Bioactive content, hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of whole plant extract of Micromeria fruticosa (L) Druce ssp Serpyllifolia F Lamiaceae against Carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in mice

Purpose: To investigate the antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of Micromeria fruticosa Druce (L.) Druce ssp Serpyllifolia F. Lamiaceae (MF) extract and to correlate its phenolic composition of the biological activities.Methods: Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was employed for the identification and quantification of phenolics. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging potential of the four extracts, namely, ethanol, methanol, acetone, and ethyl acetate, were assessed. The hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities were evaluated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Antioxidant status in the liver was assessed by determining the activities of some antioxidative enzymes, namely, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the levels of thiobarbutaric acid reactive substances (TBARS).Results: RP-HPLC analysis revealed high contents of quercitrin, rosmarinic and ferulic acid. The four extracts were potent DPPH free radical scavengers. Administration of the ethanol extract to the animals twice daily for 14 days did not show any evidence of hepatotoxicity. CCl4 caused a marked increase in TBARS and significant decrease in CAT, GSH-Px and SOD levels, but this was reversed by the ethanol extract.Conclusion: The ethanol extract of Micromeria fruticosa (L) may have a palliative effect in liver injuries and this is probably due to the antioxidant properties of the plant’s polyphenolic content.Keywords: Micromeria fruticose, Phenolics, Hepatotoxic, Hepatoprotective, Antioxidant, Quercitrin, Ferulic acid, Rosmarinic aci

Patterns of prescribing and utilization of asthma medications in a tertiary hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Purpose: To assess the prescribing patterns of asthma medications in a hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) with regard to the demographic pattern of the population.Methods: One hundred fifty four patients, 83 male and 71 female, were randomly selected from the outpatient respiratory diseases clinic of a tertiary hospital in Dubai, UAE over a 3-month period. Patients were asked to complete a structured questionnaire and data were analyzed using STATA 12 software.Results: Most of the patients were within the age range of 0 – 10 years. About 86 % of the patients were overweight. Half of the patients were non-smokers while 51 % of them had a family history of asthma. About 54 % of the patients received multiple drug therapy of which two-drug combinations were widely prescribed (31 %). The most utilized drug classes were short acting β-agonists (42 %), xanthine drugs (16 %), leukotriene modifiers (14 %) and oral and intravenous corticosteroids (13 %). Statistical significant differences among the age groups (F = 2.33, p = 0.0275) were found.Conclusion: Primary prevention to reduce the level of exposure to common risk factors for asthma would be a vital step to control the disease. More resources should be channeled into educating physicians and patients on rational drug utilization to improve the quality of patients’ care.Keywords: Asthma, utilization of medicines, β-agonists, Xanthines, Leukotriene modifiers, Rational drug utilizatio

Impact of Qualification Framework in United Arab Emirates: A case study of Dubai Pharmacy College undergraduate curriculum

Purpose: To examine the impact of applying Qualifications Framework Emirates (QFE) on the undergraduate Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) curriculum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) context.Method: Curriculum developers (faculty and other stakeholders) have selected appropriate teaching, learning and assessment strategies for their course/s according to the level descriptors defined by the QFE. Such level descriptors serve as a common platform to support national and international accreditation requirements. In order to align the BPharm curriculum with QFE, an outcomes-based approach had been adopted.Results: The program benefited in many aspects, particularly, in providing a frame of reference, enabling the offered qualification to be described and compared with similar programs, providing a baseline to compare UAE qualifications with other national and/or international ones, recognising the achievement in learning with different complexity levels. Other benefits include enabling the recognition of prior learning, identifying the learning outcomes needed for new qualifications, facilitating alignment and integration of the quality of educational and experiential outcomes with economic and social development and improving transparency of the individual qualifications through learning outcomes mapping.Conclusion: Application of QFE to BPharm curriculum at Dubai Pharmacy College ensures asystematic approach in designing and implementing the curriculum, and awarding a principalqualification, which in turn are necessary for effective quality assurance.Keywords: Qualifications Framework Emirates (QFE), Pharmacy curriculum, Outcome-based education, Quality assurance, Competencie

Antiproliferative and proapoptotic activities of ferulic acid in breast and liver cancer cell lines

Purpose: To explore the potential anticancer activities of ferulic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid, FA) on two different human cancers cell lines, viz, breast (MCF-7) and hepatocellular (HepG2). Methods: MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cytotoxicity, Annexin V staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as well as caspase-8 and -9 activation assays were used to evaluate the proapoptotic and antiproliferative potentials of ferulic acid (FA) on MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines. Results: Ferulic acid exerted cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 75.4 and 81.38 μg/mL, respectively, at 48 h. Annexin V staining revealed evidence of apoptosis. Caspase-8 and-9 levels were elevated in both cell lines after incubation with ferulic acid. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that ferulic acid has promising therapeutic potentials for the treatment of breast and liver cancers by inducing apoptosis via activation of caspase-8 and -9 pathways

