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Rumex dentatus L. (Polygonaceae), also known as toothed dock or Aegean dock, is a medicinal plant with a high culinary value in addition to being used as an ethnomedicinal plant. This review focuses on the botanical, nutritional, phytochemical, and pharmacological activities of R. dentatus, as well as the future prospects for systematic investigations into these areas. R. dentatus has been subjected to scientific evaluation, which has confirmed its traditional uses and demonstrated a wide range of biological and pharmacological potentials, including antioxidant, anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and other biological properties. Phytochemical analyses showed the presence of anthraquinones, chromones, flavonoids, and essential oils. As a result of this current review, the medicinal significance of R. dentatus has been confirmed, and future research on its unexplored aspects, such as the identification of pharmacologically active chemical constituents and related mechanisms and safety, may be stimulated, with the goal of developing it into a drug.

Muhammad Anwar Bashir,1 Amjad Khan,2 Sayyed Ibrahim Shah,3 Majeed Ullah,2 Fazli Khuda,4 Muhammad Abbas,3 Khang Wen Goh,5 Long Chiau Ming6 1Department of Pharmacy, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan; 2Department of Pharmacy, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan; 3Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan; 4Department of Pharmacy, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan; 5Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia; 6PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei DarussalamCorrespondence: Khang Wen Goh; Long Chiau Ming, Email khangwen.goh@newinti.edu.my; long.ming@ubd.edu.bnBackground: Self-emulsifying drug-delivery systems (SEDDSs) are designed to improve the oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. This study aimed at formulating and characterization of SEDDS-based tablets for simvastatin using castor and olive oils as solvents and Tween 60 as surfactant.Methods: The liquids were adsorbed on microcrystalline cellulose, and all developed formulations were compressed using 10.5 mm shallow concave round punches.Results: The resulting tablets were evaluated for different quality-control parameters at pre- and postcompression levels. Simvastatin showed better solubility in a mixture of oils and Tween 60 (10:1). All the developed formulations showed lower self-emulsification time (˂200 seconds) and higher cloud point (˃60°C). They were free of physical defects and had drug content within the acceptable range (98.5%– 101%). The crushing strength of all formulations was in the range of 58– 96 N, and the results of the friability test were within the range of USP (≤ 1). Disintegration time was within the official limits (NMT 15 min), and complete drug release was achieved within 30 min.Conclusion: Using commonly available excipients and machinery, SEDDS-based tablets with better dissolution profile and bioavailability can be prepared by direct compression. These S-SEDDSs could be a better alternative to conventional tablets of simvastatin.Keywords: simvastatin, self-emulsified drug-delivery system, castor oil, olive oil, Tween 60

The electrospinning (ES) technique in the fabrication of biomaterials-based electrospun nanofibers (ESNFs) has risen to prominence because of its accessibility, cost-effectiveness, high production rate and diverse biomedical applications. The ESNFs have unique characteristics, such as stability and mechanical performance, high permeability, porosity, high surface area to volume ratio, and ease of functionalization. The characteristics of ESNFs can be controlled by varying either process variables or biomaterial solution properties. The active pharmaceutical agents can be introduced into ESNFs by blending, surface modification, or emulsion formation. In this chapter, in the first part, we briefly discuss the fundamental aspects of the fabrication, commonly used materials, process parameters, and characterization of ESNFs. In the second part, we discuss in detail the biomedical applications of ESNFs in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healings, cancer therapy, dentistry, medical filtration, biosensing and imaging of disease.

In this research work, an isocratic, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet/visible detector method was developed for analysis of voriconazole standard (stock-solution) and in plasma samples. Optimization and validation of the method was carried out as per international guidelines. The method offered a simple liquid–liquid extraction technique, which exhibited best recovery of voriconazole along with fluconazole, i.e., internal standard. Different experimental conditions were tried and ultimately, the best outcomes were accomplished utilizing C-18 Perkin-Elmer® column with particulars of 150 mm length, 4.6 mm inner diameter and 5 μm particle size, protected by an RP-18 Perkin-Elmer® Pre-column guard cartridge with specifications of 10 μm particle size, 30 mm length and 4.6 mm inner diameter, utilizing mobile-phase of acetonitrile-water (ACN: H2O) in proportion of 60: 40 v/v, having a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min, and wavelength of 254 nm. All the analytes were observed to be separated in ≤7 min. A linear calibration curve was obtained at concentration range of 01–10 μg/mL of voriconazole. The correlation coefficient of voriconazole was observed to be 0.999, and average recovery (in percent) was 97.4%, whereas the relative standard deviation value was ≤2%. The lower limit of detection was 0.01 μg/mL, whereas, lower limit of quantification was 0.03 μg/mL, respectively. This developed method provided outstanding results of all validation parameters, i.e., recovery, accuracy, selectivity, precision and reproducibility. The method proposed for voriconazole analysis was applied effectively for further research investigation of voriconazole in human-plasma samples (to assess the pharmacokinetic parameters), pharmaceutical formulations and pharmacokinetic drug–drug interaction’s.

