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2024

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Articles 31 - 60 of 63

Full-Text Articles in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Mechanistic Insight Into The Mode Of Inhibition Of Dietary Flavonoids; Targeting Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor, Ali Raza Siddiqui, Mamona Mushtaq, Madiha Sardar, Lubna Atta, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Aftab Ahmad, Zaheer Ul-Haq Jun 2024

Mechanistic Insight Into The Mode Of Inhibition Of Dietary Flavonoids; Targeting Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor, Ali Raza Siddiqui, Mamona Mushtaq, Madiha Sardar, Lubna Atta, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Aftab Ahmad, Zaheer Ul-Haq

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: The Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF), a key pro-inflammatory mediator, is responsible for modulating immune responses. An array of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases has been linked to the dysregulated activity of MIF. The significance in physiological as well as pathophysiological phenomena underscores the potential of MIF as an attractive target with pharmacological relevance. Extensive research in past has uncovered a number of inhibitors, while the ISO-1, or (S, R)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydro-5-isoxazole acetic acid methyl ester being recognized as a benchmark standard so far. Recent work by Yang and coworkers identified five promising dietary flavonoids, with superior activity compared to the standard …


Design, Synthesis, And Biological Evaluation Of Novel Heterocyclic Compounds For The Treatment Of Cancer And Neurodegenerative Disorders, Saloni Patel May 2024

Design, Synthesis, And Biological Evaluation Of Novel Heterocyclic Compounds For The Treatment Of Cancer And Neurodegenerative Disorders, Saloni Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impairs memory and cognitive judgment, mostly in older people. It is the leading cause of dementia in late adult life. The hallmarks of AD include neuronal loss, neuroinflammation, a build-up of extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and extracellular neuritic plaques. Current treatment, although useful, is not adequate. Identification of therapeutic agents with the potential to alter the progress of AD is a high priority. Recent studies suggest that the Sigma-2 receptor is an attractive target for the development of disease-modifying AD drugs. Preventing the binding of Sigma-2 receptors …


Basic Structure Of The Pharmacophore Virtual Screening Protein 7kg7 For Candidate Therapeutic Options Covid-19, Ahmad Ridha Al Fiqri May 2024

Basic Structure Of The Pharmacophore Virtual Screening Protein 7kg7 For Candidate Therapeutic Options Covid-19, Ahmad Ridha Al Fiqri

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome, namely coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2) has been a pandemic to date and is contagious with relatively high mortality rates. Various efforts have been made to control the pandemic to finding the best solution to reduce the spread such as rapid detection based on molecular and serological, as well as efforts to find the best medicine for COVID-19 patients continue to be carried out. We analyzed and concluded that the presatovir compound is capable of being a substitute for the native protein ligand 7KG7, this is proved with a ΔG value of -13.22 kcal/mol …


Targeting Cancer- One Carbon At A Time: Design And Synthesis Of Pyrimidine Based Heterocycles As Potential Cancer Chemotherapeutics, Md Junayed Nayeen May 2024

Targeting Cancer- One Carbon At A Time: Design And Synthesis Of Pyrimidine Based Heterocycles As Potential Cancer Chemotherapeutics, Md Junayed Nayeen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With over 6 million death counts, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death, accounting for 23% (136,084 death count) of all cancer deaths. Other than that, colon and rectal (9%, 51,869 death count), pancreas (8%, 46,774 death count), female breast (7%, 42,275 death count), prostate (5%, 32,707 death count), and liver and intrahepatic bile duct (5%, 28,227 death count). Other cancers individually accounted for less than 5% of cancer deaths. Although cancer death rates decreased about 27% from 2001 to 2020, the therapeutic options are limited …


An Integrative Review Of The Absorption Of Fda-Approved Chemical Sunscreen Filters Into The Blood, Srinidhi Banala, Samrat Gollapudi, Abhiram Gollapudi, Bhaumik Patel May 2024

An Integrative Review Of The Absorption Of Fda-Approved Chemical Sunscreen Filters Into The Blood, Srinidhi Banala, Samrat Gollapudi, Abhiram Gollapudi, Bhaumik Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Introduction: This integrative review examines the absorption of FDA-approved chemical sunscreen filters, specifically avobenzone and oxybenzone, into the bloodstream. The study aims to compare the levels of absorption and potential health effects of systemic exposure to these sunscreen ingredients in the United States.

