown that snake venom components are becoming a growing factor in treating illnesses such as cancer, muscular dystrophy, chronic pain, blood pressure, blood clotting, etc. EGF in human cells contains a promising quaternary structure that can bind to snake venom metalloproteinases, proposing a means of activating biochemical responses through protein-protein interactions to regulate unwanted cellular functions. This supports promising research in achieving a greater understanding of regulation along cellular pathways through ligands, increasing the likelihood of targeting unwanted …

Oral Dosages Of The Nsaid Aspirin Decreased The Growth Rate Of Species Found In The Human Gut Microbiome Including Akkermansia Muciniphila, Bacteroides Fragilis, Clostridium Sordellii, And Clostridium Difficile, Wyatt H. Greenbaum, Garrett J. Greenbaum, Anna Spiezio

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Over past few decades, new insight has been revealed in the scientific community about the importance of the human gut microbiome relating to general health. It is known that imbalances in the species that reside in the human gut can cause organism-wide problems in humans. When prescribing or injecting oral medications, the thought of the downstream effects on the gut microbiome are not always considered. By exposing known healthy members of the gut; Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium sordellii, and Clostridium difficile to the Aspirin, this study attempted to provide insight into the effects of the drug on bacterial growth. …

July / August 2023, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the July & August 2023 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

May / June 2023, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the May & June 2023 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

The Application Of Continuous Stationary Phase Gradients To High-Performance Liquid Chromatography And Its Potential To Improve Pharmacological Research, Hannah Klose

Senior Honors Theses

The separation of mixtures into different components is integral to experimentation and analysis in a multitude of fields. Chromatography is one of the most popular, well-developed, and well-studied methods used to examine the makeup of a mixture. Thus, the improvement of chromatographic procedures directly benefits research across many scientific disciplines. The application of a continuous stationary phase gradient to High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods has been proposed to improve the separation of complex mixtures that are difficult to achieve with existing separation techniques. By incorporating a gradient stationary phase, analysts will create a more selective mode of separation to improve …

March / April 2023, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the March & April 2023 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

January / February 2023, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the January & February 2023 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

Characterization, Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, And Anti-Inflammatory Activities Of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Phragmanthera Austroarabica A. G. Mill And J. A. Nyberg Extract, Shady Swidan, Dina Khodeer, Sarah Shabayek, Ali Nasr, Roaa Khinkar, Mohammed Aldurdunji, Maryam Ramadan, Jihan Badr

Pharmacy

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder that exhibited great expansion all over the world. It is becoming an epidemic disease adding a major burden to the health care system, particularly in developing countries.

Methods: The plant under investigation in the current study Phragmanthera austroarabica A. G. Mill and J. A. Nyberg is traditionally used in Saudi Arabia for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The methanolic extract (200 mg/kg) of the plant and pure gallic acid (40 mg/kg), a major metabolite of the plant, as well as their silver nanoparticle formulae (AgNPs) were evaluated for their antidiabetic activity.

Results …

Effects Of Disulfiram On The Metabolome Of Mrsa, Surya Teja Naidu

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Disulfiram, known as Antabuse®, is an oral drug for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Previous studies have indicated that disulfiram (DSF) exhibits antibacterial effects, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Our study delves into the antibacterial mechanism of DSF in MRSA through High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) metabolomics, investigating the underlying mechanism of DSF effects on thiamine and amino acid metabolism. Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) plays a crucial role as a cofactor for critical enzymes such as transketolase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase. These enzymes are integral to the carbohydrate metabolism process within bacterial cells. TPP also contributes …

Self-Assembled Ternary Polypeptide Nanoparticles With Improved Biostability For Drug Delivery In Cancer Therapy, Preye Mike Agbana

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Cancer remains a real and present threat to global health. In the United States, according to cancer statistics, almost 40% of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime. Conventional chemotherapy has become the mainstay for cancer treatment option. However, chemotherapeutic agents are plagued with problems such as poor aqueous solubility, chemical degradation, Bio instability, and off-site toxicity due to non-specificity. New drug modalities are needed to tackle the ever-growing burden on cancer. In recent times, the promise of nanotechnology has aided to develop drug delivery vehicles to facilitate the administration of potent chemotherapeutics. Nanoformulations such …

Testing The Efficacy And Synergistic Components Of Sesamol And Black Rice Extract On Human Colon Cancer Cells, Sera Lim, Philip M. Gerk