Background: Genetic studies play a significant role in understanding the underlying risk factors of breast cancer. Polymorphism in the tumor suppressor gene TP 53, CDH1 and ATM genes are found to increase susceptibility for breast cancer globally. Objective: This study aimed to identify/analyze the contribution of genetic polymorphisms in the breast cancer candidate genes ATM, TP53 and CDH1 that may be associated with familial breast cancer risk in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa population. Subjects and Methods: In the present case-control study, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) of the 100 breast cancer patients and 100 ethnic controls were performed for the selected genes in the target population. Results: Of the studied variants rs3743674 of the CDH1 gene (crude P=0.014 and adjusted p=0.000) evident significant association with breast cancer in Pakistani Pashtun population. Whereas TP53rs1042522 (crude P=0.251 and adjusted P=0.851) and ATM rs659243 (crude p=0.256 and adjusted p=0.975) showed no or negative association with breast cancer in study population.Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that CDH1rs3743674 polymorphism is associated with elevated breast cancer risk in the Pashtun ethic population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Keywords: Breast cancer; TP53; CDH1; ATM; Risk Allele; Genotype.

Genome-wide association studies significantly increased the number of hypertension risk variants; however, most of them focused on European societies. There is lack of such studies in developing countries, including Pakistan. The lack of research studies and the high prevalence of hypertension in the Pakistani community prompted us to design this study. Aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) was thoroughly studied in different ethnic groups; however, no such study has been conducted in the Pashtun population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In essential hypertension, the aldosterone synthase gene (CYP11B2) plays a significant role. Aldosterone synthesis is affected by both hereditary and environmental factors. Aldosterone synthase (encoded by the CYP11B2 gene) controls the conversion of deoxycorticosterone to aldosterone and, thus, has genetic influences. Polymorphisms in the CYP11B2 gene are linked to an increased risk of hypertension. Previous research on the polymorphism of the aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) gene and its relationship to hypertension produced inconclusive results. The present study investigates the relationship between CYP11B2 gene polymorphism and hypertension in Pakistan’s Pashtun population. We used the nascent exome sequencing method to identify variants associated with hypertension. The research was divided into two phases. In phase one, DNA samples from 200 adult hypertension patients (of age ≥ 30 years) and 200 controls were pooled (n = 200/pool) and subjected to Exome Sequencing. In the second phase, the WES reported SNPs were genotyped using the Mass ARRAY technique to verify and confirm the association between WES-identified SNPs and hypertension. WES identified a total of eight genetic variants in the CYP11B2 gene. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to estimate the minor allele frequencies (MAFs) and chosen SNPs relationships with hypertension. The frequency of minor allele T was found to be higher in cases compared to the control (42% vs. 30%: p = 0.001) for rs1799998 of CYP11B2 gene, while no significant results (p > 0.05) were observed for the remaining SNPs; rs4536, rs4537, rs4545, rs4543, rs4539, rs4546 and rs6418 showed no positive association with HTN in the studied population (all p > 0.05). Our study findings suggest that rs1799998 increases susceptibly to HTN in the Pashtun population of KP, Pakistan.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is the most polymorphic and gene dense region of human DNA that has shown many disease associations. It has been further divided into HLA classes I, II, and III. Polymorphism in HLA class II genes has been reported to play an important role in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). It also showed association with T2D in different ethnic populations. However, a little is known about the relationship of HLA class I gene polymorphism and T2D. This study has evaluated the association of HLA-B (class I gene) variants with T2D in Pashtun ethnic population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the first phase of the study, whole exome sequencing (WES) of 2 pooled DNA samples was carried out, and DNA pools used were constructed from 100 diabetic cases and 100 control subjects. WES results identified a total of n = 17 SNPs in HLA-B gene. In the next phase, first 5 out of n = 17 reported SNPs were genotyped using MassARRAY® system in order to validate WES results and to confirm association of selected SNPs with T2D. Minor allele frequencies (MAFs) and selected SNPs×T2D association were determined using chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. The frequency of minor C allele was significantly higher in the T2D group as compared to control group (45.0% vs. 13.0%) ( p = 0.006 ) for rs2308655 in HLA-B gene. No significant difference in MAF distribution between cases and controls was observed for rs1051488, rs1131500, rs1050341, and rs1131285 ( p > 0.05 ). Binary logistic regression analyses showed significant results for SNP rs2308655 ( OR = 2.233 , CI 95 % = 1.223 ‐ 4.077 , and p = 0.009 ), while no considerable association was observed for the other 4 SNPs. However, when adjusted for these variants, the association of rs2308655 further strengthened significantly ( adjusted OR = 7.485 , CI 95 % = 2.353 ‐ 23.812 , and p = 0.001 ), except for rs1131500, which has no additive effect. In conclusion, the finding of this study suggests rs2308655 variant in HLA-B gene as risk variant for T2D susceptibility in Pashtun population.