Methods: The researchers conducted a literature search of 57 articles, of which 15 were used for the review. Inclusion criteria focused on studies discussing absorption levels of avobenzone and oxybenzone, as well as methods of absorption into the bloodstream. Exclusion criteria included sunscreen ingredients not approved in the United States, non-English studies, and studies on methods to …


Investigating Effects Of Co-Culturing With Vibrio Fischeri On Secondary Metabolite Production Of Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Symbionts, Mariam A. Zedan May 2024

Investigating Effects Of Co-Culturing With Vibrio Fischeri On Secondary Metabolite Production Of Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Symbionts, Mariam A. Zedan

Honors Scholar Theses

Microbes are a fruitful source of natural product drug discovery since many of their secondary metabolites show defensive activity and have unique structures. However, extracting and elucidating the structure of those compounds can be challenging in vitro due to particular environmental and nutritional requirements of some bacteria. Those requirements may include proximity to other organisms that the microbes have symbiotic relationships with. Under those conditions, the organism may activate silent biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) responsible for production of certain secondary metabolites not typically expressed otherwise. One method of BGC induction is co-culturing with other microbes since this mimics the natural …


Amphipathic Hybrid Cyclic-Linear Peptides As A Drug Delivery System, Jonathan Moreno May 2024

Amphipathic Hybrid Cyclic-Linear Peptides As A Drug Delivery System, Jonathan Moreno

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Amphipathic Hybrid Cyclic-Linear Peptides as a Drug Delivery System by Jonathan A. Moreno Peptides

[RW]4 and [R5W4] have been previously identified as molecular transporter Cell Penetrating Peptide (CPP) and antimicrobial agents, respectively. These peptides consisted of alternating and non-alternating arginine (R) as positively charged residues and tryptophan (W) as hydrophobic residues. Herein we report the synthesis of two hybrid amphipathic cyclic-linear cell-penetrating peptides [RW]4K-AH135 (1) and [R5W4]K-AH135 (2) composed of [RW]4 and [R5W4] and a linear peptide AH-135 (Ac)NH-RWLRRWLRWWRR-COOH. The …


Synthesis Of Thermoresponsive Poly(N-Isopropyl Acrylamide) Based Core-Shell And Hollow Shell Nanogel With Tunable Core And Shell Thickness, Mohamad Hijazi, Molla R. Islam May 2024

Synthesis Of Thermoresponsive Poly(N-Isopropyl Acrylamide) Based Core-Shell And Hollow Shell Nanogel With Tunable Core And Shell Thickness, Mohamad Hijazi, Molla R. Islam

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Nanogels have emerged as a notably safer and more effective means for drug delivery, primarily due to their adjustable drug-loading capabilities. Hollow-core nanoparticles offer some unique properties that are desirable for drug delivery applications. Initially, silica core nanoparticles were synthesized using the Stöber process at different temperatures where Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) undergoes hydrolysis in the presence of ethanol and then a condensation reaction to form silica nanoparticles. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Optical Microscopy (OM) analysis revealed that the size of silica core particles varied with the synthesis temperature (300 nm at 30°C to 150 at 60°C). The core silica particles …


Predicting Ffar4 Agonists Using Structure-Based Machine Learning Approach Based On Molecular Fingerprints, Zaid Anis Sherwani, Syeda Sumayya Tariq, Mamona Mushtaq, Ali Raza Siddiqui, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Aftab Ahmed, Zaheer Ul-Haq Apr 2024

Predicting Ffar4 Agonists Using Structure-Based Machine Learning Approach Based On Molecular Fingerprints, Zaid Anis Sherwani, Syeda Sumayya Tariq, Mamona Mushtaq, Ali Raza Siddiqui, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Aftab Ahmed, Zaheer Ul-Haq

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (FFAR4), a G-protein-coupled receptor, is responsible for triggering intracellular signaling pathways that regulate various physiological processes. FFAR4 agonists are associated with enhancing insulin release and mitigating the atherogenic, obesogenic, pro-carcinogenic, and pro-diabetogenic effects, normally associated with the free fatty acids bound to FFAR4. In this research, molecular structure-based machine-learning techniques were employed to evaluate compounds as potential agonists for FFAR4. Molecular structures were encoded into bit arrays, serving as molecular fingerprints, which were subsequently analyzed using the Bayesian network algorithm to identify patterns for screening the data. The shortlisted hits obtained via machine learning protocols …


