Gul Majid Khan

Islamia College Peshawar · Vice Chancellor Office

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is most common in developing countries because of poverty, stress, and depression. Amyloid plaques as well as neurofibrillary tangles cause AD. Unavoidable risk factors for AD may include aging, certain genes, and family history of AD. Head injury, exposure to pesticides, toxic metals as well as industrial chemicals may enh...

This entry discusses and narrates interventions and public health roles performed by community pharmacists. This is done by evidence synthesis of research articles, mostly done in high-income countries; however, some examples are also portrayed from low- and middle-income countries. It elaborates on the role of community pharmacies and electronic h...

Topical drug delivery is preferable route over systemic delivery in case of Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Among the available agents, amphotericin B (AmB) and pentamidine (PTM) showed promising result against CL. However, monotherapy is associated with incidences of reoccurrence and resistance. Combination therapy is therefore recommended. Thin fil...

Current treatment options for cutaneous leishmaniasis are associated with myriad limiting factors including low penetration, poor efficacy, and drug toxicities. Herein, we reported imiquimod and terbinafine co-loaded mannosylated transethosomes (IMQ-TER-MTES) with enhanced cutaneous retention, macrophage targeting, anti-leishmanial potential, and d...

Background Allopurinol (ALP), a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, is a first line drug for the treatment of gout and hyperuricemia. Being the member of BCS class II drugs, ALP has solubility problem, which affects its bioavailability. Also, ALP has shorter half-life and showed GI related problems. In present study, ALP was encapsulated in nanostructured...

Aim: To develop and evaluate detergent-free, triple-drug-loaded, hyaluronate-coated elastic nanovesicles (H-ENVs) for the topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Materials & methods: H-ENVs were developed and evaluated for vesicle size, entrapment efficiency, skin permeation and antileishmanial potential. Results: A 15.7 and 28.6% decrease in...

Topical delivery is preferable over systemic delivery for cutaneous leishmaniasis, because of its easy administration, reduced systemic adverse effects and low cost. Nitazoxanide (NTZ) has broad-spectrum activity against various parasites and has the potential to avoid drug resistance developed by enzymatic mutations. NTZ oral formulation is associ...

Burns are highly traumatizing injuries that can be complicated by various microbial infections, leading to morbidity and mortality. The ultimate goal of burn therapy is to prevent any microbial infection and rapid wound healing with epithelization. The current study aimed to develop and investigate the potential of nanoemulsion-based cosmetotherape...

Herein, Imiquimod (IMQ) was incorporated in nanotransethosomes (nTES) to develop the IMQ-nTES nano-drug delivery system. IMQ-nTES was optimized using 2 ³ factorial design. The optimized formulation was expressed with a particle size of 192.4 ± 1.60 nm, Poly-dispersibility of 0.115 ± 0.008, and IMQ percent entrapment efficiency of 91.05 ± 3.22%. Smo...

The prime objective of this study was to develop amphotericin B (AMB) and rifampicin (RIF) co-loaded transfersomal gel (AMB-RIF co-loaded TFG) for effective treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). AMB-RIF co-loaded TF was prepared by the thin-film hydration method and was optimized based on particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potenti...

Controlled-release formulations are essential for those drugs that require fine tuning of their activity to increase the ratio between therapeutic vs. adverse effects. Losartan potassium is among those drugs whose adverse effects may somehow impair its purported benefits. Previous investigations have been carried out to ascertain the suitability of...

Cilostazol (CLZ) is an antiplatelet agent with limited solubility (∼6 μg/ml at 25 °C), poor absorption and low oral bioavailability. In this study, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were used as a drug delivery system to improve the CLZ dissolution, absorption and bioavailability. Micro-emulsion method was used to fabricate CLZ-loaded SLNs. The SLNs...

Human body encounters thousands of chemicals in the form of drugs, food items, toxins, and other environmental pollutants. These agents are treated with the help of biomolecules called enzymes or more specific drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs). These exogenous substances have to pass certain chemical steps in order to become active, inactive, less t...

