Margaret Ilomuanya

• PhD
• Associate Professor at University of Lagos

Background Female sex workers have a 13-fold higher risk of acquiring HIV than women who do not engage in sex work. The willingness and acceptability of a product is crucial for the development of microbicides. This research aimed to evaluate the sexual practices, existing HIV prevention methods, and willingness to use a microbicide for HIV prevent...

Infections in infants, after childbirth, remain a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, globally. A soaring percentage of these infections arise from bacterial colonization of the umbilicus. Current therapy for omphalitis includes the topical application of chlorhexidine on the umbilicus. Bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escher...

Background Vaginal dysbiosis, a change in the beneficial vaginal microbiome, leads to a significant depletion in the essential lactobacilli thus increasing the possibility of vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis. Probiotics have gained more attention as a means of delivering exogenous lactobacilli but one of the challenges in delivery str...

Background The extracellular matrix (ECM) structural deficiencies in chronic wounds prevent the wounds from healing through natural physiological processes. Electrospun biocompatible polymers offer a platform to produce microstructure wound dressing materials that mimic the ECM containing various bioactives to address the deficiencies in the chroni...

This study aims to formulate and characterize zinc-loaded hydrogel infused with Aloe barbadensis mucilage for wound dressing. Five formulations containing varying proportions of carbopol, zinc, aloe and water (as vehicle) were developed via physical crosslinking using triethanolamine. All formulations had a translucent off-white colour while the co...

Introduction: Multipurpose preventive technologies (MPTs) have the potential to address sexual and reproductive health requirements by concurrently protecting against HIV and unplanned pregnancy in a single product. The recognized lack of provision and knowledge of MPTs and contraceptives in general among Nigerian women between the ages 15-49 plays...

Am J Pharmacother Pharm Sci • 2024 • 6 | 1 is is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical t...

Electrospinning has emerged as one of the major technologies for designing and fabricating tissue engineering membranes. The resemblance of the electrospun fiber structure to blood capillaries endowed them with unique capabilities to mimic the native tissue biological characteristics, while the high surface‐to‐volume ratio enables them to exert a c...

Background: Pain is a noxious, sensory, and emotional experience due to intense stimuli. Pain is intimately linked with nociception. The clinical therapies available at the moment for pain are tricyclic antidepressants, non -steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and opioids. There is a need to develop and investigate safer alternatives that minimise t...

Background: The purpose of universal health coverage (UHC) is to provide equitable access to health services to people without financial hardship. Nevertheless, despite the diverse measures in place to accomplish this goal, there are still obstacles including access to affordable essential medicines. Specifically, low and middle-income regions like...

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the vagina associated with thriving anaerobes, such as Gardnerella vaginitis and other associated pathogens. These pathogens form a biofilm responsible for the recurrence of infection after antibiotic therapy. The aim of this study was to develop a novel mucoadhesive polyvinyl alcohol and polycaprolactone...

Since the discoveryof liposomes by Bangham and co-workers in 1960, giant strides in the field ofliposomes as drug carriers for cancer therapy have been achieved. From the veryfirst generation of liposomes known as conventional liposomes to the stealthliposomes which are surface decorated with polyethylene glycol attachments toprotect the liposomes...

Background: Over 80% of people in Africa receive care from Traditional African Medicine (TAM), which is part of our socioeconomic and cultural legacy. Nigerian traditional herbal medicine has made signifificant contribution to the primary health care needs of Nigerians from time immemorial. However, there is signifificant room for improvement in it...

Background: Aging is a natural progressive process that leads to aesthetic and functional changes in the skin. The aim of this research work is to formulate and evaluate a polyherbal antioxidant face cream using the ethanol extracts of psidium guajava and ocimum gratissimum. Method: The ethanol extract of the herbs was incorporated at varying conce...

Partially absorbable suture is useful for orthopedic repair as it possesses the capacity to promote a balance between strength, degradation rate and minimal inflammation. Still, the availability of partially absorbable suture is scarce. So far, no study has examined the mechanical strength and anti-microbial properties of partially absorbable monof...

