Muhammad Sarfraz

Al Ain University · College of Pharmacy

This study evaluated the use of isothermal microcalorimetry (ITMC) to detect macrophage-nanoparticle interactions. Four different nanoparticle (NP) formulations were prepared: uncoated poly(isobutyl cyanoacrylate) (PIBCA), polysorbate-80-coated PIBCA, gelatin, and mannosylated gelatin NPs. Changes in NP formulations were aimed to either enhance or...

We developed a target drug delivery system for the treatment of tuberculosis using rifampicin (RIF) incorporated into hyaluronic acid-tocopherol succinate (HA-TS) micelles. The RIF-HA-TS micelles were physicochemically characterized and the cellular uptake of RIF-HA-TS micelles on murine alveolar macrophage MH-S cells was investigated. Furthermore,...

Secondary macrophage cytotoxicity induced by nanoparticles was described before. The study aim was to investigate the role of secondary cytotoxic effect in a macrophage-lung cancer coculture model after nanoparticle treatment in the presence and absence of anti-inflammatory drugs. An in vitro coculture model composed of confluent alveolar macrophag...

The purpose of the current study was to develop a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for dextromethorphan (DEX) and its metabolites in extensive (EM) and poor metabolizers (PM). The model was used to study the influence of dissolution rates on the sensitivity of Cmax and AUC for immediate release (IR) formulations. Simulation of in...

Introduction The study aimed to predict pregabalin individualized doses in healthy adults, pediatrics and renal impaired geriatric patients by using physiological based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for gastroretentive formulation producing comparable pharmacokinetics to that of the immediate release formulation to obtain doses on basis of their phy...

Aims: The aim of this study was to synthesize two positively charged surfactants Stearoylcholine and Oleoylcholine from choline or vitamin B4, saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids to modify solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) in order to enhance cancer cell uptake. Methods: These surfactants were synthesized by using the esterification method a...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease that delays the regular stages of the wound's healing process due to delayed inflammatory stages. Due to foot pressure points, chronic foot wounds are ultimately considered the primary cause of lower leg amputation. Diabetic patients have vascular dysfunction and neuropathy, leading to inadequate oxygen...

Cancer stands as a significant global cause of mortality, predominantly arising from the dysregulation of key enzymes and DNA. One strategic avenue in developing new anticancer agents involves targeting specific proteins within the cancer pathway. Amidst ongoing efforts to enhance the efficacy of anticancer drugs, a range of crucial medications cur...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer, typically diagnosed in advanced stages. Chemotherapy is necessary for treating advanced liver cancer; however, several challenges affect its effectiveness. These challenges include low specificity, high dosage requirements, high systemic toxicity and severe side effects...

AKR1B1 and AKR1B10 are important members of aldo–keto reductase family which plays a significant role in cancer progression by modulating cellular metabolism. These enzymes are involved in various metabolic processes, including the synthesis and metabolism of hormones, detoxification of reactive aldehydes, and the reduction of various endogenous an...

Asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPRs) are highly expressed on hepatocytes and have been used for liver- targeted delivery and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy. However, targeted delivery of bortezomib (BTZ) to HCC has not been reported. In this study, N-stearyl lactobionamide (N-SALB) with galactose (Gal) moiety was synthesized as a targeting...

Citation: Sarfraz, M.; Tulain, U.R.; Erum, A.; Malik, N.S.; Mahmood, A.; Sumaira; Aslam, S.; Sandhu, M.A.; Tayyab, M. Cydonia oblonga-Seed-Abstract: The primary objective of this study was to assess the potential utility of quince seed mucilage as an excipient within a graft copolymer for the development of an oral-controlled drug delivery system....

Formulation of customized drug delivery systems is considered as an effective approach to fulfill the individualized needs of the patients. In this study, differential release bilayer tablets containing clarithromycin (CAM) as sustained release (SR) and levofloxacin (LVX) as immediate release (IR) were fabricated by bridging the techniques of hot m...

Simple Summary Resveratrol, a polyphenolic stilbene derivative, is gaining popularity in cancer treatment for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its pharmacokinetic and physicochemical limitations, such as a limited water solubility, photosensitivity, and oxidative stability, limit its effectiveness. Nanotechnology has emerg...

The consortium of microbes inhabiting the human body, together with their encoded genes and secreted metabolites, is referred to as the “human microbiome.” Several studies have established a link between the composition of the microbiome and its impact on human health. This impact spans local gastrointestinal inflammation to systemic autoimmune dis...

