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Publications (22)
Antiretroviral drugs have made significant progress in treating HIV-1 and improving the quality of HIV-1-infected individuals. However, due to their limited permeability into the brain HIV-1 replication persists in brain reservoirs such as perivascular macrophages and microglia, which cause HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders. Therefore, it i...
Both bacteria product flagellin and macrophages are implicated in HIV-1 infection/disease progression. However, the impact of their interaction on HIV-1 infection and the associated mechanisms remain to be determined. We thus examined the effect of the flagellins on HIV-1 infection of primary human macrophages. We observed that the pretreatment of...
Both bacteria product flagellin and macrophages are implicated in HIV infection/disease progression. However, the impact of their interaction on HIV infection and the associated mechanisms remain to be determined. We thus examined the effect of the flagellins on HIV infection of primary human macrophages. We observed that the pretreatment of macrop...
Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) can suppress peripheral HIV, patients still suffer from neuroHIV due to insufficient levels of ART drugs in the brain. Hence, this study focuses on developing a poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticle-based ART drug delivery system for darunavir (DRV) using an intranasal route that can overcome the lim...
Neurological disorders are a major global challenge, which counts for a substantial slice of disease burden around the globe. In these, the challenging landscape of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and neuro-AIDS, demands innovative and novel therapeutic approaches. Curcu...
In this study, we investigated the potential of using curcumin (CUR) as an adjuvant to enhance the delivery of antiretroviral drug elvitegravir (EVG) across the BBB, and alleviate oxidative stress and inflammatory response, which are the major hallmark of HIV neuropathogenesis. In a mouse model, we compared the biodistribution of EVG alone and in c...
In this study, we investigated the potential of using curcumin (CUR) as an adjuvant to enhance the delivery of antiretroviral drug elvitegravir (EVG) across the BBB, and alleviate oxidative stress and inflammatory response, which are the major hallmark of HIV neuropathogenesis. In a mouse model, we compared the biodistribution of EVG alone and in c...
Despite the availability of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), which reduces the HIV replication in chronically HIV-infected patients, HIV associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) persists in the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the major barrier for the penetration of drugs including antiretrovirals, limiting the drug penetration to...
We have recently demonstrated that long-term exposure of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) to HIV-uninfected (U937) and -infected (U1) macrophages induce packaging of pro-inflammatory molecules, particularly IL-1β, in extracellular vesicles (EVs). Therefore, we hypothesize that exposure of EVs derived from CSC-treated macrophages to CNS cells can in...
Cytosolic recognition of microbial DNA in macrophages results in the activation of the interferon (IFN) dependent antiviral innate immunity. Here, we examined whether activating DNA sensors in peripheral blood monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDMs) can inhibit HIV. We observed that the stimulation of MDMs with poly(dA:dT) or poly(dG:dC) (synthetic lig...
Background
Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), an important polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) component of cigarette/tobacco smoking, is known to cause adverse health effects and is responsible for various life-threatening conditions including cancer. However, it is not yet clear whether BaP contributes to the macrophage- and astrocyte-mediated inflammatory...
Objective: The objective of this study is to introduce short stories and motivational messages on soft skills in pharmacy didactic courses to improve classroom engagement. Methods: Surveys were then conducted on the impact of students’ understanding of soft skills and their impact on classroom engagement. Results: The survey results from the two cl...
The blood brain barrier (BBB) maintains the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS) and protects the brain from toxic substances present in the circulating blood. However, the impermeability of the BBB to drugs is a hurdle for CNS drug development, which hinders the distribution of the most therapeutic molecules into the brain. Therefore, s...
People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are at an increased risk of severe and critical COVID-19 infection. There is a steady increase in neurological complications associated with COVID-19 infection, exacerbating HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in PLWHA. Nutraceuticals, such as phytochemicals from medicinal plants and dietary supplement...
Background
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the new SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged in the different regions of the world. These newly emerged variants have mutations in their spike (S) protein that may confer resistance to vaccine-elicited immunity and existing neutralizing antibody therapeutics. Therefore, there is still an urgent need of safe...
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the new SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged in the different regions of the world. These newly emerged variants have mutations in their spike (S) protein that may confer resistance to vaccine-elicited immunity and existing neutralizing antibody therapeutics. Therefore, there is still an urgent need of safe, effective...
Biomaterials have been the subject of numerous studies to pursue potential therapeutic
interventions for a wide variety of disorders and diseases. The physical and chemical properties of various materials have been explored to develop natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic materials with distinct advantages for use as drug delivery systems for the c...
Interleukin (IL)-22, a member of the IL-10 family, plays a role in antiviral immune responses to a number of viral infections. However, it is unclear whether IL-22 is involved in the mucosal immunity against herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection in the female reproductive tract (FRT). In this study, we studied whether IL-22 could inhibit HSV-2 i...
C21H14F6O, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 7.8470(16) Å, b = 7.9390(16) Å, c = 14.993(3) Å, α = 83.25(3)°, β = 89.18(3)°, γ = 73.79(3)°, V = 890.5(3) Å, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0658, wRref(F²) = 0.1261, T = 293 K.
Licochalcone A (LicA), a flavonoid isolated from the famous Chinese medicinal herb Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, has wide spectrum of pharmacological activities. In this study, the anti-cancer effects and potential mechanisms of LicA in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells were studied. LicA decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis in a do...