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  1. Fulltext Understanding, perceptions and self-use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among Malaysian pharmacy students
    Hasan SS, Yong CS, Babar MG, Naing CM, Hameed A, Baig MR, et al.
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2011 Oct 13;11:95.
    PMID: 21992582 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-11-95
    BACKGROUND: In recent times the basic understanding, perceptions and CAM use among undergraduate health sciences students have become a topic of interest. This study was aimed to investigate the understanding, perceptions and self-use of CAM among pharmacy students in Malaysia.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 systematically sampled pharmacy students from two private and one public university. A validated, self-administered questionnaire comprised of seven sections was used to gather the data. A systematic sampling was applied to recruit the students. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied using SPSS® version 18.

    RESULTS: Overall, the students tend to disagree that complementary therapies (CM) are a threat to public health (mean score = 3.6) and agreed that CMs include ideas and methods from which conventional medicine could benefit (mean score = 4.7). More than half (57.8%) of the participants were currently using CAM while 77.6% had used it previously. Among the current CAM modalities used by the students, CM (21.9%) was found to be the most frequently used CAM followed by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (21%). Most of the students (74.8%) believed that lack of scientific evidence is one of the most important barriers obstructing them to use CAM. More than half of the students perceived TCM (62.8%) and music therapy (53.8%) to be effective. Majority of them (69.3%) asserted that CAM knowledge is necessary to be a well-rounded professional.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a high-percentage of pharmacy students who were using or had previously used at least one type of CAM. Students of higher professional years tend to agree that CMs include ideas and methods from which conventional medicine could benefit.

  2. Uncovering Potentially Therapeutic Phytochemicals, In silico Analysis, and Biological Assessment of South-Chinese Red Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus)
    Asghar A, Huichun L, Fang Q, Khan NA, Shahid M, Rui W, et al.
    Plant Foods Hum Nutr, 2024 Feb 16.
    PMID: 38363439 DOI: 10.1007/s11130-024-01151-4
    Red dragon fruit is gaining popularity globally due to its nutritional value and bioactive components. The study aimed to assess the phytochemical, nutritional composition, antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic properties of extracts from the South Chinese red dragon fruit peel, flesh, and seeds. Extract fractions with increasing polarity (ethyl acetate
  3. The use of transgenic parasites in malaria vaccine research
    Othman AS, Marin-Mogollon C, Salman AM, Franke-Fayard BM, Janse CJ, Khan SM
    Expert Rev Vaccines, 2017 Jul;16(7):1-13.
    PMID: 28525963 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2017.1333426
    INTRODUCTION: Transgenic malaria parasites expressing foreign genes, for example fluorescent and luminescent proteins, are used extensively to interrogate parasite biology and host-parasite interactions associated with malaria pathology. Increasingly transgenic parasites are also exploited to advance malaria vaccine development. Areas covered: We review how transgenic malaria parasites are used, in vitro and in vivo, to determine protective efficacy of different antigens and vaccination strategies and to determine immunological correlates of protection. We describe how chimeric rodent parasites expressing P. falciparum or P. vivax antigens are being used to directly evaluate and rank order human malaria vaccines before their advancement to clinical testing. In addition, we describe how transgenic human and rodent parasites are used to develop and evaluate live (genetically) attenuated vaccines. Expert commentary: Transgenic rodent and human malaria parasites are being used to both identify vaccine candidate antigens and to evaluate both sub-unit and whole organism vaccines before they are advanced into clinical testing. Transgenic parasites combined with in vivo pre-clinical testing models (e.g. mice) are used to evaluate vaccine safety, potency and the durability of protection as well as to uncover critical protective immune responses and to refine vaccination strategies.
  4. Fulltext The Plasmodium falciparum male gametocyte protein P230p, a paralog of P230, is vital for ookinete formation and mosquito transmission
    Marin-Mogollon C, van de Vegte-Bolmer M, van Gemert GJ, van Pul FJA, Ramesar J, Othman AS, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2018 10 08;8(1):14902.