UROP Posters

Purpose: Systemic treatment of colorectal cancer involves chemotherapeutic agents which elicit serious and negative side effects from the toxicity of the drug. To address this issue, we are testing dietary supplements for their efficacy against human colon cancer cell lines and also their potential synergistic effects when combined with conventional chemotherapy. Dietary supplements (specifically sesamol and black rice extract) exhibit anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and chemo-preventive properties. Meanwhile, one of the cancer resistance mechanisms is the upregulation of drug elimination mechanisms, leading to multi-drug resistance. We hypothesize that dietary compounds will act as chemo-enhancers, thus enhancing potency of the chemotherapy drug(s) on …

November / December 2022, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the November & December 2022 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

Effects Of Chronic Cirrhosis Induced By Intraperitoneal Thioacetamide Injection On The Protein Content And Michaelis–Menten Kinetics Of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes In The Rat Liver Microsomes, Devaraj Venkatapura Chandrashekar, Barent N. Dubois, Mamunur Rashid, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Chronic intraperitoneal injection of thioacetamide (TAA) in rats has been used as an animal model of human cirrhosis to study the effects of the disease on drug metabolism. However, TAA inhibits P450 enzymes directly and independently of cirrhosis. We investigated the effects of chronic cirrhosis in rats, induced by 10 weeks of intraperitoneal TAA, on the P450 enzymes after a 10-day washout period to eliminate TAA. Liver histology and serum biomarkers of hepatic function confirmed cirrhosis in all animals. Microsomal total P450 content, P450 reductase activity and ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activity, a general marker of P450 activity, were significantly reduced by …

Differential Expression And Activities Of Cytochrome P450 3a In The Rat Brain Microsomes And Mitochondria, Nouf Alshammari, Devaraj Venkatapura Chandrashekar, Mamunur Rashid, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Midazolam (MDZ), a benzodiazepine derivative, is metabolized to 1′- and 4-hydroxylated metabolites (1′-OH-MDZ and 4-OH-MDZ, respectively) by cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A). The purpose of this study was to investigate the CYP3A-mediated hydroxylation of MDZ in the rat brain mitochondria (MT). Brain microsomes (MC) and MT fractions were prepared from rats (n = 8) using differential and density gradient centrifugations, and the purity of the fractions was evaluated using VDAC1 and calreticulin as markers of MT and MC, respectively. The formation rates of 1′-OH-MDZ and 4-OH-MDZ in the rat brain MC and MT samples were determined using an LC–MS/MS method …

September / October 2022, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

PLS presents the 7^th Annual Substance Use Disorder Seminar with Dr. Jake Nichols.

Biowill - Characterising Willow Bark Bio-Actives For Skin Therapies, Arnold Marisa

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Willow bark is considered as a disposable by-product when processing willow for biomass. Willow (Salix) is known to contain high value bioactive compounds which include salicin and its derivatives, and other phytochemicals of interest such as polyphenols and flavonoids. The plant is historically known as the primary source of salicylates to which the well-known drug aspirin is derived from. The work forms part of the Interreg project BioWILL, which is focused on integrated “Zero Waste” biorefinery utilising all fractions of willow feedstock for the production of biochemicals and renewable energy. This project aims to investigate the crude and …

Full- Versus Sub-Regional Quantification Of Amyloid-Beta Load On Mouse Brain Sections, Yuu Ohno, Riley Murphy, Matthew Choi, Weijun Ou, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Extracellular accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques is one of the major pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is the target of the only FDA-approved disease-modifying treatment for AD. Accordingly, the use of transgenic mouse models that overexpress the amyloid precursor protein and thereby accumulate cerebral Aβ plaques are widely used to model human AD in mice. Therefore, immunoassays, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunostaining, commonly measure the Aβ load in brain tissues derived from AD transgenic mice. Though the methods for Aβ detection and quantification have been well established and documented, the impact of the size of the …

Updates In The Pharmacologic Prophylaxis And Treatment Of Invasive Candidiasis In The Pediatric And Neonatal Intensive Care Units, James Hunter Fly, Seerat Kapoor, Kelly Bobo, Jeremy S. Stultz

Faculty Publications

Purpose of review The goal of this review was to provide an update on the prevention and treatment options for invasive candidiasis (IC) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Recent findings Studies have further validated the use of fluconazole for IC prophylaxis among high-risk patients in the NICU. It remains unclear if prophylaxis leads to resistance development and the ideal dosage regimen is still not clear. Recent studies have been published comparing caspofungin and micafungin to amphotericin B and illustrated similar efficacy outcomes in the NICU. Micafungin now has approval from the United …