Fibroblast growth factor receptors 1 (FGFR1) is an emerging target for the development of anticancer drugs. Uncontrolled expression of FGFR1 is strongly associated with a number of different types of cancers. Apart from a few FGFR inhibitors, the FGFR family members have not been thoroughly studied to produce clinically effective anticancer drugs....

The traditional use of Mirabilis jalapa L. roots to enhance male sexual performance prompted us to assess the in silico, in vitro, and in vivo aphrodisiac activities of its hydroethanolic extract using normal male rats. Spectroscopic characterization indicated the presence of ß-D-glucopyranoside, methyl-1,9-benzyl-2,6-dichloro-9H-purine, and Bis-(2...

The potential of levosulpiride-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (LSP-NLCs) for enhanced antidepressant and anxiolytic effects was evaluated in the current study. A forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were carried out to determine the antidepressant effect whereas anxiolytic activity was investigated using light–dark box and op...

Simple Summary The current review describes mangiferin (MGF), a secondary plant metabolite of a xanthone derivative obtained from mango plants and known for its therapeutic activities. It is potent against various cancers, including breast, liver, prostate and glioblastoma, by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and preventing NFκB activation. However, M...

The expanding global cancer burden necessitates a comprehensive strategy to promote possible therapeutic interventions. Nanomedicine is a cutting-edge approach for treating cancer with minimal adverse effects. In the present study, chitosan-silver nanoparticles (ChAgNPs) containing Eugenol (EGN) were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer a...

Trillions of diverse microbes reside in the gut and are deeply interwoven with the human physiological process, from food digestion, immune system maturation, and fighting invading pathogens, to drug metabolism. Microbial drug metabolism has a profound impact on drug absorption, bioavailability, stability, efficacy, and toxicity. However, our knowl...

Drug encapsulation in nanoparticles and microparticles has been shown to be a promising application for nasal drug delivery. Drug encapsulation and surface modification of nano and microparticles can enhance drug bioavailability by controlling drug release, decreasing mucociliary clearance, and enzymatic degradation. The drug particle size, the nat...

This study aims to investigate the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of surface-modified cisplatin (CisP) loaded liposomes by acetyl carnitine and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in macrophage and cancer cells. Blank and CisP loaded liposomal formulations modified/un-modified using cholesteryl acetyl carnitine (CAC) and PEG were prepared by ethanol inject...

Microneedle patches are promising transdermal drug delivery platforms with minimal invasiveness in a painless manner. Microneedle patch could be a promising alternate route for delivery of drugs having poor solubility and low bioavailability. This research work therefore, aimed to develop and characterize microneedle patch of thiolated chitosan (TC...

Abstract Pregabalin, a GABA analogue is used to treat epilepsy and neuropathic pain. The drug poses problems in analytical quantification when estimated at a shorter UV wavelength. The expensive and non-repetitive reported analytical methods necessitate the utility and development of an accurate, precise, repetitive, simple and highly sensitive col...

Deposition of hydroxyapatite (HA) or alkaline phosphate crystals on soft tissues causes the pathological calcification diseases comprising of end-stage osteoarthritis (OA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), medial artery calcification and tumour calcification. The pathological calcification is symbolised by increased concentration of tissue non-specific...

The objective of the current study was to synthesize and characterize carbopol containing hydrogels with different monomers such as methacrylic acid (MAA), 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and itaconic acid (ITA). Free radical polymerization method was optimized for the preparation of different formulations using N,N-methylene bis-...

Purpose: Poor aqueous solubility hampers the development of several compounds as pharmacological agents. Hence, preparing novel formulations with augmented absorption is a challenge in pharmaceutical industries. In this paper, we have examined the effect of basic amino acids including arginine (ARG), lysine (LYS), and glucosamine (GlucN) on the so...

The study was designed to enhance the oral bioavailability of tacrolimus, a BCS-II drug, extensively used in organ transplants to avoid tissue rejection. For this purpose, thiomer coated tacrolimus-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (TC-SLNs-Tac) were prepared using beeswax as solid lipid, Tween 80 as surfactant, and soy lecithin as co-surfactant via...

Intravesical drug delivery is a direct drug delivery approach for the treatment of various bladder diseases. The human urinary bladder has distinctive anatomy, making it an effective barrier against any toxic agent seeking entry into the bloodstream. This screening function of the bladder derives from the structure of the urothelium, which acts as...