Broad-Spectrum Activity Of Membranolytic Cationic Macrocyclic Peptides Against Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria And Fungi, Sandeep Lohan, Anastasia G. Konshina, Rakesh K. Tiwari, Roman G. Efremov, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Keykavous Parang Apr 2024

Broad-Spectrum Activity Of Membranolytic Cationic Macrocyclic Peptides Against Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria And Fungi, Sandeep Lohan, Anastasia G. Konshina, Rakesh K. Tiwari, Roman G. Efremov, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains causes severe problems in the treatment of microbial infections owing to limited treatment options. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are drawing considerable attention as promising antibiotic alternative candidates to combat MDR bacterial and fungal infections. Herein, we present a series of small amphiphilic membrane-active cyclic peptides composed, in part, of various nongenetically encoded hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids. Notably, lead cyclic peptides 3b and 4b showed broad-spectrum activity against drug-resistant Gram-positive (MIC = 1.5–6.2 µg/mL) and Gram-negative (MIC = 12.5–25 µg/mL) bacteria, and fungi (MIC = 3.1–12.5 µg/mL). Furthermore, lead peptides displayed substantial antibiofilm action comparable …


Beyond Mitragynine: Composition Survey And Stability Assessment Of Kratom Tea Ordered Via Food Delivery Platforms In Bangkok, Thailand, Yuta Tokuda, Apinya Tubtimrattana, Nat Tansrisawad, Kornvalee Meesilpavikkai, Parath Thirati Apr 2024

Beyond Mitragynine: Composition Survey And Stability Assessment Of Kratom Tea Ordered Via Food Delivery Platforms In Bangkok, Thailand, Yuta Tokuda, Apinya Tubtimrattana, Nat Tansrisawad, Kornvalee Meesilpavikkai, Parath Thirati

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Kratom is a native tree to Southeast Asia. Kratom leaves have long been used medicinally and recreationally due to their stimulative and opioid-like effects attributed to high endogenous levels of mitragynine and related alkaloids. Kratom is widely consumed as tea and is now publicly sold, including on food delivery platforms, after recent decriminalization despite selling of kratom products being still considered illegal by other acts.

Objectives: To assess the formulas of kratom teas sold on Thai food delivery platform together with their consistency and the stability of refrigerated teas.

Methods: Kratom alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, and additive contents of …


Identification And Characterization Of Novel, Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Spermine Oxidase, Amelia Bryn Furbish Apr 2024

Identification And Characterization Of Novel, Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Spermine Oxidase, Amelia Bryn Furbish

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The major intracellular polyamines spermine and spermidine are abundant endogenous compounds that are essential for cellular growth and development. Dysregulation of polyamine metabolism has been implicated as a key mechanism of injury across multiple forms of clinically challenging pathologies. Of the enzymes within the polyamine pathway, the catabolic enzyme spermine oxidase (SMOX) is of particular interest as it is subject to induction in response to infection, neuronal excitotoxicity, ischemia, and oxidative stress. In addition to the loss of radical scavenging capabilities associated with spermine depletion, catabolism of spermine by SMOX results in the production of toxic byproducts, including H2 …


Impact Of Blender Type On Tribocharging In Pharmaceutical Powders Using Surface Modified V-Blender, Ami Shah Apr 2024

Impact Of Blender Type On Tribocharging In Pharmaceutical Powders Using Surface Modified V-Blender, Ami Shah

Honors Scholar Theses

Powders are a vital component of the pharmaceutical industry as they provide the basis for many solid dosage forms like tablets and capsules. Although, when using powders a common challenge is electrostatic charge accumulation due to numerous particle-particle and particle-wall collisions. This accumulated charge can lead then to poor powder homogeneity and compromised powder flow properties. In this study, tribocharging of pharmaceutical powders was analyzed using various V-blenders and mixing times . The evaluated blenders include: Aluminum, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and surface modified Aluminum-PVC. Using the blenders, the model drug, Ibuprofen, was processed for different time intervals such as 5, …


An Injectable In Situ Forming Collagen/Alginate/Caso4 Composite Hydrogel For Tissue Engineering Applications: Optimization, Characterization And In Vitro Assessments, Samar A. Salim, Samar A. Salim Mar 2024

An Injectable In Situ Forming Collagen/Alginate/Caso4 Composite Hydrogel For Tissue Engineering Applications: Optimization, Characterization And In Vitro Assessments, Samar A. Salim, Samar A. Salim