    PMID: 30297725 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33236-x
    Two members of 6-cysteine (6-cys) protein family, P48/45 and P230, are important for gamete fertility in rodent and human malaria parasites and are leading transmission blocking vaccine antigens. Rodent and human parasites encode a paralog of P230, called P230p. While P230 is expressed in male and female parasites, P230p is expressed only in male gametocytes and gametes. In rodent malaria parasites this protein is dispensable throughout the complete life-cycle; however, its function in P. falciparum is unknown. Using CRISPR/Cas9 methodology we disrupted the gene encoding Pfp230p resulting in P. falciparum mutants (PfΔp230p) lacking P230p expression. The PfΔp230p mutants produced normal numbers of male and female gametocytes, which retained expression of P48/45 and P230. Upon activation male PfΔp230p gametocytes undergo exflagellation and form male gametes. However, male gametes are unable to attach to red blood cells resulting in the absence of characteristic exflagellation centres in vitro. In the absence of P230p, zygote formation as well as oocyst and sporozoite development were strongly reduced (>98%) in mosquitoes. These observations demonstrate that P230p, like P230 and P48/45, has a vital role in P. falciparum male fertility and zygote formation and warrants further investigation as a potential transmission blocking vaccine candidate.
  5. Synthesis, spectral analysis and biological evaluation of 2-{[(morpholin-4-yl)ethyl]thio}-5-phenyl/aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives
    Ur-Rehman A, Khan SG, Naqvi SAR, Ahmad M, Akhtar N, Bokhari TH, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2021 Jan;34(1(Special)):441-446.
    PMID: 34275792
    A series of new derivatives of 4-(2-chloroethyl)morpholine hydrochloride (5) were efficiently synthesized. Briefly, different aromatic organic acids (1a-f) were refluxed to acquire respective esters (2a-f) using conc. H2SO4 as catalyst. The esters were subjected to nucleophillic substitution by monohydrated hydrazine to acquire hydrazides (3a-f). The hydrazides were cyclized with CS2 in the presence of KOH to yield corresponding oxadiazoles (4a-f). Finally, the derivatives, 6a-f, were prepared by reacting oxadiazoles (4a-f) with 5 using NaH as activator. Structures of all the derivatives were elucidated through 1D-NMR EI-MS and IR spectral data. All these molecules were subjected to antibacterial and hemolytic activities and showed good antibacterial and hemolytic potential relative to the reference standards.
  6. Synthesis, pharmacological screening and computational analysis of some 2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-N'-[(un)substituted phenylmethylidene] acetohydrazides and 2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-N'-[(un)substituted benzoyl/2-thienylcarbonyl]acetohydrazides
    Rubab K, Abbasi MA, Rehman A, Siddiqui SZ, Shah SAA, Ashraf M, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2017 Jul;30(4):1263-1274.
    PMID: 29039324
    The undertaken research was initiated by transforming 2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)acetic acid (1) in catalytic amount of sulfuric acid and ethanol to ethyl 2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)acetate (2), which was then reacted with hydrazine monohydrate in methanol to form 2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)acetohydrazide (3). Further, The reaction scheme was designed into two pathways where, first pathway involved The reaction of 3 with substituted aromatic aldehydes (4a-o) in methanol with few drops of glacial acetic acid to generate 2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-N'-[(un)substitutedphenylmethylidene]acetohydrazides (5a-o) and in second pathway 3 was reacted with acyl halides (6a-e) in basic aqueous medium (pH 9-10) to afford 2-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-N'-[(un)substitutedbenzoyl/2-thienylcarbonyl]acetohydrazides (7a-e). All The synthesized derivatives were characterized by IR, EI-MS and 1H-NMR spectral techniques and evaluated for their anti-bacterial potentials against Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains and it was found that compounds 7a-d exhibited antibacterial activities very close to standard Ciprofloxacin. The synthesized derivatives demonstrated moderate to weak anti-enzymatic potential against α-Glucosidase and Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) where, compounds 7c and 5c exhibited comparatively better inhibition against these enzymes respectively. Compounds 7a, 7d and 7e showed excellent anti-enzymatic potentials against Lipoxygenase (LOX) and their IC50 values were much lower than the reference standard Baicalein. Enzyme inhibitory activities were also supported by computational docking results. Compounds 5c, 7a, 7b and 7c also showed low values of % hemolytic activity as well, showing that these molecules were not toxic, indicating that these molecules can be utilized as potential therapeutic agents against inflammatory ailments.