Organotin (IV) compounds are a focus of research for potential use in cancer chemotherapy. Here, we established anticancer profile of dibutyltin (IV) carboxylate derivatives in prostate cancer (PCa) model. We determined cytotoxicity of a library of dibutyltin (IV) carboxylate derivatives and observed that dibutylstannanediyl (2Z,2′Z)-bis(4-(benzyla...

Controlled release matrices have predictable drug release kinetics, provide drugs for an extended period of time, and reduce dosing frequency with improved patient compliance as compared with conventional tablet dosage forms. In the current research work, losartan potassium controlled release matrix tablets were fabricated and prepared with rate al...

Herein, Trifluralin (TFL) laden transfersomes (TFS) were investigated against Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), via localized and targeted dermal delivery of TFL. Designed TFL-TFS were optimized utilizing 23 full factorial design on the basis of desired response factors including Particle size (P.S), Polydispersity index (PDI), TFL entrapment (%EE) and...

The basic aim of the study was to develop and evaluate the triple drug loaded cationic nano-vesicles (cNVs), where miltefosine was used as a replacement of surfactant (apart from its anti-leishmanial role), in addition to meglumine antimoniate (MAM) and imiquimod (Imq), as a combination therapy for the topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (...

Introduction: Pakistan ranks fifth in the globally estimated burden of tuberculosis (TB) case incidence. Annually, a gap of 241,688 patients with TB exists between estimated TB incidence and actual TB case notification in Pakistan. These undetected/missed TB cases initiate TB care from providers in the private healthcare system who are less motivat...

Objective: Biodegradable polymers are extensively used due to their efficient safety profiles. The aim of the current study was to fabricate, evaluate and characterize biodegradable, biocompatible fluconazole (FLZ) loaded chitosan (CHS) chondroitin sulphate (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) for topical delivery. Polymers utilized in the formulation not onl...

Background Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the recommended treatment in ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). The determination of Quality of life (QoL) for various options of coronary revascularization is important for establishment of a comprehensive care plan. Studies of QoL in interventional cardiology are scarce. Our...

Dengue feverDengue fever is one of the significant health issues throughout the world, especially in tropical and subtropical territories. The cause of dengue feverDengue fever is the dengue virusDengue virus (DENV), which is a single-stranded RNARibonucleic acid (RNA) virus that is part of Flaviviridaeviruses family and has four distinct serotypes...

As a neglected tropical disease, Leishmaniasis is significantly instigating morbidity and mortality across the globe. Its clinical spectrum varies from ulcerative cutaneous lesions to systemic immersion causing hyperthermic hepatosplenomegaly. Curbing leishmanial parasite is toughly attributable to the myriad obstacles in existing chemotherapy and...

This study aimed to develop and optimize a Curcumin loaded SLNs (C-SLNs) patch through a new approach for transdermal delivery. C-SLNs were optimized through the response surface central composite design using the modified injection method. Optimized C-SLNs were loaded into a polyvinyl alcohol-based patch through the backing membrane method. Compat...

Objective The purpose of this study was to develop novel carbopol-based miltefosine-loaded transfersomal gel (HePCTG) for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) via efficient targeting of leishmania infected macrophages. Methods Miltefosine-loaded transfersomes (HePCT) were prepared by ethanol injection method followed by their incorporatio...

Background Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), a tropically neglected infectious disease caused by Nairovirus , is endemic in low middle-income countries like Pakistan. Emergency health care professionals (HCPs) are at risk of contracting nosocomial transmission of CCHF. We, therefore, aim to analyze the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (...

Nanotechnology based drug delivery systems are employed to overcome the hitches associated with conventional therapies. The current study aimed to develop biopolymeric nanoparticles of artemether for transdermal delivery as an alternative to oral route’s hindrances. Biopolymers; chitosan and chondroitin sulfate were used to prepare and optimize art...

Background Pakistan is facing a growing population of people living with human immunodeficiency (HIV). In this randomized controlled trial, we investigate if a pharmacist-led intervention can increase adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLWH). Methods Adults with HIV, who have been taking ART for more than 3 month...