Nanotechnology Research Centre

In situ injectable hydrogels are effectively employed to fill irregular cavitary bone defects with initiating bone growth in targeted areas. Herein, an injectable composited hydrogel composed of collagen and alginate cross-linked in situ using different concentrations of calcium sulfate (0.15, 0.3 and 0.6%, wt./v) was synthesized. Recently, CaSO4 is frequently supported as a bone graft material for bone regeneration, owing to its biocompatibility and osteoconductive properties. Moreover, hydroxyapatite (Hap) after salinization-step by (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) was incorporated for further enhancing the osteoconductive property of injected hydrogels. All fabricated hydrogels were characterized by SEM, FTIR and XRD analyses. While physiochemical characteristics …


Smart Spectrophotometric Approaches For Estimation Of Difluprednate In Existence Of Its Synthetic Precursor And Alkaline Degradation Product; Comparative Statistical Studies And Analytical Ecological Appraisal, Heidi R. Abd El-Hadi, Basma M. Eltanany, Hala E. Zaazaa, Maya S. Eissa Mar 2024

Smart Spectrophotometric Approaches For Estimation Of Difluprednate In Existence Of Its Synthetic Precursor And Alkaline Degradation Product; Comparative Statistical Studies And Analytical Ecological Appraisal, Heidi R. Abd El-Hadi, Basma M. Eltanany, Hala E. Zaazaa, Maya S. Eissa

Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University

Scientists are currently attempting to lessen the harmful effects that chemicals and solvents have on the environment. The current work suggests four sensitive and sustainable spectrophotometric techniques for quantifying difluprednate (DIF) in presence of hydrocortisone acetate, which is a synthetic precursor of DIF, and in the presence of DIF alkaline degradation product. These methods are dual wavelength, fourier self-deconvolution, first derivative, and double divisor derivative ratio. The linearity range for all methods was 15.00-40.00 µg/mL. There is no statistically significant difference between established and reported methods, and the suggested strategies are more environmentally friendly than the reported one.


Mechanistic Investigation Of C—C Bond Activation Of Phosphaalkynes With Pt(0) Complexes, Roberto M. Escobar, Abdurrahman C. Ateşin, Christian Müller, William D. Jones, Tülay Ateşin Mar 2024

Mechanistic Investigation Of C—C Bond Activation Of Phosphaalkynes With Pt(0) Complexes, Roberto M. Escobar, Abdurrahman C. Ateşin, Christian Müller, William D. Jones, Tülay Ateşin

Research Symposium

Carbon–carbon (C–C) bond activation has gained increased attention as a direct method for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals. Due to the thermodynamic stability and kinetic inaccessibility of the C–C bonds, however, activation of C–C bonds by homogeneous transition-metal catalysts under mild homogeneous conditions is still a challenge. Most of the systems in which the activation occurs either have aromatization or relief of ring strain as the primary driving force. The activation of unstrained C–C bonds of phosphaalkynes does not have this advantage. This study employs Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to elucidate Pt(0)-mediated C–CP bond activation mechanisms in phosphaalkynes. Investigating the …


Modulation Of Hippocampal Protein Expression By A Brain Penetrant Biologic Tnf-Α Inhibitor In The 3xtg Alzheimer’S Disease Mice, Nataraj Jagadeesan, G. Chuli Roules, Devaraj V. Chandrashekar, Joshua Yang, Sanjana Kolluru, Rachita K. Sumbria Mar 2024

Modulation Of Hippocampal Protein Expression By A Brain Penetrant Biologic Tnf-Α Inhibitor In The 3xtg Alzheimer’S Disease Mice, Nataraj Jagadeesan, G. Chuli Roules, Devaraj V. Chandrashekar, Joshua Yang, Sanjana Kolluru, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Biologic TNF-α inhibitors (bTNFIs) can block cerebral TNF-α in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) if these macromolecules can cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Thus, a model bTNFI, the extracellular domain of type II TNF-α receptor (TNFR), which can bind to and sequester TNF-α, was fused with a mouse transferrin receptor antibody (TfRMAb) to enable brain delivery via BBB TfR-mediated transcytosis. Previously, we found TfRMAb-TNFR to be protective in a mouse model of amyloidosis (APP/PS1) and tauopathy (PS19), and herein we investigated its effects in mice that combine both amyloidosis and tauopathy (3xTg-AD).