Background Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Docetaxel, first marketed as ‘Taxotere’, has been approved for use as a chemotherapeutic for management of gastric, breast, neck, head, non-small cell lung cancer and prostate cancer. Main body Taxotere, is a docetaxel formulation solubilized in tween 80 and 13% ethanol soluti...

Background Hydroxyapatite is an important biomedical material used in drug delivery owing to its excellent bioactivity and biocompatibility. In this study, hydroxyapatite isolated from bovine and caprine bones was capped and used as a drug carrier to encapsulate mupirocin as an active pharmaceutical product in hydrogel formulations which were utili...

Background: Global warming which results from the thinning of the ozone layer has led to an increase in the level of exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Long term exposure to these rays can lead to photo-aging. The aim of this study is to develop an antioxidant cream using ethanol extract of Markhamia tomentosa leaves as an active ingredient...

Bacterial vaginosis, a polymicrobial clinical syndrome characterized by a shift in healthy vaginal microbiota due to bacterial colonization, is characterized by high recurrence rates after conventional treatment with an antimicrobial agent. This has necessitated the need to develop a formulation that has the potential to ensure Lactobacilli viabili...

Background: Providing all citizens with fair and equitable access to healthcare remains one of the most challenging issues facing most African countries today. The health indices of the Sub-Saharan Africa show how much it is lacking in managing and properly funding its health sector. The rates of maternal and newborn mortality continue to be the hi...

Background A surgical wound is an incision made by a surgeon. Slow surgical wound healing may lead to chronic wounds which may be a potential health problem. The aim of this study is to formulate curcumin-loaded liposomes in lysine–collagen hydrogel for enhancing surgical wound healing. Curcumin-loaded liposomes were prepared using thin-film hydrat...

Objectives: Multi-drug resistant bacteria have been implicated in various debilitating infections that have led to life loss. This study developed an approach to tackle multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection in a chronic wound model through A. baumannii phage encapsulation with resuspension in hydrogel. Materials and Methods: Two...

PURPOSE Apoptosis resistance to anticancer treatments can occur due to over-expression of Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic proteins. Studies have shown the use of Allium sativum (garlic) as a herbal supplement among cancer patients. In this study, the inhibitory activity of phytochemicals from Allium sativum against Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic protein was demonstrate...

Conventional wound material allows bacterial invasions, trauma and discomfort associated with the changing of the dressing material, and the accumulation of body fluid for wounds with high exudate. However, there is a shift from conventional wound dressing materials to polymeric nanofibers due to their high surface area to volume ratio, high porosi...

Several biomedical materials have been employed as drug delivery systems, but natural Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has been proven to be exceptionally better than other materials owing to its excellent bioactivity and biocompatibility properties. In this study, nat­ural HAP was obtained from bovine and caprine bones and comparatively analysed for biomedica...

Curcumin is a primary polyphenol of the rhizomatous perennial plant called Curcuma Longa. Curcumin interferes favorably with the cellular events that take place in the inflammatory and proliferative stages of wound healing, hence its importance in skin regeneration and wound healing. Curcumin is however lipophilic, and this must be considered in th...

Introduction: Successful interventions for substance use disorders (SUDs), though obtainable, are not effectively utilized due to the high cost of treatment. The adoption of any given therapy is often impeded by insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of such treatment. Objective: This study aimed to assess the direct medical cost of treating...

Premature aging is a common problem that occurs globally due to continuous exposure to the sun and agents of oxidative stress like free radicals which are ubiquitous. This study aims to formulate an antioxidant cream based on Markhamia tomentosa ethanolic extract and Citrus sinensis oil. Seven cream formulations A1-A7 were prepared. Fusion techniqu...

The challenges encountered with conventional microbicide gels has necessitated the quest for alternative options. This study aimed to formulate and evaluate a bigel and thermosensitive gel, designed to combat the challenges of leakage and short-residence time in the vagina. Ionic-gelation technique was used to formulate maraviroc and tenofovir micr...