  7. Synthesis, molecular docking, dynamic simulations, kinetic mechanism, cytotoxicity evaluation of N-(substituted-phenyl)-4-{(4-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]-1-piperazinyl} butanamides as tyrosinase and melanin inhibitors: In vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches
    Raza H, Abbasi MA, Aziz-Ur-Rehman, Siddiqui SZ, Hassan M, Abbas Q, et al.
    Bioorg Chem, 2020 01;94:103445.
    PMID: 31826809 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.103445
    In the current research work, different N-(substituted-phenyl)-4-{(4-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]-1-piperazinyl}butanamides have been synthesized according to the protocol described in scheme 1. The synthesis was initiated by reacting various substituted anilines (1a-e) with 4-chlorobutanoyl chloride (2) in aqueous basic medium to give various electrophiles, 4-chloro-N-(substituted-phenyl)butanamides (3a-e). These electrophiles were then coupled with 1-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]piperazine (4) in polar aprotic medium to attain the targeted N-(substituted-phenyl)-4-{(4-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]-1-piperazinyl}butanamides (5a-e). The structures of all derivatives were identified and characterized by proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon-nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) and Infra-Red (IR) spectral data along with CHN analysis. The in vitro inhibitory potential of these butanamides was evaluated against Mushroom tyrosinase, whereby all compounds were found to be biologically active. Among them, 5b exhibited highest inhibitory potential with IC50 value of 0.013 ± 0.001 µM. The same compound 5b was also assayed through in vivo approach, and it was explored that it significantly reduced the pigments in zebrafish. The in silico studies were also in agreement with aforesaid results. Moreover, these molecules were profiled for their cytotoxicity through hemolytic activity, and it was found that except 5e, all other compounds showed minimal toxicity. The compound 5a also exhibited comparable results. Hence, some of these compounds might be worthy candidates for the formulation and development of depigmentation drugs with minimum side effects.
  8. Synthesis, characterization, antibacterial, hemolytic and thrombolytic activity evaluation of 5-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-((N-(substituted)-2-acetamoyl)sulfanyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives
    Aziz-Ur-Rehman -, Khan SG, Bokhari TH, Anjum F, Akhter N, Rasool S, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2020 Mar;33(2(Supplementary)):871-876.
    PMID: 32863264
    A novel series of 5-(3-Chlorophenyl)-2-((N-(substituted)-2-acetamoyl)sulfanyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives was efficiently synthesized and screened for antibacterial, hemolytic and thrombolytic activities. The molecule 7c remained the best inhibitor of all selected bacterial strains and furthermore possessed very low toxicity, 8.52±0.31. Compound 7a 7b and 7f showed very good thrombolytic activity relative to Streptokinase employed as reference drug. In addition to low toxicity and moderately good thrombolytic activity, the synthesized compounds possessed excellent to moderate antibacterial activity, relative to ciprofloxacin. All compounds especially 7b and 7f can be consider for further clinical studies and might be helpful in synthesis of new drugs for treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
  9. Synthesis, Bacterial biofilm inhibition and cytotoxicity of new N-Alkyl/aralkyl-N-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-yl)-4-nitrobenzenesulfonamides
    Abbasi MA, Zeb A, Rehman A, Siddiqui SZ, Shah SAA, Shahid M, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2020 Jan;33(1):41-47.
    PMID: 32122829
    The current research was commenced by reaction of 1,4-benzodioxane-6-amine (1) with 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl chloride (2) in the presence of aqueous base under dynamic pH control at 9 to yield N-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-yl)-4-nitrobenzenesulfonamide (3) which was further reacted with a series of alkyl/aralkyl halides (4a-i) in polar aprotic solvent using catalytic amount of lithium hydride which acts as base to afford some new N-alkyl/aralkyl-N-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-yl)-4-nitrobenzenesulfonamides (5a-i). The projected structures of all the synthesized derivatives were characterized by contemporary techniques i.e., IR, 1H-NMR and EIMS. The biofilm Inhibitory action of all synthesized molecules was carried out against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. It was inferred from their results that 5f and 5e exhibited suitable inhibitory action against the biofilms of these bacterial strains. Moreover, their cytotoxicity was also checked and it was concluded that these synthesized molecules displayed docile cytotoxicity.