Methods

Eight-month-old female 3xTg-AD mice were injected intraperitoneally with …


A Novel Micropeptide, Slitharin, Exerts Cardioprotective Effects In Myocardial Infarction, Ahmed G. E. Ibrahim, Alessandra Ciullo, Shukuro Yamaguchi, Chang Li, Travis Antes, Xaviar Jones, Liang Li, Ramachandran Murali, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Niveda Sundararaman, Daniel Soetkamp, Eugenio Cingolani, Jennifer Van Eyk, Eduardo Marbán Mar 2024

A Novel Micropeptide, Slitharin, Exerts Cardioprotective Effects In Myocardial Infarction, Ahmed G. E. Ibrahim, Alessandra Ciullo, Shukuro Yamaguchi, Chang Li, Travis Antes, Xaviar Jones, Liang Li, Ramachandran Murali, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Niveda Sundararaman, Daniel Soetkamp, Eugenio Cingolani, Jennifer Van Eyk, Eduardo Marbán

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: Micropeptides are an emerging class of proteins that play critical roles in cell signaling. Here, we describe the discovery of a novel micropeptide, dubbed slitharin (Slt), in conditioned media from Cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), a therapeutic cardiac stromal cell type.

Experimental design: We performed mass spectrometry of peptide-enriched fractions from the conditioned media of CDCs and a therapeutically inert cell type (human dermal fibrobasts). We then evaluated the therapeutic capacity of the candidate peptide using an in vitro model of cardiomyocyte injury and a rat model of myocardial infarction.

Results: We identified a novel 24-amino acid micropeptide …


Six-Month Report Assessing The Feasibility And Effectiveness Of Amniotic Membrane Injections In Patients With Short, Anterior, Urethral Strictures, Nicholas Pryde, Jack Vernocke, Aron Liaw, Michael Sessine, Nivedita Dhar Mar 2024

Six-Month Report Assessing The Feasibility And Effectiveness Of Amniotic Membrane Injections In Patients With Short, Anterior, Urethral Strictures, Nicholas Pryde, Jack Vernocke, Aron Liaw, Michael Sessine, Nivedita Dhar

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Urethral stricture treatment has high recurrence rates and adjunct injectable agents have been explored. Amniotic membranes (AM) promote apoptosis of pro-inflammatory cells, prevent differentiation of pro-fibrotic cells, and decrease scar formation. These tissues generated interest in reconstructive urethral surgery. Thus, we performed urethral dilation combined with micronized AM injection in urethral scar tissue for treatment of urethral stricture.

Materials and Methods: Adult males with strictures ≤12Fr in diameter and ≤2 cm in length, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) ≥11 and maximum flowrate <15 ml/s. Reconstituted 100mg micronized AM was injected at the time of urethral dilation. Primary study end point was anatomical success (≥14Fr by cystoscopy) at 6 months. Secondary end points were questionnaires, flow rate, and post void residual. Outcomes assessed at baseline, 5 days, 14 days, 3 months, and 6 months post-injection. Safety was analyzed.

Results: Ten men, mean age of 52 ± 15 years, were included. There were 7 patients with …


Repurposing Of Us-Fda-Approved Drugs As Negative Modulators Of Ubiquitin Specific Protease-7 (Usp7), Seema Zadi, Sumaira Javaid, Atia-Tul-Wahab, Humaira Zafar, Muhammad Awais, Innokentiy Maslennikov, M. Iqbal Choudhary Feb 2024

Repurposing Of Us-Fda-Approved Drugs As Negative Modulators Of Ubiquitin Specific Protease-7 (Usp7), Seema Zadi, Sumaira Javaid, Atia-Tul-Wahab, Humaira Zafar, Muhammad Awais, Innokentiy Maslennikov, M. Iqbal Choudhary

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Ubiquitin-specific protease7 (USP7) regulates the stability of the p53 tumor suppressor protein and several other proteins critical for tumor cell survival. Aberrant expression of USP7 facilitates human malignancies by altering the activity of proto-oncogenes/proteins, and tumor suppressor genes. Therefore, USP7 is a validated anti-cancer drug target. In this study, a drug repurposing approach was used to identify new hits against the USP7 enzyme. It is one of the most strategic approaches to find new uses for drugs in a cost- and time-effective way. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-based screening of 172 drugs identified 11 compounds that bind to the catalytic domain of …


Genome-Wide Mutagenesis To Investigate The N-Terminal Methylome: The Protective Effects Of Hsp31 And Other Methylated Proteins In Yeast, James Rooney, Jacob Lindsey Jan 2024