Intricate formulation methods and/or the use of sophisticated equipment limit the prevalence of liposomal dosage-forms. Simple techniques are developed to assemble amphiphiles into globular lamellae while transiting from the immiscible organic to the aqueous phase. Various parameters are optimized by injecting chloroform solution of amphiphiles int...

In the published manuscript, co-author Sarah Hendrickx name was misspelled and co-author Guy Caljon's last and first names were inadvertently switched.

Controlled release formulations are administered once a day and reduce frequency of dose and ensuring patient's compliance. In the current research controlled release matrices of losartan potassium formulated with polymeric combinations of ethocel grade 7 with carbopol 934P NF using different concentrations of polymers. In some polymeric tablets, C...

Background The list of oral and expensive chemotherapy agents has lengthened over the last few years and has created unique medication adherence concerns. In a real-life setting, patients often do not take their medications as prescribed. This pattern is associated with poor outcomes and increased health care costs. Objectives To estimate the adher...

Intricate formulation methods and/or use of sophisticated equipment limit the prevalence of liposomal dosage-forms. Simple techniques are developed to assemble amphiphiles into globular lamellae while transiting from immiscible organic to the aqueous phase. Various parameters are optimized by injecting chloroform solution of amphiphiles into the aq...

The world is facing lockdown for the first time in decades due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. This has led to massive global economic disruption, placed additional strain on local and global public health resources and, above all, threatened human health. We conducted a review of peer-reviewed and unpublished data, written...

Targeted and localized drug delivery via dermal route is an effective approach to improve drug delivery and reduce drugs associated toxicities, most particularly treating cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), which otherwise are difficult to achieve via oral and parenteral routes. Aim of this study was to develop rifampicin (RIF) and vancomycin (VAN) co-lo...

The present study aimed to develop, characterize and evaluate the amphotericin B–loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (AmB-NLCs) for topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). AmB-NLCs were characterized for particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency and surface morphology. Prepared NLCs were...

Prostate cancer (PCa) incidence is surging in United States and other parts of the world. Synthetic and natural compounds have been explored as potential modulators of PI3K/Akt signaling that is known to drive PCa growth. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of a series of triphenyltin (IV) carboxylate derivatives against PCa. From this library, triphen...

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and anti-HCV therapy is a significant measure to reduce the incidence of HCC, however development of HCC in HCV treated patients is an emerging clinical problem which needs to be investigated. In this study we aim to analyze associatio...

Globally, Pakistan ranks fifth in terms of missing tuberculosis (TB) patients' burden. Missed TB cases are either undiagnosed or diagnosed but not notified to the national TB database. Public-private mix interventions are contributing significantly to the case detection, diagnosis, and treatment of TB in Pakistan. However, it is estimated that many...

The present study evaluates the efficacy of sodium stibogluconate (SSG) co-loaded with ketoconazole (KTZ) in nano-elastic liposomes (NELs) for the topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). SSG-KTZ co-loaded NELs were developed and assessed for various physicochemical properties and anti-leishmanial potential. The optimized nano-vesicles ha...

Objective: To test the hypothesis that miltefosine (MTF)-polyphenol co-loaded second generation nano-transfersomes (SGNTs) can be an effective approach for the topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Methods: The co-loaded SGNTs with various MTF-polyphenol combinations were developed, evaluated and compared for the entrapment efficiency,...

Aim: In this study, the targeting of rifampicin (RIF)-loaded nanotransfersomes (NTs) incorporated in chitosan gel for leishmania-infected macrophages via the topical route was investigated. Materials & methods: NTs were prepared through a thin-film hydration process and incorporated into chitosan gel. Results: The mean particle size of the NTs was...

The aim of this study was to develop levosulpiride-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) with enhanced solubilisation and bioavailability. The levosulpiride loaded-SLNs were composed of levosulpiride, stearic acid, and tween 80 in their respective weight ratios of (1, 5, 1.5 mg) dissolved in 1 ml distilled water. Physicochemical properties of the...