  10. Synthesis of some new N-(alkyl/aralkyl)-N-(4-methoxyphenethyl) benzene sulfonamides as antibacterial agents against Escherichia
    Abbasi MA, Fatima Z, Rehman AU, Siddiqui SZ, Ali Shah SA, Shahid M, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2019 Sep;32(5):1957-1964.
    PMID: 31813858
    The present study comprises the synthesis of a new series of benzenesulfonamides derived from N-sulfonation of 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-ethanamine (1). The synthesis was initiated by the reaction of 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-ethanamine (1) with benzenesulfonyl chloride (2), to yield N-(4-methoxyphenethyl)benzenesulfonamide (3). This parent molecule 3 was subsequently treated with various alkyl/aralkyl halides (4a-j) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and in the presence of a weak base lithium hydride (LiH) to obtain various N-(alkyl/aralkyl)-N-(4-methoxyphenethyl) benzenesulfonamides (5a-j). The characterization of these derivatives was carried out by spectroscopic techniques like IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. Elemental analysis also supported this data. The biofilm inhibitory action of all the synthesized compounds was carried out on Escherichia coli and some of the compounds were identified to be very suitable inhibitors of this bacterial strain. Furthermore, the molecules were also tested for their cytotoxicity behavior to assess their utility as less cytotoxic therapeutic agents.
  11. Synthesis of some new 2-[4-(2-furoyl)-1-piperazinyl]-N-aryl/aralkyl acetamides as potent antibacterial agents
    Hussain G, Abbasi MA, Rehman A, Siddiqui SZ, Shah SAA, Ahmad I, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 May;31(3):857-866.
    PMID: 29716866
    In this work, a new series of 2-[4-(2-furoyl)-1-piperazinyl]-N-aryl/aralkyl acetamides has been synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial potential. The synthesis was initiated by the reaction of different aryl/aralkyl amines (1a-u) with 2-bromoacetylbromide (2) to obtain N-aryl/aralkyl-2-bromoacetamides (3a-u). Equimolar quantities of different N-aryl/aralkyl-2-bromoacetamides (3a-u) and 2-furoyl-1-piperazine (4) was allowed to react in acetonitrile and in the presence of K2CO3, to form 2-[4-(2-furoyl)-1-piperazinyl]-N-aryl/aralkyl acetamides (5a-u). The structural elucidation was done by EI-MS, IR and 1H-NMR techniques of all the synthesized compounds. All of the synthesized molecules were active against various Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains. Among them 5o and 5c showed very excellent MIC values. The cytotoxicity of the molecules was also checked to find their utility as possible therapeutic agents, where 5c (0.51%) and 5g (1.32%) are found to be least toxic in the series.
  12. Synthesis of some N-sulfonated derivatives of 1-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]piperazine as suitable antibacterial agents
    Abbasi MA, Ijaz M, Aziz-Ur-Rehman -, Siddiqui SZ, Ali Shah SA, Shahid M, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2020 Jul;33(4):1609-1616.
    PMID: 33583794
    In the planned research work, the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]piperazine (1) was carried out with different sulfonyl chlorides (2a-g) at pH 9-10 to synthesize its different N-sulfonated derivatives (3a-g). The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized by their proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), carbon-nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) and Infra Red (IR) spectral data, along with CHN analysis. The inhibition potential of the synthesized molecules was ascertained against two bacterial pathogenic strains i.e. Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. It was inferred from the results that some of the compounds were very suitable inhibitors of these bacterial strains. Moreover, their cytotoxicity was also profiled and it was outcome that most of these molecules possessed moderate cytotoxicity.
  13. Synthesis of new S-substituted derivatives of 5-[3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylhydrosulfide as suitable antibacterial and anticancer agents with moderate cytotoxicity
    Nazir M, Abbasi MA, Aziz-Ur-Rehman -, Siddiqui SZ, Ali Shah SA, Shahid M, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2019 Nov;32(6):2585-2597.
    PMID: 31969290
    In the study presented here, the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 5-[3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylhydrosulfide was carried out with different alkyl/aralkyl halides (5a-r) to form its different S-substituted derivatives (6a-r), as depicted in scheme 1. The structural confirmation of all the synthesized compounds was done by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and CHN analysis data. Bacterial biofilm inhibitory activity of all the synthesized compounds was carried out against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The anticancer activity of these molecules was ascertained using anti-proliferation (SRB) assay on HCT 116 Colon Cancer Cell lines while the cytotoxicity of these molecules was profiled for their haemolytic potential. From this investigation it was rational that most of the compounds exhibited suitable antibacterial and anticancer potential along with a temperate cytotoxicity.