Introduction The argument around cancer therapy is an old one. Using chemotherapeutic drugs, as one of the most effective strategies in treatment of malignancies, is restricted by various issues that progress during therapy and avoid achieving clinical endpoints. Multidrug resistance (MDR), frequently mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transpor...

The development of a therapeutic system for hepatic fibrosis has become a research hotspot to date. Butein, a simple chalcone derivative, displays anti-fibrotic effects through different pathways. However, impurities, low solubility, and low concentration in the target tissue hinder therapy with herbal ingredients. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), th...

The aim of the current study was to enhance the oral bioavailability of Acyclovir (ACV) based on the papain-functionalized self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS). The optimum control SEDDS formulation comprised of kolliphore (40%), transcutol (30%), propylene glycol (20%) and oleoyl chloride (10%). However, in the targeted SEDDS formulation...

This study aimed to design a hyaluronic acid-based targeted, mucoadhesive and mucopenetrating drug delivery system encapsulating clarithromycin that would improve the drug residence time at H. pylori infection site. Clarithromycin-loaded thiolated hyaluronic acid-co-oleic acid (CLR-thHA-co-OA), clarithromycin-loaded ureido-conjugated thiolated hyal...

Introduction: Compared to normal cells, malignant cancer cells require more iron for their growth and rapid proliferation, which can be supplied by a high expression level of transferrin receptor (TfR). It is well known that the expression of TfR on the tumor cells is considerably higher than that of normal cells, which makes TfR an attractive targ...

Both members of the aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) family, AKR1B1 and AKR1B10, are over-expressed in various type of cancer, making them potential targets for inflammation-mediated cancers such as colon, lung, breast, and prostate cancers. This is the first comprehensive study which focused on the identification of phenylcarbamoylazinane-1, 2,4-triazo...

The existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) makes the clinical chemotherapy of glioma a formidable challenge, because it hinders the passage of different chemotherapeutics into the brain and reduces the overall therapeutic efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to design a drug delivery system in way that would favor the transportation of anti-c...

Diltiazem hydrochloride is a calcium channel blocker, which belongs to the family of benzothiazepines. It is commonly used to treat hypertension and atrial fibrillation. Even though the drug has high solubility, its high permeability and rapid metabolism in the liver can limit the bioavailability and increase the dose frequencies for up to four tim...

The present study aimed to synthesize cholesteryl acetyl carnitine (CAC), and surface modify the PEGylated liposomes with the intention of enhanced cancer cell uptake. For this, CAC synthesis was performed in amine-free esterification conditions and then four liposomal formulations of unmodified, CAC/PEG, and CAC+PEG-modified were prepared by ethan...

Introduction: The pleiotropic effects of statins are recently explored for wound healing through angiogenesis and lymph-angiogenesis that could be of great importance in diabetic wounds. Aim: Aim of the present study is to fabricate nanofilm embedded with simvastatin loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CS-SIM-NPs) has been reported herein to explore...

Combinational therapy of hydrocortisone (HC), a topical steroid with an antioxidant hydroxytyrosol (HT) was used by co-loading into chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) for its clinical efficacy and safety against atopic dermatitis (AD). NPs were characterized while the complexation of drugs with CS was investigated by exploiting molecular docking and mo...

Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the most effective therapeutics to treat different types of solid tumors; however, it suffers low permeability limiting its bioavailability and cellular uptake. To tackle this, we aim to design and fabricate different types of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to improve the intracellular uptake of MTX without causing an...

Sildenafil is the active substance in Viagra ® tablets, which is approved by the FDA to treat sexual dysfunction in men. Poor solubility and short half-life, however, can limit the span of its effectiveness. Therefore, this study focused on an oral controlled release matrix system with the aim to improve solubility, control the drug release, and su...

High-grade glioma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer with a low survival rate ranging from 12 to 15 months after the first diagnosis. Though being the most common strategy for glioma therapy, conventional chemotherapy suffers providing the therapeutic dosage of common 3 therapeutics mostly because of limited permeability of blood-brain b...

Objective(s): Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most well-known chemotherapeutics that are commonly applied for a wide range of cancer treatments. However, in most cases, efflux pumps like P-glycoprotein (P-gp), expel the taken drugs out of the cell and decrease the Dox bioavailability. Expression of P-gp is associated with elevated mRNA expression o...