Exploring new antimicrobial and cytotoxic drugs has been one of the most active areas of research.

Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD) remains the top among Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs). Variations in Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and Paroxonase 1 (PON1) have been associated with Myocardial Infarction (MI) in several populations. However, despite the high prevalence of CAD, no such study has been reported in the Pashtun ethnic population of Pakistan. We have conducted a two-stage (i.e., screening and validation) case-control study in which 200 cases and 100 control subjects have been recruited. In the first stage, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) was used to screen for pathogenic variants of Myocardial Infarction (MI). In the second stage, selected variants of both APOE and PON1 genes (rs7412, rs429358, rs854560, and rs662) were analyzed through MassARRAY genotyping. Risk Allele Frequencies (RAFs) distribution and association of the selected SNPs with MI were determined using the Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. WES identified a total of 12 sequence variants in APOE and 16 in PON1. Genotyping results revealed that APOE variant rs429358 (ɛ4 allele and ɛ3/ɛ4 genotype) showed significant association in MI patients (OR = 2.11, p value = 0.03; 95% CI = 1.25–2.43); whereas no significant difference (p˃ 0.05) was observed for rs7412. Similarly, the R allele of PON1 Q192R (rs662) was significantly associated with cases (OR = 1.353, p value = 0.048; 95% CI = 0.959–1.91), with particular mention of RR genotype (OR = 1.523, p value = 0.006; 95% CI = 1.087–2.132). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that rs429358 (C allele) and rs662 (R allele) have a significantly higher risk of MI after adjustment for the conventional risk factors. Our study findings suggested that the rs429358 variant of APOE and PON1 Q192R are associated with MI susceptibility in the Pashtun ethnic population of Pakistan.

Present study investigate the in-vitro antibacterial and antifungal potential of Typha elephantina leaves aqueous extract (T. Eaq), ethanolic extract (T. Eeth) and methanolic extract (T. Emth) at different dosages against selected bacteria and fungi using dis diffusion method and Potato Dextrose Agar method. The study was also proceeded in- vivo against one strain of fungi (Aspergillus niger) using aqueous (T. Eaq) extract only. In-vitro study showed that Citrobacter freundii was highly sensitive while Salmonella typhimurium was the least among all. The antifungal activity was dose dependent and differs according to the fungal strain. Aspergillus niger was highly sensitive in order of aqueous extract (T. Eaq), ethanolic extract (T. Eeth) and methanolic extract (T.Emth), followed by Alterneria solani, Candida albicans and Aspergillus ustus. The in-vivo antifungal study was carried using Cyprinus carpio which were first infected with Aspergillus niger and then treated with (T. Eaq) at different doses. During in-vivo study various hematobiochemicl parameters and bio-accumulative stress of some heavy metals were assessed. Highly significant (P0.05) remedial effects were observed at day 21st of treatment with extract at 100mg/ kg body weight. Differential accumulation was found i.e in skin the accumulation was highest followed by intestine gills and muscles tissues. Liver showed least accumulation.