  14. Synthesis of 2-Furyl[(4-aralkyl)-1-piperazinyl]methanone derivatives as suitable antibacterial agents with mild cytotoxicity
    Abbasi MA, Nazeer MM, Rehman A, Siddiqui SZ, Hussain G, Shah SA, et al.
    Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Nov;31(6):2477-2485.
    PMID: 30473521
    The aim of the present research work was synthesis of some 2-furyl[(4-aralkyl)-1-piperazinyl]methanone derivatives and to ascertain their antibacterial potential. The cytotoxicity of these molecules was also checked to find out their utility as possible therapeutic agents. The synthesis was initiated by reacting furyl(-1-piperazinyl)methanone (1) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and lithium hydride with different aralkyl halides (2a-j) to afford 2-furyl[(4-aralkyl)-1-piperazinyl]methanone derivatives (3a-j). The structural confirmation of all the synthesized compounds was done by IR, EI-MS, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectral techniques and through elemental analysis. The results of in vitro antibacterial activity of all the synthesized compounds were screened against Gram-negative (S. typhi, E. coli, P. aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (B. subtilis, S. aureus) bacteria and were found to be decent inhibitors. Amongst the synthesized molecules, 3e showed lowest minimum inhibitory concentration MIC = 7.52±0.μg/mL against S. Typhi, credibly due to the presence of 2-bromobenzyl group, relative to the reference standard, ciprofloxacin, having MIC = 7.45±0.58μg/mL.
  15. Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of tyrosinase inhibiting novel bi-heterocyclic acetamides: Mechanistic insights through enzyme inhibition, kinetics and computational studies
    Butt ARS, Abbasi MA, Aziz-Ur-Rehman, Siddiqui SZ, Raza H, Hassan M, et al.
    Bioorg Chem, 2019 05;86:459-472.
    PMID: 30772647 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.01.036
    The present research was designed for the selective synthesis of novel bi-heterocyclic acetamides, 9a-n, and their tyrosinase inhibition to overwhelm the problem of melanogenesis. The structures of newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral techniques such as 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and EI-MS along with elemental analysis. The inhibitory effects of these bi-heterocyclic acetamides (9a-n) were evaluated against tyrosinase and all these molecules were recognized as potent inhibitors relative to the standard used. The Kinetics mechanism was analyzed by Lineweaver-Burk plots which explored that compound, 9h, inhibited tyrosinase competitively by forming an enzyme-inhibitor complex. The inhibition constants Ki calculated from Dixon plots for this compound was 0.0027 µM. The computational study was coherent with the experimental records and these ligands exhibited good binding energy values (kcal/mol). The hemolytic analysis revealed their mild cytotoxicity towards red blood cell membranes and hence, these molecules can be pondered as nontoxic medicinal scaffolds for skin pigmentation and related disorders.
  16. Fulltext Synthesis and Molecular Docking Studies of Novel Biheterocyclic Propanamides as Antidiabetic Agents Having Mild Cytotoxicity
    Abbasi MA, Rubab K, Aziz-Ur-Rehman, Siddiqui SZ, Hassan M, Raza H, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2023 Jun 27;8(25):22899-22911.
    PMID: 37396264 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c01882
    The aim of this work was to bring forth some new hybrid molecules having pharmacologically potent indole and 1,3,4-oxadiazole heterocyclic moieties unified with a propanamide entity. The synthetic methodology was initiated by esterification of 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)acetic acid (1) in a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid and ethanol in excess, to form ethyl 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)acetate (2), which was converted to 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)acetohydrazide (3) and further transformed to 5-(1H-indole-3-yl-methyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (4). 3-Bromopropanoyl chloride (5) was reacted with various amines (6a-s) in aqueous alkaline medium to generate a series of electrophiles, 3-bromo-N-(substituted)propanamides (7a-s), and these were further reacted with nucleophile 4 in DMF and NaH base to yield the targeted N-(substituted)-3-{(5-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)sulfanyl}propanamides (8a-s). The chemical structures of these biheterocyclic propanamides were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and EI-MS spectral techniques. These compounds were evaluated for their enzyme inhibitory potentials against the α-glucosidase enzyme, where the compound 8l showed promising enzyme inhibitory potential with an IC50 value less than that of the standard acarbose. Molecular docking results of these molecules were coherent with the results of their enzyme inhibitory potentials. Cytotoxicity was assessed by the percentage of hemolytic activity method, and these compounds generally exhibited very low values as compared to the reference standard, Triton-X. Hence, some of these biheterocyclic propanamides might be considered as salient therapeutic agents in further stages of antidiabetic drug development.