Chronic wound infections have become a challenging problem due to escalating antibiotic resistance and lack of viable delivery approaches. Carvacrol (CAR) has been reported to be effective against multidrug resistant pathogens. In this study, CAR was formulated into a site-specific nanoparticle (NP) delivery system using poly(caprolactone) (PCL) to...

Proniosomes offer excellent potential for improved drug delivery, through versatile routes, by overcoming the permeation barriers faced by several drugs. The study was aimed to develop a thiomer gel containing duloxetine proniosomes for the intranasal delivery, improving its bioavailability and brain delivery through olfactory system. Duloxetine-lo...

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is gaining momentum due to its greater depth of field, low background, and 3D imaging capabilities. However, traditional PA imaging agents (e.g. dyes, quantum dots, etc.) are usually unstable in plasma and bind to serum proteins; thus, cleared rapidly. Because of this, nanoparticle encapsulation of PA imaging agents is be...

Resveratrol (RES) is a naturally existing polyphenol which exhibits anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. In recent years, RES has attracted attention for its synergistic effect with other anti-cancer drugs for the treatment of drug resistant cancers. However, RES faces the issues of poor pharmacokinetics, stability and low s...

The present work aimed to synthesize drug loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Topical drug delivery is a favourable option in treatment of localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) and is always considered superior over systemic therapy and intralesional antimony injections. Curcumin was chosen a...

Nontargeted delivery systems present nonspecific delivery, low transfection efficiency and high toxicity. Ligand-conjugated chitosan (CS) nanocarriers have emerged as an outstanding option for achieving active delivery specifically and preferentially to the target sites by exploiting receptors mediated endocy-tosis. Mannosylated CS nanocarriers hav...

Background and Objectives: Lipid-based self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) have resurged the eminence of nanoemulsions by modest adjustments and offer many valuable opportunities in drug delivery. Chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic agent with poor aqueous solubility-with extensive first-pass metabolism-can be a suitable candidate for...

Nanomaterials have found extensive biomedical applications in the past few years because of their small size, low molecular weight, larger surface area, enhanced biological, and chemical reactivity. Among these nanomaterials, nanogels (NGs) are promising drug delivery systems and are composed of cross-linked polymeric nanoparticles ranging from 100...

Background Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic (CCHF) is a deadly tick born disease caused by a virus of genus Nairovirus and is endemic in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Eastern areas of Europe. Pakistan is a CCHF endemic country with a constant threat of sporadic outbreaks. Health care workers are more prone to CCHF, hence, it is a prerequisite for mem...

The present study focuses on the preparation of nanoparticles-loaded ionic cross-linked films for the topical delivery of cefazolin. The aim of the study was to prepare a dosage form which can provide local effect of cefazolin along with sustained delivery at the site of application. Cefazolin was loaded into chitosan nanoparticles to mask the burs...

Topical drug delivery against cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) signifies an effective alternate for improving the availability and reducing the toxicity associated with the parenteral administration of conventional sodium stibogluconate (SSG) injection. The basic aim of the study was to develop nano-deformable liposomes (NDLs) for the dermal delivery o...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous malignancy in men in the United States. Moreover, its incidence is predicted to surge in many parts of the world due to increase in aging population and change in dietary habits. The PTEN/AKT axis plays a critical role in regulating PCa growth and survival. Synthetic and natural com...

Clinical pharmacists should be increasingly important members of the healthcare team in developing countries such as Pakistan. Survey of literature was conducted to identify the determinants of clinical pharmacy in Pakistan. Lack of trained human capital, shortage of resources, patient overburden, inefficient pharmacy education curriculum, and limi...

Controlled release dosage forms provide sustained therapeutics effects for prolonged period of time and improve patient compliance. In present study, controlled release co-precipitates of Metoprolol Tartrate and Losartan Potassium were prepared by solvent evaporation method using polymers such as Eudragit RL 100 and Carbopol 974PNF and controlled r...

In the search of new drugs with high therapeutic efficacy, antimony (V) dicarboxylates bearing cinnamate moieties with general formula [SbR3(O2CR′)2] have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques like FTIR, multinuclear (¹H and ¹³C) NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The organic moieties (R) in the complexes are phenyl...