Water pollution due to organic dyes and radionuclides is a challenging issue to the modern world. Cheap and efficient adsorbents are needed for their removal from wastewaters. Carbon-doped magnesium oxide (C-MgO) and calcium carbonate (C-CaCO3) were synthesized by the in situ hydrothermal treatment of Mg(OH)2 and Ca(OH)2 with carbon, and applied for the removal of eriochrome black T (EBT) at pH = 2.0 and uranium (U(VI)) at pH = 6.0. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacities of C-MgO (3.62 × 10−4 mol/g for EBT and 8.10 × 10−4 mol/g for U(VI)) were higher than those of C-CaCO3 (2.53 × 10−4 mol/g for EBT and 5.92 × 10−4 mol/g for U(VI)). The high adsorption capacity of C-MgO was also evidenced with DFT calculations which showed that the sorption energies (ΔE) of C-MgO for EBT (20.62 kcal/mol) and U(VI) (63.41 kcal/mol) were higher than those of C-CaCO3 for EBT (10.21 kcal/mol) and U(VI) (34.29 kcal/mol). In all cases, the electrostatic interactions were involved in the adsorption process. The sorption kinetic data followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The results demonstrate that both C-MgO and C-CaCO3 are reusable and can be effectively applied for the elimination of EBT and U(VI) from wastewater.

Cannabis abuse is a common public health issue and may lead to considerable adverse effects. Along with other effects, the dependence on cannabis consumption is a serious problem which has significant consequences on biochemical and clinical symptoms. This study intends to evaluate the harmful effects of the use of cannabis on thyroid hormonal levels, cardiovascular indicators, and psychotic symptoms in the included patients. This prospective multicenter study was conducted on cannabis-dependent patients with psychotic symptoms (n = 40) vs. healthy control subjects (n = 40). All participants were evaluated for psychiatric, biochemical, and cardiovascular physiological effects. Patients were selected through Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV criteria and urine samples, exclusively for the evaluation of cannabis presence. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), T3, and T4 levels were measured using the immunoassay technique. Patients were assessed for severity of depressive, schizophrenic, and manic symptoms using international ranking scales. Various quantifiable factors were also measured for the development of tolerance by cannabis. Among the patients of cannabis abuse, 47.5% were found with schizophrenia, 20% with schizoaffective symptoms, 10% with manic symptoms, and 22.5% with both manic and psychotic symptoms. In the group–group and within-group statistical analysis, the results of thyroid hormones and cardiovascular parameters were non-significant. The psychiatric assessment has shown highly significant (p < 0.001) difference of positive, negative, general psychopathology, and total scores [through Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) rating scales] in patients vs. the healthy control subjects. The study revealed that cannabis abuse did not significantly alter thyroid hormones and cardiovascular parameters due to the development of tolerance. However, the cannabis abuse might have a significant contributing role in the positive, negative, and manic symptoms in different psychiatric disorders.

The current study determines the possible antitumor and immunomodulatory effects of thymosin against the in vivo and in vitro growth of tumor-derived cell line in mice. Peritoneal phagocytes count, Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells, T- lymphocytes, and B- lymphocytes activities were determined. In addition, serum level of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and liver functions were measured. In animal testing, thymosin at doses of 0.50 and 1mg activated the phagocytic function of macrophages, as well as T- and B- cell function. Thymosin caused a marked shortage in the proliferation of EAT cells in the peritoneal fluid with dose 0.50g as compared with that of the corresponding control group. Furthermore, treatment with thymosin caused effectively elevate in serum level of IL-2, on the contrary reduce in serum levels of ALT, AST and total proteins. The size of solid Ehrlich tumor was significantly decreased, as measured morphologically with the doses 0.50 and 1 mg (P0.01). These results confirmed that many biological activities attributed to thymosin and is as an adjuvant for immune enhancement.

In current study, the pharmacokinetics (PK) of rosuvastatin were evaluated in Pakistani healthy volunteers and compared with those reported in other population. This was a randomized and open labeled clinical trial in which a single oral dose of 40 mg rosuvastatin was administered to the overnight fasted healthy volunteers. Plasma concentrations of rosuvastatin were quantified by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. The PK parameters of rosuvastatin and its metabolite N-desmethyl-rosuvastatin were determined by PK specific software i.e., PK-Summit® (PK-Solutions). A total of 20 healthy volunteers having BMI in the normal ranges were included in this study. All PK parameters were represented as mean ± SD and 95% confidence intervals of the means have been calculated. The Cmax (29.07 ± 6.88 ng/mL), [AUC]