  17. Fulltext Synergistic Antibacterial Screening of Cymbopogon citratus and Azadirachta indica: Phytochemical Profiling and Antioxidant and Hemolytic Activities
    Hussain S, Javed W, Tajammal A, Khalid M, Rasool N, Riaz M, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2023 May 16;8(19):16600-16611.
    PMID: 37214690 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06785
    Current studies were performed to investigate the phytochemistry, synergistic antibacterial, antioxidant, and hemolytic activities of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica (EA and WA) and Cymbopogon citratus (EC and WC) leaves. Fourier transform infrared data verified the existence of alcoholic, carboxylic, aldehydic, phenyl, and bromo moieties in plant leaves. The ethanolic extracts (EA and EC) were significantly richer in phenolics and flavonoids as compared to the aqueous extracts (WA and WC). The ethanolic extract of C. citratus (EC) contained higher concentrations of caffeic acid (1.432 mg/g), synapic acid (6.743 mg/g), and benzoic acid (7.431 mg/g) as compared to all other extracts, whereas chlorogenic acid (0.311 mg/g) was present only in the aqueous extract of A. indica (WA). Food preservative properties of C. citratus can be due to the presence of benzoic acid (7.431 mg/g). -Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated the presence of 36 and 23 compounds in A. indica and C. citratus leaves, respectively. Inductively coupled plasma analysis was used to determine the concentration of 26 metals (Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, Sr, V, Zn, Zr, Ti); the metal concentrations were higher in aqueous extracts as compared to the ethanolic extracts. The extracts were generally richer in calcium (3000-7858 ppm), potassium (13662-53,750 ppm), and sodium (3181-8445 ppm) and hence can be used in food supplements as a source of these metals. Antioxidant potential (DDPH method) of C. citratus ethanolic extract was the highest (74.50 ± 0.66%), whereas it was the lowest (32.22 ± 0.28%) for the aqueous extract of A. indica. Synergistic inhibition of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) was observed when the aqueous extracts of both the plants were mixed together in certain ratios (v/v). The highest antibacterial potential was exhibited by the pure extract of C. citratus, which was even higher than that of the standard drug (ciprofloxacin). The plant extracts and their mixtures were more active against S. aureus as compared to E. coli. No toxic hemolytic effects were observed for the investigated extracts indicating their safe medicinal uses for human beings.
  18. Fulltext Suppression of Cisplatin-Induced Vomiting byCannabis sativain Pigeons: Neurochemical Evidences
    Ullah I, Subhan F, Alam J, Shahid M, Ayaz M
    Front Pharmacol, 2018;9:231.
    PMID: 29615907 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00231
    Cannabis sativa
    (CS, familyCannabinaceae) has been reported for its anti-emetic activity against cancer chemotherapy-induced emesis in animal models and in clinics. The current study was designed to investigateCSfor potential effectiveness to attenuate cisplatin-induced vomiting in healthy pigeons and to study the impact on neurotransmitters involved centrally and peripherally in the act of vomiting. High-performance liquid chromatography system coupled with electrochemical detector was used for the quantification of neurotransmitters 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT), dopamine (DA) and their metabolites; Di-hydroxy Phenyl Acetic acid (Dopac), Homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxy indole acetic acid (5HIAA) centrally in specific brain areas (area postrema and brain stem) while, peripherally in small intestine. Cisplatin (7 mg/kg i.v.) induce emesis without lethality across the 24 h observation period.CShexane fraction (CS-HexFr; 10 mg/kg) attenuated cisplatin-induced emesis ∼ 65.85% (P< 0.05); the reference anti-emetic drug, metoclopramide (MCP; 30 mg/kg), produced ∼43.90% reduction (P< 0.05). At acute time point (3rdh), CS-HexFr decreased (P< 0.001) the concentration of 5HT and 5HIAA in the area postrema, brain stem and intestine, while at 18thh (delayed time point) CS-HexFr attenuated (P< 0.001) the upsurge of 5HT caused by cisplatin in the brain stem and intestine and dopamine in the area postrema.CS-HexFr treatment alone did not alter the basal neurotransmitters and their metabolites in the brain areas and intestine except 5HIAA and HVA, which were decreased significantly. In conclusion the anti-emetic effect ofCS-HexFr is mediated by anti-serotonergic and anti-dopaminergic components in a blended manner at the two different time points, i.e., 3rdand 18thh in pigeons.
