Showing papers by "Yasser M. Moustafa published in 2023"
TL;DR: A review of the recent studies in ACC-associated miRNAs regarding their diagnostic, prognostic, and potential therapeutic relevance can be found in this article , where the authors provide a crucial overview of recent studies.
Abstract: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an uncommon aggressive endocrine malignancy that is nonetheless associated with significant mortality and morbidity rates because of endocrine and oncological consequences. Recent genome-wide investigations of ACC have advanced our understanding of the disease, but substantial obstacles remain to overcome regarding diagnosis and prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) play a crucial role in the development and metastasis of a wide range of carcinomas by regulating the expression of their target genes through various mechanisms causing translational repression or messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation. Along with miRNAs in the adrenocortical cancerous tissue, circulating miRNAs are considered barely invasive diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers of ACC. miRNAs may serve as treatment targets that expand the rather-limited therapeutic repertoire in the field of ACC. Patients with advanced ACC still have a poor prognosis when using the available treatments, despite a substantial improvement in understanding of the illness over the previous few decades. Accordingly, in this review, we provide a crucial overview of the recent studies in ACC-associated miRNAs regarding their diagnostic, prognostic, and potential therapeutic relevance.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , Canagliflozin (Cana) is an antidiabetic drug that exhibits neuroprotective properties in various neurodegenerative syndromes, such as autism.
Abstract: Autism is complex and multifactorial, and is one of the fastest growing neurodevelopmental disorders. Canagliflozin (Cana) is an antidiabetic drug that exhibits neuroprotective properties in various neurodegenerative syndromes. This study investigated the possible protective effect of Cana against the valproic acid (VPA)-induced model of autism. VPA was injected subcutaneously (SC) into rat pups at a dose of 300 mg/kg, twice daily on postnatal day-2 (PD-2) and PD-3, and once on PD-4 to induce an autism-like syndrome. Graded doses of Cana were administered (5 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg, P.O.) starting from the first day of VPA injections and continued for 21 days. At the end of the experiment, behavioral tests and histopathological alterations were assessed. In addition, the gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR γ), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), cellular myeloctomatosis (c-Myc) with protein expression of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and level of acetylcholine (ACh) were determined. Treatment with Cana significantly counteracted histopathological changes in the cerebellum tissues of the brain induced by VPA. Cana (5 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg) improved sociability and social preference, enhanced stereotypic behaviors, and decreased hyperlocomotion activity, in addition to its significant effect on the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway via the downregulation of gene expression of LDHA (22%, 64%, and 73% in cerebellum tissues with 51%, 60%, and 75% in cerebrum tissues), PDK (27%, 50%, and 67% in cerebellum tissues with 34%, 66%, and 77% in cerebrum tissues), c-Myc (35%, 44%, and 72% in cerebellum tissues with 19%, 58%, and 79% in cerebrum tissues), protein expression of GLUT-1 (32%, 48%, and 49% in cerebellum tissues with 30%, 50%, and 54% in cerebrum tissues), and elevating gene expression of PPAR-γ (2, 3, and 4 folds in cerebellum tissues with 1.5, 3, and 9 folds in cerebrum tissues), protein expression of PTEN (2, 5, and 6 folds in cerebellum tissues with 6, 6, and 10 folds in cerebrum tissues), and increasing the ACh levels (4, 5, and 7 folds) in brain tissues. The current study confirmed the ameliorating effect of Cana against neurochemical and behavioral alterations in the VPA-induced model of autism in rats.
1 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors developed a drug delivery system that effectively treats colitis while administering curcumin/mesalamine by coating alginate/chitosan beads with Eudragit® S-100 to target the colon.