Associations of GSTM1, GSTT1 and CYP1A1 gene variants with risk of developing nasopharyngeal cancer were evaluated in this case-control study, in which 130 cases along with 151 population-based healthy controls of Pashtun ethnicity from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan were recruited. Socio-demographic data were obtained and blood samples were collected with informed consent for analysis. Specific RT-PCR and conventional PCR methods were used to detect CYP1A1 and GSTs, respectively, and results analyzed through SPSS version 20. Study showed that CYP1A1 homozygous (C/C) had an almost 4-fold increased risk for nasopharyngeal cancer; while heterozygous (T/C) had an almost 2 times increased risk. Overall the C allele is significantly associated with nasopharyngeal cancer as compared to T allele. Null genotypes of GSTM1 were having 3-fold increased risk; whereas null genotype of GSTT1 was having 2 times increased risk. Similarly, GSTM/GSTT both null genotype was having more than 5 times increased association. Presence of all three gene variants showed strong and significant association. Findings of the study suggest that presence of GSTM1 and/or GSTT1 null genotypes along with variant alleles of CYP1A1 are significant risk factors for nasopharyngeal cancer susceptibility in Pashtun population.

Medicines are often consumed concurrently with food; sometimes to improve its absorption and efficacy. However, certain foods may modify the function of drug metabolizing enzymes or transport mechanisms that are crucial determinants of systemic drug availability. Extensive work has been reported on certain juices like grapefruit that affects the bioavailability of more than 60 medications. However, relatively less work has been reported on certain other commonly used fruit juices, especially in Pakistan, such as mango, strawberry, apple, banana, pomegranate and grape etc. Present review has taken an account of the current work done in this area.

In this work, microwave-assisted spent black tea leaves (MASTL) were used as effective low-cost green adsorbents for the removal of Eriochrome Black T (EBT) from aqueous solutions and adequately characterized. The pHpzc of MASTL was found to be 4.6. The experimental conditions, such as pH, contact time, temperature, adsorbent dose and EBT concentration, were optimized to evaluate the interaction of EBT with MASTL. The adsorption isotherms were simulated by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. The results showed that the Langmuir model best fitted the adsorption data. The monolayer adsorption capacity was calculated to be 242.72 mg/g at 25 °C. The thermodynamic data calculated from the temperature-dependent adsorption isotherms indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous, endothermic and physicochemical in nature. The results revealed that the MASTL could be used as low-cost green adsorbents for the efficient removal of EBT from aqueous solutions in environmental pollution clean-up.

Generally, pharmaceuticals (PhAs) have been extensively detected in various food and wastewater samples. In this regard, solid-phase extraction (SPE) is an excellent choice for their preconcentrati...

Many recent key innovations in nanotechnology have greatly fascinated scientists to explore new avenues in treatment and diagnosis of emerging diseases. Due to extensive utilization of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in diverse biomedical applications, scientists are looking forward to green synthesis of NPs as safer, simple, fast, and low-cost method over chemical and physical methods. Due to enriched phytochemistry, no need for maintenance and ready availability, plants are preferred for green synthesis of silver (AgNPs) and gold NPs (AuNPs). Recently, several researchers have exploited these biogenic NPs as potential antileishmanial agents. The current article is focused to mechanistically explain the antileishmanial activity of biogenic AuNPs and AgNPs with a futuristic discussion on the faith of these particles as emerging antileishmanial agents.

Resistance to antimicrobial agents are rendering therapies ineffective around the globe, leading to increased mortality and treatment cost. Likewise, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics possess several side effects particularly peptic ulcer and gastrointestinal problems. Metallic nanoparticles significantly enhances the therapeutic efficacy of natural extracts owing to improved bioavailability thereby lowering the dose and side effects. The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). In this study, Sambucus wightiana whole plant aqueous extract was used for rapid and eco-friendly synthesis of AuNPs. They were characterized by various analytical techniques including UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Zetasizer, X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR). The UV–Vis spectra revealed a distinct absorption peak at 539 nm; TEM and SEM images confirmed the formation of heterogeneously dispersed AuNPs with an average area of 152.77 nm2 and width of 15.96 nm. The AuNPs showed significant inhibitory zones against Escherichia coli (25 mm), Staphylococcus epidermis (23 mm) and Salmonella enteritidis (18 mm) with MIC values 0.13, 0.11 and 0.16 mg/ml, respectively. Among fungal strains it showed highest percent inhibition against Fusarium solani (90%) and Microsporum canis (80%) with MIC values 0.02 and 0.01 mg/ml, respectively. It showed maximum anti-inflammatory activity (43.70, 48.80 and 57.08%) at 20 mg/kg dose at both early and late hours of inflammation. Likewise, in vitro models depicted concentration dependent inhibition of 5-LOX and COX-2 enzymes. AuNPs showed highest antioxidant activity (68.7% inhibition) at 1000 µg/ml, compared to ascorbic acid that showed 77.8% inhibition at the same concentration. Similarly, it exhibited significant (P ≤ 0.001) dose dependent analgesic effect with maximum inhibition (56.22%) at 20 mg/kg. In conclusion, the above findings suggest that AuNPs should be studied further in order to develop safe and effective formulations.