Genome-Wide Mutagenesis To Investigate The N-Terminal Methylome: The Protective Effects Of Hsp31 And Other Methylated Proteins In Yeast, James Rooney, Jacob Lindsey

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of methylation in regulating the cellular stress response of Hsp31 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells. Hsp31 is known to be methylated by the N-terminal methyltransferase Tae1. Changing the methylation site can affect the methylation status of Hsp31, which may play a role in the protective activity of Hsp31 against cellular stress. GLO1 is a gene in yeast involved in catalyzing the detoxification of methylglyoxal (MGO), which is a by-product of glycolysis. We established that S. cerevisiae in the glo1Δ and background is sensitive to cellular stress by MGO. Mutant strains …


Oxidative Stress And Ion Channels In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Razan Orfali, Adnan Z. Alwatban, Rawan S. Orfali, Liz Lau, Noble Chea, Abdullah M. Alotaibi, Young-Woo Nam, Miao Zhang Jan 2024

Oxidative Stress And Ion Channels In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Razan Orfali, Adnan Z. Alwatban, Rawan S. Orfali, Liz Lau, Noble Chea, Abdullah M. Alotaibi, Young-Woo Nam, Miao Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Numerous neurodegenerative diseases result from altered ion channel function and mutations. The intracellular redox status can significantly alter the gating characteristics of ion channels. Abundant neurodegenerative diseases associated with oxidative stress have been documented, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, spinocerebellar ataxia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington’s disease. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species compounds trigger posttranslational alterations that target specific sites within the subunits responsible for channel assembly. These alterations include the adjustment of cysteine residues through redox reactions induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitration, and S-nitrosylation assisted by nitric oxide of tyrosine residues through peroxynitrite. Several ion channels have been directly …


De Novo Drug Design Using Transformer-Based Machine Translation And Reinforcement Learning Of An Adaptive Monte Carlo Tree Search, Dony Ang, Cyril Rakovski, Hagop S. Atamian Jan 2024

De Novo Drug Design Using Transformer-Based Machine Translation And Reinforcement Learning Of An Adaptive Monte Carlo Tree Search, Dony Ang, Cyril Rakovski, Hagop S. Atamian

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The discovery of novel therapeutic compounds through de novo drug design represents a critical challenge in the field of pharmaceutical research. Traditional drug discovery approaches are often resource intensive and time consuming, leading researchers to explore innovative methods that harness the power of deep learning and reinforcement learning techniques. Here, we introduce a novel drug design approach called drugAI that leverages the Encoder–Decoder Transformer architecture in tandem with Reinforcement Learning via a Monte Carlo Tree Search (RL-MCTS) to expedite the process of drug discovery while ensuring the production of valid small molecules with drug-like characteristics and strong binding affinities towards …


Behavioral Effects Of Novel Treatments For Pain Using Different Pathways, Danya M I Aldaghma Jan 2024

Behavioral Effects Of Novel Treatments For Pain Using Different Pathways, Danya M I Aldaghma

Theses and Dissertations

Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensation that is mostly caused by a stimulus from our surroundings. This sensation has the potential to become a significant concern, disrupting daily activities, and diminishing overall quality of life. However, it could also hold significant importance as it serves as a protective mechanism. Pain acts as an alarm system for the human body, alerting it to potentially harmful situations where tissues may be at risk of damage1. Despite the considerable advancements in pain treatment and the extensive knowledge scientists possess regarding the pathophysiology and pathways of pain, numerous medications aimed at alleviating pain …


Increasing The Efficacy Of Actinomycin D With Resveratrol In Aerodigestive Tract Cancers, Lukmon Morenikeji Raji Jan 2024

Increasing The Efficacy Of Actinomycin D With Resveratrol In Aerodigestive Tract Cancers, Lukmon Morenikeji Raji

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Chemotherapy poses a significant challenge for cancer patients due to drug-associated toxicity, which often results from their effects on both healthy (normal) and cancerous cells. While various options aim to reduce toxicity and optimize beneficial effects, a comprehensive solution remains elusive. Cyclotherapy is one such approach developed to protect normal cells from the toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs. The basic principle underlying cyclotherapy is p53- dependent cell cycle arrest of normal cells while killing cancer cells via a p53-independent mechanism using a second drug. In our research, we investigated the inhibitory effects of a combination of two low-dose anticancer drugs, …


Clinical Practice Guideline For The Management Of Depression In Primary Care, Estrella Catherine Villarreal Jan 2024

Clinical Practice Guideline For The Management Of Depression In Primary Care, Estrella Catherine Villarreal

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: The prevalence of depression poses a significant challenge in primary care, emphasizing the urgent need to address this issue during patient visits. Primary care providers are at the forefront of managing depression, yet they encounter difficulties in screening, diagnosing, assessing, and treating this complex condition. Clinical guidelines serve as valuable tools for primary care providers and practices, offering support in identifying and addressing depression effectively. An evidence-based approach to treating depression in primary care, with a focus on collaborative interventions with behavioral health to enhance depression management for American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) communities.