Orodispersible films (ODFs) have served as an emerging platform for the delivery of drugs in a convenient way. They have numerous advantages, the significant one is simplicity of administration for special populations such as pediatric and geriatric as well as patients with swallowing difficulty. Besides, the advantages include accurate dosing and...

Background and purpose: There has been a long-standing belief that generic drugs are of lower value in comparison to their branded name counterparts. They are in particular under scrutiny due to their low market price. Even though the reduction in costs is largely based on skipping expensive preclinical studies and clinical trials for generic drug...

Background: This study aimed to assess the pediatric lisinopril doses using an adult physiological based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. As the empirical rules of dose calculation cannot calculate gender-specific pediatric doses and ignores the age-related physiological differences. Methods: A PBPK model of lisinopril for the healthy adult population...

ABSTRACT The biological, chemical, and in silico properties of methanol and dichloromethane (DCM) extracts of Alhagi maurorum roots with respect to the antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and phytochemical composition were evaluated. Total bioactive contents were determined spectrophotometrically, and the individual secondary metabolites composition wa...

This research endeavors to inspect the chemical and biological profiling of methanol and dichloromethane (DCM) extracts prepared from Abutilon figarianum Webb. Total bioactive constituents and secondary metabolites were assessed via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC-MS). Biological effects were evaluated via antioxidant and enzyme...

Pectin is a polysaccharide with very good gel forming properties that traditionally has found important applications in foods and pharmaceutical industries. Although less studied, chemical modifications of pectin leading to a decrease in its hydrophilicity can be useful for the development of novel drug carriers. To this aim, butylglyceryl pectins...

Background and objective: The noncompliance of treatment guidelines by healthcare professionals, along with physiological variations, makes the pediatric population more prone to antibiotic prescribing errors. The present study aims to evaluate the prescribing practices and errors of the most frequently prescribed antibiotics among pediatric patien...

Background and objectives The information technology is a pivotal source of communication between patients and healthcare providers for managing chronic diseases. The objective of this study is to assess the capacity and willingness of patients to use information technology for managing chronic diseases. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional stud...

Questionnaire of the study. (DOCX)

Use of transdermal patches can evade many issues associated with oral drug delivery, such as first-pass hepatic metabolism, enzymatic digestion attack, drug hydrolysis and degradation in acidic media, drug fluctuations, and gastrointestinal irritation. This article reviews various transdermal patches available in the market, types, structural compo...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of a self-nano-emulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) to enhance the oral bioavailability of a BCS class IV drug, etoposide (VP-16). METHOD: A series of SNEDDS formulations with VP-16 were prepared consisting of medium chain triglycerides, polysorbate 80, diethylene glycol monoeth...

Objective: To evaluate influence of education level of older patients on polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) listed in Beer’s Criteria, and unplanned hospitalization. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among older people aged ≥65 years between 1 December 2017 and 28 February 2018. For data analysis, descriptive st...

Background and objectives Adverse drug events (ADEs) are the fifth leading cause of death and thus responsible for a large number of hospital admissions in all over the globe. This study was aimed to assess the antibiotics associated preventability of ADEs and causality of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among hospitalized patients. Methods A prospe...

Characteristics of selected hospitals. (DOCX)

Definitions of different terms. (DOCX)

Questionnaire of the study. (DOCX)

Abstract Background A large number of hospital admissions are attributed to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and they are the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. The present study aimed to assess the causality and preventability of adverse drug events (ADEs) of antibiotics among inpatients having different lengths of hospital stay. Methods A prosp...

In this study, hydrophilic hydroxypropyl methylcellulose matrices with various concentrations of Poloxamer 188 were used in the development of oral controlled release tablets containing diclofenac sodium. Four formulations of hydrophilic matrix tablets containing 16.7% w/w HPMC and 0, 6.7, 16.7 and 25.0% w/w Poloxamer 188, respectively, were develo...

Irrational prescribing and resistance to antibiotics are major health concerns globally. The aim of this study was to assess the physicians' knowledge, attitude and practice about antibiotic prescribing and resistance in Khyber Pakhtun Khawah (KPK), Pakistan. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using a pre-validated self-administered...

The aim was to prepare cross linked polymer of 5-fluorouracil loaded microspheres containing guar gum and sodium borate for colon-targeted drug delivery systems. Micro spheres were prepared using emulsification cross linking method. The influence of drug polymer ratio, cross linker agent concentrations and cross linking timing on in vitro drug rele...