Abstract: This research aims to develop a drug delivery system that effectively treats colitis while administering curcumin/mesalamine by coating alginate/chitosan beads with Eudragit® S-100 to target the colon. Beads were tested to determine their physicochemical characteristics. Coating with Eudragit® S-100 prevents drug release at a pH of less than 7; this was demonstrated by in-vitro release conducted in a medium with gradually varying pH to mimic circumstances in various regions of the gastrointestinal tract. This study examined the efficacy of the coated beads in treating acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. Results showed that spherical beads were formed with an average diameter of 1.6–2.8 mm, and the obtained swelling ranged from 409.80% to 890.19%. The calculated entrapment efficiency ranged from 87.49% to 97.89%. The optimized formula F13 (which was composed of mesalamine-curcumin active ingredients, Sodium alginate as a gelling agent, chitosan as a controlled release agent, CaCl2 as a crosslinking agent, and Eudragit S-100 as a pH-sensitive coating agent) demonstrated the best entrapment efficiency (97.89% ± 1.66), swelling (890.19% ± 60.1), and bead size (2.7 ± 0.62 mm). In formulation #13, which was coated with Eudragit S 100, curcumin (6.01 ± 0.04%) and mesalamine (8.64 ± 0.7%), were released after 2 h at pH 1.2; 6.36 ± 0.11% and 10.45 ± 1.52% of curcumin and mesalamine, respectively, were then released after 4 h and at pH 6.8. Meanwhile, at pH 7.4, after 24 h, approximately 85.34 ± 2.3% (curcumin) and 91.5 ± 1.2% (mesalamine) were released. Formula #13 significantly reduced the colitis, and this suggests that the developed hydrogel beads can be used for delivering curcumin-mesalamine combinations to treat ulcerative colitis after adequate research.
1 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors formulated a pharmaceutical dosage form containing omeprazole (OMP) and curcumin (CURC) to treat experimental peptic ulcers.
Abstract: This study aimed to formulate a pharmaceutical dosage form containing omeprazole (OMP) and curcumin (CURC) to treat experimental peptic ulcers. OMP and CURC were preliminarily complexed with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin for enhancing their solubilization. After that, the combined complex (CURC/OMP) was loaded to alginate beads to sustain their release and then coated with chitosan. Finally, we tested the anti-ulcerogenic impact of the best formula versus free OMP or OMP-only-loaded beads. The formulated spherical beads’ diameter ranged from a minimum value of 1.5 ± 0.08 mm to 2.6 ± 0.24 mm; the swelling results ranged from 400.00 ± 8.5% to 800.00 ± 6.2%. The entrapment efficiency was in a range from 60.85 ± 1.01% to 87.44 ± 1.88%. The optimized formula (F8) showed a maximum EE% (87.44 ± 1.88%), swelling (800.00 ± 6.2%), and diameter in the range of 2.60 ± 0.24, with a desirability of 0.941. In the first hour following the administration of the free drug complex, 95% of OMP and 98% of CURC were released. This is unacceptable for medications that require a delayed release in the stomach. The initial drug release from hydrogel beads was 23.19% for CURC and 17.19% for OMP after 2 h and 73.09% for CURC and 58.26% for OMP after 12 h; however, after 24 h, 87.81% of CURC and 81.67% of OMP had been released. The OMP/CURC beads showed a more stable particle size (0.52 ± 0.01 mm) after 6 weeks. In conclusion, the OMP/CURC hydrogel beads give stronger anti-ulcer effectiveness compared to free OMP, CURC-only beads, and OMP-only-loaded beads, indicating a prospective application for managing peptic ulcers.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigated the effect of flibanserin (FLP) against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats.
Abstract: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a life-threatening ischemic disease and is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Serotonin (5-HT) release during myocardial ischemia plays an important role in the progression of myocardial cellular injury. This study was conducted to investigate the possible cardioprotective effect of flibanserin (FLP) against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced MI in rats. Rats were randomly divided into five groups and were treated orally (p.o.) with FLP (15, 30, and 45 mg/kg) for 28 days. ISO was administered subcutaneously (S.C.) (85 mg/kg) on the 27th and 28th days to induce MI. ISO-induced myocardial infarcted rats exhibited a significant increase in cardiac markers, oxidative stress markers, cardiac and serum 5-HT levels, and total cardiac calcium (Ca2+) concentration. ISO-induced myocardial infarcted rats also revealed a remarkable alteration of electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern and significantly upregulated expression of the 5-Hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT2A) receptors gene. Moreover, ISO-induced myocardial infarcted rats showed significant histopathological findings of MI and hypertrophic signs. However, pretreatment with FLP significantly attenuated the ISO-induced MI in a dose-dependent manner, as the effect of FLP (45 mg/kg) was more pronounced than that of the other two doses, FLP (15 and 30 mg/kg). The present study provides evidence for the cardioprotective efficacy of FLP against ISO-induced MI in rats.
TL;DR: In this article , a chitosan biopolymer was grafted by chemically modified fluorescein to obtain a fluorescent biopolymers sensor for the detection of Hg2+ metal ions in different water sources.