Combination Of Amphiphilic Cyclic Peptide [R4W4] And Levofloxacin Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria, Muhammad Imran Sajid, Sandeep Lohan, Shun Kato, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Bacterial resistance is a growing global concern necessitating the discovery and development of antibiotics effective against the drug-resistant bacterial strain. Previously, we reported a cyclic antimicrobial peptide [R₄W₄] containing arginine (R) and tryptophan (W) with a MIC of 2.67 µg/mL (1.95 µM) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Herein, we investigated the cyclic peptides [R₄W₄] or linear (R₄W₄) and their conjugates (covalent or noncovalent) with levofloxacin (Levo) with the intent to improve their potency to target drug-resistant bacteria. The physical mixture of the Levo with the cyclic [R_{4 …}

Emerging Drug Targets And New Drugs In The Treatment Of Psoriatic Arthritis, Carmen Lariccia, Natalie Lennartz, Jessica Lewe, Jeffery Allison

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease characterized by painful skin lesions. When joints and connective tissue also become involved, the condition is referred to as psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Current treatments for moderate to severe PsA include therapies used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite differences in disease presentation which includes factors such as peripheral disease, sacroiliitis, stiffness, presence of rheumatoid factor and psoriasis. Treatment out-comes for PsA are measured by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Responder Index (ACR20) and the Dis-ease Activity Score for 28 joints (DAS28). First-line treatment includes disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine or leflunomide …

Management Of Hyperkalemia To Prevent Cardiac Arrest, Jennifer Harklerode, Amber Paul, Crystal Zheng, Olivia Vanscoy, Olivia Henton, Mark Olah

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Hyperkalemia is a metabolic problem that may be life threatening if left untreated. Cardiac arrhythmias may develop with the potential to lead to cardiac arrest and death. Hyperkalemia can oftentimes be undiagnosed due to the lack of clear, specific symptoms and inconclusive variations in electrocardiogram (ECG) readings and lab values. Therefore, it is important to recognize risk factors that can potentially in-crease serum potassium levels. Screening for medications that increase serum potassium levels and educating patients are steps that both inpatient and outpatient health care professionals can take to increase early detection and prevention of a hyperkalemic episode. It is …

Daclizumab (Zinbryta®): An Emerging Therapy For The Treatment Of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, Morgan Homan, Sunitha Jones, Michaela Louden, Molly Wheeler, Anh Dao Le, Lindsey Peters

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system characterized by the deterioration of the myelin sheath, causing axonal damage which leads to debilitating symptoms. Most therapies for the treatment of MS, including daclizumab, primarily target relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a form of MS where patients experience periods of exacerbated symptoms as well as intermittent periods of remission. Daclizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that is administered as a once monthly subcutaneous injection. The SELECT trilogy of trials have been instrumental in providing safety and efficacy data for daclizumab. The DECIDE study was the first randomized controlled …

Investigating The Physical Stability Of Amorphous Pharmaceutical Formulations, Travis W. Jarrells

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Amorphous formulations, including amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs), consisting of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) intimately mixed in a polymeric matrix, are an attractive formulation approach to improve drug delivery, dissolution, and solubility. However, an amorphous API in an ASD is in a higher energy state compared to the crystalline drug and results in most ASDs being inherently unstable. The polymer helps to stabilize the amorphous drug against crystallization such that the resulting homogenous mixture maintains its solubility advantage relative to the crystalline form. One challenge of ASDs is that the presence of impurities including crystals or residual solvent, variations in …

The Water Solubility Of Ursolic Acid Complexes At Different Choline Concentrations, Sera Lim, Renjie Zhan, Phillip M. Gerk

UROP Posters

No abstract provided.

Biologic Tnf-Α Inhibitors Reduce Microgliosis, Neuronal Loss, And Tau Phosphorylation In A Transgenic Mouse Model Of Tauopathy, Weijun Ou, Joshua Yang, Juste Simanauskaite, Matthew Choi, Demi M. Castellanos, Rudy Chang, Jiahong Sun, Nataraj Jagadeesan, Karen D. Parfitt, David H. Cribbs, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plays a central role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, making biologic TNF-α inhibitors (TNFIs), including etanercept, viable therapeutics for AD. The protective effects of biologic TNFIs on AD hallmark pathology (Aβ deposition and tau pathology) have been demonstrated. However, the effects of biologic TNFIs on Aβ-independent tau pathology have not been reported. Existing biologic TNFIs do not cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB), therefore we engineered a BBB-penetrating biologic TNFI by fusing the extracellular domain of the type-II human TNF-α receptor (TNFR) to a transferrin receptor antibody (TfRMAb) that ferries the TNFR into the brain via …