The Aquifoliaceae is an important family and has been used traditionally for some time. One of the members of this family is the Ilex dipyrena wall, which itself possesses a potential medicinal importance. This plant is traditionally used for the treatment of various ailments including pain, swelling, burns, and fever. The current study was designed to screen out the antioxidant and analgesic potential of this plant and to verify its traditional uses, along with its phytochemical profile. Extracts were subjected to antioxidant, analgesic, and phytochemical analysis using DPPH, chemical-induced (acetic acid and formalin) nociception models and GC-MS analysis, respectively. The leaf, bark, and fruit extracts showed significant antioxidant activity compared to that of standard. Likewise, all the extracts demonstrated significant (p &lt, 0.01) analgesic activity in a mice model. In acetic acid induced analgesia, the leaf, bark, and fruit extracts caused 51.64, 56.13 and 59.52% inhibition, respectively at a dose of 100 mg/kg while at 200 mg/kg it showed 83.01, 71.69 and 75.47% inhibition, respectively. In Formalin-induced paw-licking assay, fruit extract showed 59.42 and 64.19% inhibition at 200 mg/kg dose in the first and second phase, respectively. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of cathinone, phenylpropanolamine, dl-phenylephrine, amphetamine, myristic acid, and palmitic acid. Results of the study suggest that crude extracts from different parts of this plant may be a useful source for the development of novel analgesics. However, further investigation in terms of isolation of bioactive compounds and their toxicological evaluations are needed to validate the observed results.

Treatment of microbial infections and inflammatory conditions have many challenges in terms of efficacy and safety issues. Novel approaches such as nanoparticles based drug delivery system have shown promising results to solve some of these problems. The aim of this study was to exploit the efficacy of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized using root extract (aqueous) of Duchesnea indica. They were characterized using different techniques such as, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and zetasizer. The UV–Vis spectra gave a characteristic peak at 423 nm; XRD confirmed its crystalline structure; FTIR confirmed the involvement of phytochemicals in their capping and reduction; TEM images confirmed their spherical shape with average width of 20.49 nm and average area of 319.25 nm2. Various biological activities were performed on these NPs, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and muscle relaxant, which showed significant results as follow. Among bacterial strains, Salmonella typhi (MIC: 0.01 mg/ml) and Escherichia coli (MIC: 0.01 mg/ml), while among that of fungal Microsporum canis (MIC: 0.53 mg/ml) and Alternaria alternata (MIC: 0.51 mg/ml) were most susceptible. The AgNPs showed maximum anti-inflammatory activity (46.15 and 56.85%) at 20 mg/kg after 3 and 5 h of drug administration, comparable to that of standard. In-vivo model exhibited concentration dependent inhibition of both COX-2 and 5-LOX enzymes. Similarly, it exhibited maximum analgesic activity (54.24%) at 20 mg/kg dose after 60 min. of pain induction. Furthermore, they depicted maximum muscle relaxation (P

Water pollution due to organic dyes and radionuclides is a challenging issue to the modern world. Cheap and efficient adsorbents are needed for their removal from wastewaters. Carbon-doped magnesium oxide (C-MgO) and calcium carbonate (C-CaCO

This study was designed to evaluate a comparative single dose (40mg) pharmacokinetics (PK) of Omeprazole (OMP) and its two metabolites, 5-hydroxy Omeprazole (5-OH-OMP) and Omeprazole sulphone (OMP-S) in poor (PM) and extensive (EM) metabolizer Pakistani healthy adult volunteers. The frequency of CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 varies widely in different populations. The present study was conducted to evaluate the PK of OMP and its two metabolites in Pakistani population and to review different studies conducted after administration of single dose of OMP. Twenty two subjects were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups. The CYP2C19 phenotyping was evaluated by the metabolic ratio of OMP to 5-OH-OMP. It was a single dose, open label study and the blood samples from subjects were collected at different time intervals until 24 hours. The PK parameters were calculated using the PK-summit software. The metabolic ratio of area under the plasma concentration-time curve AUCOMP/5-OH-OMP was 1.86 ± 0.572 and13.84 ± 2.504 for EM and PM, respectively; maximum plasma concentration (C