Niosomes are increasingly explored for enhancing drug penetration and retention in ocular tissues for both posterior and anterior eye delivery. They have been employed in encapsulating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, but their use is still plagued with challenges of stability and poor entrapment efficiency particularly with hydrophilic drug...

Objectives: Multi-drug resistant bacteria have been implicated in various debilitating infections that have led to life loss. This study developed an approach to tackle multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection in a chronic wound model through A. baumannii phage encapsulation with resuspension in hydrogel. Materials and methods: Two...

Studies have been carried out on bovine bone due to its abundance and large quantity of hydroxyapatite (HAP) in it while caprine bone has been understudied. In this study, locally sourced bovine and caprine bones were washed in distilled water, defatted at 120°C for 1.5 hr in a pressure pot, ball-milled, sieved to 150 µm particle size and character...

Biomaterials are constructed to promote or stimulate the processes of wound healing. Polymeric biomaterials can be used to hydrate the wound and serve as barrier to pathogens with plant extracts, antimicrobial agents and extracellular components incorporated to stimulate the healing process. The biological and physical augmentation provided by extr...

Background: Mucilage from medicinal plants such as Corchorus olitorius L. (Malvaceae) can serve as alternative sources of suspending agents as currently commercially available ones are quite costly. However, they may also affect formulation characteristics and activity of final product. This study evaluated effect of mucilage of Corchorus olitorius...

Plant and seed oils have been used for centuries and possibly millennia in Nigeria and Africa for the maintenance of healthy skin and the traditional treatment of skin disorders. In recent times, some of these oils have regained popularity due to their availability and affordability coupled with concerns about the side effects of commercially proce...

Purpose To formulate and evaluate microspheres of the antiretroviral drugs maraviroc and tenofovir intended for a candidate vaginal microbicide and assess its effect on the vaginal lactic acid bacteria microflora. Methods Ionic gelation technique was used to formulate maraviroc and tenofovir microspheres with subsequent characterization. The effec...

Chronic wounds occur when one wound healing process or a sequence of wound healing events are affected resulting in slow healing of the wound thereby placing the patient in deep pain. Various diseases and conditions can delay the process of wound healing. Wound healing can be classified into four main stages: hemostasis, inflammation, remodeling, a...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the healthcare system in Nigeria. The response of the government has been one that places the health and well-being of the people at its highest priority. This was evidenced by the instituted lockdown of the country soon after the first cases emerged. Specifific information on appropriate hygiene, safe...

Plant gums and mucilage have wide applications in pharmaceutical formulations as emulsifying agents. But these are quite costly, therefore there is always the need for cheaper alternatives. In this study, Okra mucilage from Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench pods was used to formulate Spondias mombin L. leaf extract emulsion. The emulsion was asses...

Encapsulation, specifically microencapsulation is an old technology with increasing applications in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, environmental, food, and cosmetic spaces. In the past two decades, the advancements in the field of nanotechnology opened the door for applying the encapsulation technology at the nanoscale level. Nanoencapsulation is hi...

Encapsulation remains a fundamental and consistent approach of fabrication of drug and diagnostic delivery systems in the health space and natural polymers such as polysaccharides and proteins continue to play significant roles. Micro-or nanoencapsulation is employed for the conventional pharmaceuticals, biopharma-ceuticals, or biologics, bioactive...

Background Efficient and effective chemotherapeutic methods designed to prevent the continuous spread of HIV/AIDS is essential to break the cycle of new infections. The use of condoms has been seen to be effective in prevention of HIV and STIs but its lack of use especially in vulnerable population is a deterrent to its overall success as a control...

Background Nanostructured wound dressings produced by electrospinning biocompatible polymers possess great potential because they resemble the natural extracellular matrix and support cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. This study seeks to fabricate mupirocin, keratin, and coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10)-loaded PVA electrospun scaffolds intend...

Background Sexual transmission of HIV is the most common means of acquiring the disease. Topical microbicides have been investigated to prevent transmission. This study will use a specific entry inhibitor, maraviroc, and a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), tenofovir, a dual combination which will provide a synergist effect that can...