Methods: The descriptive analysis was conducted …


Ai Renaissance: Pharmaceuticals And Diagnostic Medicine, Ty J. Feeney, Michael S. Sinha Jan 2024

Ai Renaissance: Pharmaceuticals And Diagnostic Medicine, Ty J. Feeney, Michael S. Sinha

All Faculty Scholarship

The explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the modern era has led to significant advancements in the world of medicine. In drug discovery, AI technology is used to classify proteins as drug targets or non-targets for specific diseases, more accurately interpret and describe pharmacology in a quantitative fashion, and predict protein structures based on only a protein sequence for input. AI methods are used in drug development to generate predictive models for drug screening purposes, refine and modify candidate structures of drugs to optimize compounds, and predict a drug’s physiochemical properties, bioactivity, and toxicity. For medical devices, the advancement …


Investigating The Association Of Demographic Factors On Methotrexate Delay-Clearance And Toxicity In Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Retrospective Chart Review, Belal Alabdul Razzak Jan 2024

Investigating The Association Of Demographic Factors On Methotrexate Delay-Clearance And Toxicity In Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Retrospective Chart Review, Belal Alabdul Razzak

Honors Undergraduate Theses

High-dose methotrexate (HD MTX) is critical for treating pediatric malignancies such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and neuro-carcinoma. However, its significant toxicity due to drug accumulation poses substantial risks. This retrospective study assesses the impact of demographic factors on MTX toxicity and clearance in pediatric oncology patients. Patient records from Saint Mary Hospital were analyzed, focusing on two MTX administration protocols: a 24-hour infusion followed by alkaline hydration and a 4-hour infusion followed by alkaline hydration. We hypothesize that factors such as age, body surface area (BSA), and body mass index (BMI) are associated with MTX clearance and toxicity. The study …


Exploration Of Dopaminergic And Serotonergic Pathways Utilizing Pleiotropic Agents, Charles B. Jones Iii Jan 2024

Exploration Of Dopaminergic And Serotonergic Pathways Utilizing Pleiotropic Agents, Charles B. Jones Iii

Theses and Dissertations

2-(Benzoyl)piperidines (BPs) are at a crossroads of therapy and abuse. These compounds are a hybrid between the ADHD medication methylphenidate and abused stimulant cathinones. Here we use computational molecular modeling, synthesis, mutagenesis, and epifluorescence microscopy to further improve the understanding of and potential treatments for several neuropsychiatric disorders. Utilizing the BP scaffold and controlling chirality and aryl substitution, these agents were examined at DAT and SERT. From these investigations it has now been established that R isomer BPs are favored for DAT while S isomer BPs are favored for SERT. Aryl-substitution can greatly affect the selectivity of these agents with …


Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking, And Molecular Dynamic Studies Of Novel Quinazoline Derivatives As Phosphodiesterase 7 Inhibitors, Marwa M. Safar Prof. Dr. Jan 2024

Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking, And Molecular Dynamic Studies Of Novel Quinazoline Derivatives As Phosphodiesterase 7 Inhibitors, Marwa M. Safar Prof. Dr.

Pharmacy

Introduction: Phosphodiesterase 7 (PDE7) is a high-affinity cyclic AMP (cAMP)- specific PDE that is expressed in immune and proinflammatory cells. In this work, we explore the possibility that selective small molecule inhibitors of this enzyme family could provide a novel approach to alleviate the inflammation that is associated with many inflammatory diseases. Methods: A series of novel substituted 4-hydrazinoquinazoline derivatives and fused triazoloquinazolines were designed, synthesized, and evaluated in vitro for their PDE7A inhibition activities, in comparison with Theophylline, a non-selective PDE inhibitor, and BRL50481, a selective PDE7A inhibitor. This series of novel quinazoline derivatives were synthesized via multi-step reactions. …