Associations of GSTT1, GSTM1 and CYP1A1 gene variants with risk of developing oral cancer were evaluated in this study. A case-control study was conducted in Pashtun population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in which 200 hospital based oral cancer cases and 151 population based healthy controls exposed to similar environmental conditions were included. Sociodemographic data were obtained and blood samples were collected with informed consent for analysis. GSTM1 and GSTT1 were analysed through conventional PCR method while specific RT-PCR method was used to detect CYP1A1 polymorphisms. Results were analyzed for conditional logistic regression model by SPSS version 20. The study shows that patients with either GSTM1 or GSTT1 null genotypes have significantly higher risk of oral cancer (adjusted odds (OR): (3.019 (1.861-4.898) and 3.011(1.865-4.862), respectively), which further increased when either one or both null genes were present in combination (adjusted odds (OR): (3.627 (1.981-6.642 and 9.261 (4.495-19.079), respectively). CYP1A1 rs4646903 gene variants individually showed weak association OR: 1.121 (0.717-1.752); however, in the presence of GSTM1 and/or GSTT1 null genotypes further increasing the association (adjusted odds (ORs): 4.576 (2.038-10.273), 5.593 (2.530-12.362) and 16.10 (3.854-67.260 for GSTM/GSTT null and CYP1A1 wild type, GSTM/GSTT either null and CYP1A1 variant alleles, and all 3 gene polymorphisms combinations, respectively). Our findings suggest that presence of GSTM1 and/or GSTT1 null genotypes along with variant alleles of CYP1A1 may be the risk alleles for oral cancer susceptibility in Pashtun population.

A novel liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of rosuvastatin (rosuva) and its metabolite N-desmethyl rosuvastatin (NDM-rosuva) in human plasma using atorvastatin as internal standard. The method was validated according to international guidelines. The analytical column used was HiChrom® C18 (150 × 3.0 mm, 3 µm; Reading, UK) and the mobile phase comprised of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water (70:30 v/v), pumped at 300 µL/min. The precipitation of plasma proteins and extraction of analytes were carried out by a simple one-step procedure using acetonitrile. The calibration curves were linear (r2 = 0.999) over the concentration range of 0.2–20 ng/mL for rosuva and 0.1–10 ng/mL for NDM-rosuva. The lower limits of detection and quantification for rosuva were 0.1 and 0.2 ng/mL, whereas for NDM-rosuva, these were 0.03 and 0.1 ng/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precisions expressed as relative standard deviation...

A method was developed for the determination of omeprazole, 5-hydroxy-omeprazole, and omeprazole-sulphone in human plasma. The mobile phase with 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water (40/60 v/v) was used successfully for the first time for the analysis of these analytes. Analysis was carried out using Hichrom RP18 (150 × 3.0 mm, 3 µm. UK) column interfaced with a LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The calibration range for omeprazole and omeprazole sulphone was 0.002–1 µg/mL, whereas, for 5-hydroxy omeprazole was 0.005–1 µg/mL. The extracted ion ranges ([M + H]+) were; m/z 346.12–346.13 for omeprazole, 362.11–362.12 for 5-hydroxy-omeprazole, and omeprazole-sulphone and 384.07–384.09 for pantoprazole. The regression equation for omeprazole was 0.071x + 0.445, for 5-hydroxy omeprazole was y = 0.08x + 0.017 and for omeprazole sulphone y = 0.007x + 0.05. This method was successfully applied for the determination of pharmacokinetic parameters of omeprazole and its metabolites in human vol...

Six new transition metal complexes derived from the reaction of 4(4-(dimethylamino) benzylideneamino) benzoic acid and Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) cations, were prepared, isolated and characterized by a range of spectral and analytical methods including UV/Vis, FT IR, NMR, MS, powder XRD, TGA and SEM. The complexes were formed with the deprotonation of the ligand and presented typical six-coordinated octahedral geometry. In addition, the biological activity was evaluated by conducting in vitro anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-leishmanial screenings. All the complexes were found more active than the ligand, while complex 7 revealed biological significance.