  19. Fulltext Screening of high-risk deleterious missense variations in the CYP1B1 gene implicated in the pathogenesis of primary congenital glaucoma: A comprehensive in silico approach
    Shahid M, Azfaralariff A, Tufail M, Hussain Khan N, Abdulkareem Najm A, Firasat S, et al.
    PeerJ, 2022;10:e14132.
    PMID: 36518267 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14132
    BACKGROUND: Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) is the most common subtype of glaucoma caused by defects in the cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) gene. It is developing among infants in more than 80% of cases who exhibit impairments in the anterior chamber angle and the trabecular meshwork. Thus, a comprehensive in silico approach was performed to evaluate the effect of high-risk deleterious missense variations in the CYP1B1 gene.

    MATERIAL AND METHODS: All the information for CYP1B1 missense variants was retrieved from the dbSNP database. Seven different tools, namely: SIFT, PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, SNAP2, PANTHER, PhD-SNP, and Predict-SNP, were used for functional annotation, and two packages, which were I-Mutant 2.0 and MUpro, were used to predict the effect of the variants on protein stability. A phylogenetic conservation analysis using deleterious variants was performed by the ConSurf server. The 3D structures of the wild-type and mutants were generated using the I-TASSER tool, and a 50 ns molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) was executed using the GROMACS webserver to determine the stability of mutants compared to the native protein. Co-expression, protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO), and pathway analyses were additionally performed for the CYP1B1 in-depth study.

    RESULTS: All the retrieved data from the dbSNP database was subjected to functional, structural, and phylogenetic analysis. From the conducted analyses, a total of 19 high-risk variants (P52L, G61E, G90R, P118L, E173K, D291G, Y349D, G365W, G365R, R368H, R368C, D374N, N423Y, D430E, P442A, R444Q, F445L, R469W, and C470Y) were screened out that were considered to be deleterious to the CYP1B1 gene. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the majority of the variants occurred in highly conserved regions. The MD simulation analysis exhibited that all mutants' average root mean square deviation (RMSD) values were higher compared to the wild-type protein, which could potentially cause CYP1B1 protein dysfunction, leading to the severity of the disease. Moreover, it has been discovered that CYP1A1, VCAN, HSD17B1, HSD17B2, and AKR1C3 are highly co-expressed and interact with CYP1B1. Besides, the CYP1B1 protein is primarily involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics, chemical carcinogenesis, the retinal metabolic process, and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways, demonstrating its multifaceted and important roles.

    DISCUSSION: This is the first comprehensive study that adds essential information to the ongoing efforts to understand the crucial role of genetic signatures in the development of PCG and will be useful for more targeted gene-disease association studies.

  20. Fulltext Regioselective synthesis of 2-(bromomethyl)-5-aryl-thiophene derivatives via palladium (0) catalyzed suzuki cross-coupling reactions: as antithrombotic and haemolytically active molecules
    Rizwan K, Zubair M, Rasool N, Ali S, Zahoor AF, Rana UA, et al.
    Chem Cent J, 2014;8:74.
    PMID: 25685184 DOI: 10.1186/s13065-014-0074-z
    It is seen that the regioselective functionalizations of halogenated heterocycles play an important role in the synthesis of several types of organic compounds. In this domain, the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction has emerged as a convenient way to build carbon-carbon bonds in synthesizing organic compounds. Some of the most important applications of these reactions can be seen in the synthesis of natural products, and in designing targeted pharmaceutical compounds. Herein, we present the regioselective synthesis of the novel series of 2-(bromomethyl)-5-aryl-thiophenes 3a-i, via Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of various aryl boronic acids with 2-bromo-5-(bromomethyl)thiophene (2).
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