Background: Hand sanitizers are alternatives to handwashing with soap and water for personal hygiene and are helpful when there is poor access to flowing water. Essential oil-based hand sanitizers are more effective than soap as the essential oils contain compounds that are microstatic and/or microbicidal and stay longer after application. In folk...

Exposure to soaps can alter the physiological properties of the skin, such as pH, trans-epidermal water loss, and sebum levels, which are all determinants of skin irritability. We aimed to evaluate the safety of different variants of a topically applied toilet soap range using skin irritancy testing methods in the Nigerian population. Five variants...

A way to avoid or minimize the side effect that could result in drug delivery to cells with increased efficiency and performance in the health rehabilitation process is to use biocompatible and biodegradable drug carriers. These are essentially biomaterials that are metallic, ceramic, or polymeric in nature. The sources of these materials must be b...

The rationale for this study was to increase the absorption of model drug metronidazole by formulating an organogel using detarium oil in place of conventional oils used in drug formulation such as liquid paraffin. The organogels were prepared by fluid-filled mechanism using metronidazole as the model drug. The drug-surfactant mixtures were dissolv...

A major limitation of hydrogels is in the delivery of hydrophobic drugs. This study aims at designing and optimizing a metronidazole emulgel by utilizing a blend of palm olein and caprylic triglycerides esters as the oil base. The emulgel was prepared by fusion method. The gel phase in the formulations was prepared by dispersing carbopol 940 in Mil...

Background In this study, the chronic wound healing ability of PLA-based electrospun nanofibers loaded with hyaluronic acid, valsartan, and ascorbic acid is explored. PLA-based scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning, followed by loading the scaffolds with different concentrations of hyaluronic acid, valsartan, and ascorbic acid hydrogels. The...

Background: Development and modifications of hybrid hydrogels have been done to improve biological properties or to decrease the disadvantages of biomaterials.Objectives: The efficacy of hyaluronic acid in combination with silver sulphadiazine in wound healing was investigated. The retaining properties of xanthan gum to aid re- epithelialization wa...

Aims: This research evaluates knowledge, attitudes, and practice with regard to food poisoning treatment. It compares the antimicrobial effects of Garcinia kola (Gk) and Aframomum melegueta (Am) seeds with Metronidazole and Gentamicin as standards. Study Design: A survey with questionnaires was carried out among community Pharmacists in Lagos, Nige...

Bone, skin and soft tissue chronic wounds emanating from burns or bacterial infections which persist due to prolonged tissue inflammation contribute to a delay in wound healing. Electrospun biomimetic scaffolds produced from biodegradable polymers have proven to be a better alternative due to their large surface area to volume ratio and ability to...

Background Aspalathus linearis (rooibos) has been reported to have a high content of phenolic compounds which elicit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in biological systems. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of “fermented” (oxidized) and green rooibos extracts embedded in gentamicin loaded acrylate copolymer based hydrogels on...

Exposure to solar radiation has the beneficial effects of stimulating the cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D and providing radiant warmth. Unfortunately, when the skin is subjected to excessive radiation in the ultraviolet range, deleterious effects may occur such as acute sunburn or solar erythema. This study aimed to formulate and evaluate sunscree...

Abstract Background: This study aims to develop a hydrogel containing gentamicin and ethanol extract of Tetracarpidium conophorum (EETC) impregnated gauze to be used as potential wound dressing to promote wound healing via inhibition of growth of microorganisms by gentamicin, and removal of products of inflammation via high radical-scavenging cap...

The use of antioxidants is an effective approach to prevent symptoms related to photo-induced aging of the skin. The aim of this research work was to formulate and evaluate a polyherbal antioxidant face cream using the ethanol extracts of Tetracarpidium conophorum and Ocimum gratissimum. The ethanol extract of the herbs was incorporated at varying...

Objectives: Response surface methodology coupled with statistically designed experiments has been found to be very useful in optimising multivariable processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of two independent variables, a ratio of permeation enhancers/antioxidants (transcutol and ethanolic extract of tetracarpidium conophoru...

Purpose: To investigate varying dosage forms of activated charcoal obtained from community pharmacy outlets in Nigeria for their adsorption capacity when challenged with acetaminophen. Methods: Equilibruim kinetics of acetaminophen adsorption onto activated charcoal surface was determined via batch studies at different adsorbent: adsorbate ratios....

Agricultural waste obtained from Elaeis guineensis mid ribs can provide a veritable source of materials which can be used as precursor materials for the production of pharmaceutical grade activated charcoal. The pore size and surface morphology of activated charcoal defines the types of molecules that could be adsorbed unto it, as surface morpholog...

The study is aimed at assessing the bioequivalence/quality of different brands of atorvastatin calcium 10mg tablets marketed in Nigeria. Physical parameters of the tablets, drug content, dissolution and pharmacokinetics data were assessed. The in vivo bioavailability study was carried out using a single dose randomized two period cross-over designs...

The dissolution behavior of a reference standard brand and four generic equivalent brands of Aceclofenac tablets purchased from the Lagos metropolis was compared in this study. A variation of excipients is contained in the different formulations, influences of these on the release characteristics of the varying aceclofenac brands was evaluated in g...

The dissolution behavior of a reference standard brand and four generic equivalent brands of Aceclofenac tablets purchased from the Lagos metropolis was compared in this study. A variation of excipients is contained in the different formulations, influences of these on the release characteristics of the varying aceclofenac brands was evaluated in g...

RationaleTreatment of racehorses with bicarbonate solutions to manage acidosis and muscle cramps prior to competition is banned in Pennsylvania (PA). Use of excess bicarbonate in horses causes diarrhea, requiring treatment with an antibiotic such as metronidazole (MTNZ). At present no method exists for detecting MTNZ in equine plasma. Thus, a liqui...

Purpose: For drug products to be interchangeably used by healthcare providers, formulation characteristics, which reflect variation within brands, batches and lots examined via dissolution profile analysis, must not show high statistical discrepancies. The objective of this study is to investigate the physicochemical and in vitro equivalence of thi...

Background: Recently there has been a remarkable surge of interest in natural products and their applications in the cosmetic industry. Topical delivery of antimicrobials from natural sources like Lannea welwitschii is one of the approaches used to treat wounds due to its diverse clinical and pharmacological potentials.

Purpose A rapid and validated method using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of metronidazole in equine plasma, this method will be used in determination of plasma concentration of metronidazole in human and rat plasma samples. Methods The analyte was recovered from plasma by liquid –liq...

Purpose This study determined psychosocial factors influencing early initiation of Highly active anti retroviral therapy (HAART)and adherence to HAART. Methods A cross-sectional study of Patients who initiated HAART between Jan 2009 and Jan 2011; and patients adhering to HAART between January 2011 and December 2011 at HFCMC in Lagos were enrolled f...

This paper describes the prescribing pattern for outpatients after the policy change in antimalarial treatment. Prescription event monitoring (PEM) methodology was utilized. All the new patients prescribed anti-malaria for uncomplicated malaria in a faith based hospital were recruited. Logistic regression and multivariate analysis was utilized to d...

In the formulation of different drugs as suppositories, there is the need to determine the optimum formulation factors which depend on the drug candidate itself, suppository base and the presence of an adjuvant or absorption enhancers. 1g paracetamol suppositories each containing 250mg of paracetamol were prepared by the fusion method (BP, 2012) ut...

Activated charcoal (AC) has been utilized in the absorption of toxins from the intestinal tract of animals as well as humans. Some studies however have implied microbial adsorption at the interstices of AC surface. Activated charcoal has also been suggested and used as a treatment option for diarrhea. Metronidazole, a nitroimidazole derivative has...

Purpose The investigation firstly elucidates dissolution behavior of metronidazole and Activated charcoal layered tablet(with and without Escherichia coli0157:H7 in the dissolution medium)and secondly to present two methods used to elucidate equilibrium adsorption data and apply these methods to 2-component combinations of Metronidazole and micro o...