Purpose: Liposomes have been studied as a colloidal carrier in drug delivery systems, especially for oral administration. However, their low structural integrity in the gut is still a major shortcoming. Membrane disruptive effects of physiological bile salts in the small intestine result in premature drug release prior to intestinal absorption. Th...

Surface energies and dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) plays an imperative role in drug polymer interaction in the formulation development for a number of applications. Powdered films of two pH sensitive polymers namely hypromellose phthalate (HPMCP) and methacrylic acid copolymer NF (Eudragit L30-55) were studied for surface energy analysis employing...

Aim: Secondary toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) in macrophages is a well-known phenomenon. The aim of the study was to investigate the immuneresponse of macrophages after NP treatment. Methods & results: Antituberculosis drugs moxifloxacin and rifampicin were loaded into gelatin and polyisobutyl-cyanoacrylate NPs. The NPs were physicochemical cha...

Flurbiprofen, a potent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is widely used for relief of pain in patients suffering from rheumatic diseases, migraine, sore throat and primary dysmenorrheal. However, this drug has many gastrointestinal side effects produced by its oral administration, such as gastric bleeding and peptic ulcer. These effects were res...

p>Liposomes are lipid based vesicular systems that offer novel platform for versatile drug delivery to target cell. Liposomes were first reported by Bangham and his co-workers in 1964 (1). Since then, liposomes have undergone extensive research with the prime aim to optimize encapsulation, stability, circulation time and target specific drug delive...

At present, much of the attention within tuberculosis (TB) management is spent on microbiological cure, and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is either undervalued or seldom considered. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of TB treatment on HRQoL of new smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. Moreover,...

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signalling cascade is one of the intricate signal transduction mechanisms that govern the precisely regulated developmental processes of multicellular organisms. Along with establishing the patterns of cellular differentiation to direct complex organ formation, it also has an important role in post-embryonic tissue regeneration...

Diverse proteins catalyze membrane fusion reactions. These mediate recognition of the membranes for fusion and pull the membranes close together to destabilize the lipid/water interface and to initiate mixing of the lipids. In the nervous system, membrane fusion is vital for neuro-exocytosis, neuro transmitter release and chemical synaptic transmis...

Effervescent inhalable nanoparticles (NPs) have previously been shown to be a promising alternative to conventional lung cancer treatment in animals. This study investigates the biodistribution of effervescent inhalable NPs after a single dose administration via pulmonary route in lung cancer-bearing mice. Whole-body autoradiography and confocal la...

Gelucire 50/13 (G50/13) was assessed to develop controlled release formulation of salbutamol sulphate (SBL) a highly water soluble drug by semisolid matrix filling capsule technique. Drug release profiles of SBL release by using G50/13 and its blends with other hydrophilic or hydrophobic materials were investigated. Lipid matrix formulations prepar...

Pulmonary administration of inhalable nanoparticles (NPs) is an emerging area of interest. Dry powder inhalers may offer particular advantages for pulmonary administration of NPs. This article reviews research performed on the formulation of inhalable NPs as dry powder to achieve deep-lung deposition and enhance NP redispersibility. Moreover, the a...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of drug solubility, inert pellet size and binders used in drug loading on release behavior from Eudragit NE-30 coated pellets. Aqueous solutions of highly water soluble drugs, diltiazem hydrochloride and chlorpheniramine maleate while hydroalcoholic solutions of poorly soluble drugs, diclo...

Herbal remedies like the Indian penny wort, walnut, and turmeric are useful in traditional medicine for the treatment of many skin diseases, especially eczema. The aim of the present study was to formulate a microemulsion, a gel, and an ointment containing these plant extracts and to evaluate their in vitro release using markers. The in vitro relea...

The present study was conducted to develop sustained release matrix tablets of naproxen with the help of a hydrophobic polymer, Ethyl Cellulose (EC). Matrix tablets were prepared by incorporating various proportions of EC in the matrix system using wet granulation technique. The rate of drug release from the matrix tablets was found to be very slow...

The present study was conducted to investigate the low viscosity grades of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) and ethyl cellulose (EC) in sustaining the release of water insoluble drug, naproxen from the matrix tablets. Both HPMC and EC were incorporated in the matrix system separately or in combinations by wet granulation technique. In vitro dis...