Current Status of Baricitinib as a Repurposed Therapy for COVID-19

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has mandated the instant (re)search for potential drug candidates. In response to the unprecedented situation, it was recognized early that repurposing of available drugs in the market could timely save lives, by skipping the lengthy phases of preclinical and initial safety studies. BenevolentAI’s large knowledge graph repository of structured medical information suggested baricitinib, a Janus-associated kinase inhibitor, as a potential repurposed medicine with a dual mechanism; hindering SARS-CoV2 entry and combatting the cytokine storm; the leading cause of mortality in COVID-19. However, the recently-published Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial-2 (ACTT-2) positioned baricitinib only in combination with remdesivir for treatment of a specific category of COVID-19 patients, whereas the drug is not recommended to be used alone except in clinical trials. The increased pace of data output in all life sciences fields has changed our understanding of data processing and manipulation. For the purpose of drug design, development, or repurposing, the integration of different disciplines of life sciences is highly recommended to achieve the ultimate benefit of using new technologies to mine BIG data, however, the final say remains to be concluded after the drug is used in clinical practice. This review demonstrates different bioinformatics, chemical, pharmacological, and clinical aspects of baricitinib to highlight the repurposing journey of the drug and evaluates its placement in the current guidelines for COVID-19 treatment

Potential of CDC25 phosphatases in cancer research and treatment: key to precision medicine

The global burden of cancer continues to rise, underscoring the urgency of developing more effective and precisely targeted therapies. This comprehensive review explores the confluence of precision medicine and CDC25 phosphatases in the context of cancer research. Precision medicine, alternatively referred to as customized medicine, aims to customize medical interventions by taking into account the genetic, genomic, and epigenetic characteristics of individual patients. The identification of particular genetic and molecular drivers driving cancer helps both diagnostic accuracy and treatment selection. Precision medicine utilizes sophisticated technology such as genome sequencing and bioinformatics to elucidate genetic differences that underlie the proliferation of cancer cells, hence facilitating the development of customized therapeutic interventions. CDC25 phosphatases, which play a crucial role in governing the progression of the cell cycle, have garnered significant attention as potential targets for cancer treatment. The dysregulation of CDC25 is a characteristic feature observed in various types of malignancies, hence classifying them as proto-oncogenes. The proteins in question, which operate as phosphatases, play a role in the activation of Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), so promoting the advancement of the cell cycle. CDC25 inhibitors demonstrate potential as therapeutic drugs for cancer treatment by specifically blocking the activity of CDKs and modulating the cell cycle in malignant cells. In brief, precision medicine presents a potentially fruitful option for augmenting cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment, with an emphasis on individualized care predicated upon patients’ genetic and molecular profiles. The review highlights the significance of CDC25 phosphatases in the advancement of cancer and identifies them as promising candidates for therapeutic intervention. This statement underscores the significance of doing thorough molecular profiling in order to uncover the complex molecular characteristics of cancer cells

Carnosic acid induces apoptosis and inhibits akt/mtor signaling in human gastric cancer cell lines

Gastric cancer is among the most common malignancies worldwide. Due to limited availability of therapeutic options, there is a constant need to find new therapies that could target advanced, recurrent, and metastatic gastric cancer. Carnosic acid is a naturally occurring polyphenolic abietane diterpene derived from Rosmarinus officinalis and reported to have numerous pharmacological effects. In this study, the cytotoxicity assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI, caspases 3, 8, and 9, cell cycle analysis, and Western blotting were used to assess the effect of carnosic acid on the growth and survival of human gastric cancer cell lines (AGS and MKN-45). Our findings showed that carnosic acid inhibited human gastric cancer cell proliferation and survival in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, carnosic acid is found to inhibit the phosphorylation/activation of Akt and mTOR. Moreover, carnosic acid enhanced the cleavage of PARP and downregulated survivin expression, both being known markers of apoptosis. In conclusion, carnosic acid exhibits antitumor activity against human gastric cancer cells via modulating the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway that plays a crucial role in gastric cancer cell proliferation and survival.</p

Emerging role of caldesmon in cancer: A potential biomarker for colorectal cancer and other cancers

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a devastating disease, mainly because of metastasis. As a result, there is a need to better understand the molecular basis of invasion and metastasis and to identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets to aid in managing these tumors. The actin cytoskeleton and actin-binding proteins are known to play an important role in the process of cancer metastasis because they control and execute essential steps in cell motility and contractility as well as cell division. Caldesmon (CaD) is an actin-binding protein encoded by the CALD1 gene as multiple transcripts that mainly encode two protein isoforms: High-molecular-weight CaD, expressed in smooth muscle, and low-molecular weight CaD (l-CaD), expressed in nonsmooth muscle cells. According to our comprehensive review of the literature, CaD, particularly l-CaD, plays a key role in the development, metastasis, and resistance to chemoradiotherapy in colorectal, breast, and urinary bladder cancers and gliomas, among other malignancies. CaD is involved in many aspects of the carcinogenic hallmarks, including epithelial mesenchymal transition via transforming growth factor-beta signaling, angiogenesis, resistance to hormonal therapy, and immune evasion. Recent data show that CaD is expressed in tumor cells as well as in stromal cells, such as cancerassociated fibroblasts, where it modulates the tumor microenvironment to favor the tumor. Interestingly, CaD undergoes selective tumor-specific splicing, and the resulting isoforms are generally not expressed in normal tissues, making these transcripts ideal targets for drug design. In this review, we will analyze these features of CaD with a focus on CRC and show how the currently available data qualify CaD as a potential candidate for targeted therapy in addition to its role in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer