Mohey M Elmazar

• PhD Pharmacology, London Uni,
• Founding Dean at British University in Egypt

In our pursuit of enhancing acne treatment while minimizing side effects, we developed tailored Adapalene microsponges (MS) optimized using a Box–Behnken design 3³. The independent variables, Eudragit RS100 percentage in the polymer mixture, organic phase volume, and drug to polymer percentage, were explored. The optimized formulation exhibited rem...

Green coffee bean extract (GCBE) provides diversified health benefits. However, its reported low bioavailability impeded its utilization in various applications. In this study, GCBE-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were prepared to improve the bioavailability through enhanced intestinal absorption of GCBE. During the preparation of promising...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers reported worldwide with poor morbidity and high mortality rates. HCC is a very vascular solid tumour as angiogenesis is not only a key driver for tumour progression but also an exciting therapeutic target. Our research investigated the use of fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide readil...

Atriplex dimorphostegia (Saltbush) is an annual halophytic shrub that is widely distributed across various parts of Asia. The current study is the first to report the metabolites profile of the total ethanol extract of the aerial parts of A. dimorphostegia (TEAD), and its anabolic activity together with the isolated 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE) in or...

Experimental and clinical evidence implicate disrupted gut barrier integrity in provoking innate immune responses, specifically macrophages, towards the progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), a subset of the nuclear receptor superfamily, act to fine-tune several metabolic and inflam...

Hypoxia is a distinctive feature of most solid tumors due to insufficient oxygen supply of the abnormal vasculature, which cannot work with the demands of the fast proliferation of cancer cells. One of the main obstacles to limiting the efficacy of cancer medicines is tumor hypoxia. Thus, oxygen is a vital parameter for controlling the efficacy of...

"Earlier research has established that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) frequently coexist. Aims: Cognitive Processing Therapy was compared to Sertraline and a placebo in an RCT for treating patients with comorbid SUD and PTSD. Methods: 150 patients with SUD and PTSD were interviewed by clinicians and asked to f...

Extended infusion of piperacillin/tazobactam over 4 h has been proposed as an alternate mode of administration to the 30-min intermittent infusion to optimize treatment effects in patients with gram-negative bacterial infections. The study aimed to evaluate the extended infusion regimen of piperacillin/tazobactam in standings of efficacy, safety, a...

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) act as antiproliferative agents by promoting differentiation and inducing apoptosis. Valproic acid (VPA) is a HDACI that shows promising chemotherapeutic effect in a number of tumor cells. The present study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of VPA on the viability of mammary cancer cells and its enha...

Mass vaccination is the most effective strategy against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, concerns about the vaccine's safety and effectiveness remain a huge obstacle to vaccine acceptance. The aim of the present study was to explore different COVID-19 vaccine outcomes, including the development of adverse events and/or COVID-19 infecti...

Ambitious endeavor of scientists is grappling towards identifying prosperous cancer remediation. Fighting malignant neoplasms via repurposing existing drugs could be a welcome move. In the current work, nanovehiculation of the repositioned antifungal itraconazole utilizing ascorbyl palmitate (AP) enriched liposomes would be an auspicious approach t...

An interplay exists between non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and intestinal barrier dysfunction. A plethora of mechanisms are implicated in the regulation of intestinal integrity, among which is autophagy. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a key metabolic regulator in the liver; however, its impact on intestinal autophagy and intestinal integrity i...

Natural products are considered as a good source of antifibrotic agents, but identifying and isolating bioactive molecule(s) is still challenging. Fortunately, numerous computational techniques have evolved to save time and efforts in this field. The aim of the current study was to utilize several cheminformatics software to study the chemical and...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most prevalent types of cancers worldwide, continues to maintain high levels of resistance to standard therapy. As clinical data revealed poor response rates, the need for developing new methods has increased to improve the overall wellbeing of patients with HCC. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence sho...

The purpose of this work was to incorporate an optimized pomegranate extract loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (PE-SLNs) formula in a transdermal emulgel to evaluate its anticancer effect. The prepared emulgel formulae were evaluated for their physicochemical properties. An ex vivo permeation study was done through mouse skin and the kinetic paramet...

Purpose The objective of the present study was to scrutinize the microsponges (MS) as a carrier system using Adapalene (ADA) as a model drug. Methods Data modelling was implemented using Plackett-Burman design to identify the main variables affecting the formulation of ADA-MS. The adopted method of preparation for MS was quasi-emulsion solvent dif...

Background 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) is a potential anti-cancer agent which its therapeutic and limitation applicability due to its high toxicity. Objective Herein, 6-MP was loaded into tri-layered sandwich nanofibrous scaffold (the top layer composed of poly methyl methacrylate/polycaprolactone (PMMA/PCL), the middle layer was PCL/PMMA/6-MP, and th...

Released oxygen plays a critical role in reducing destructive tumor behavior. This study aims to utilize decomposed hydrogen peroxide as an oxygen source by conjugating it with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). PVP-hydrogen peroxide complex (PHP) composed of different ratios of (PVP : H2O2) (0.5 : 1, 1 : 1, 1 : 1.5, 1 : 5, and 1 : 10) were successfully s...

The year 2019 witnessed the first approval of an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) for the management of triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) that are metastatic and programmed death ligand (PD)-L1 positive. Extensive research has focused on testing ICI-based combinatorial strategies, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the response of breast tumo...

Estrogen signaling is crucial for breast cancer initiation and progression. Endocrine-based therapies comprising estrogen receptor (ER) modulators and aromatase inhibitors remain the mainstay of treatment. This study aimed at investigating the antitumor potential of the most potent compounds in citrus peels on breast cancer by exploring their anti-...

Despite the recent substantial progress in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from viral etiology, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is on a trajectory to become the fastest growing indication for HCC-related liver transplantation. The Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily with multifaceted roles...

Extraordinary actions have been implemented in an effort to control the rapid spread of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in Egypt. People’s adherence to control measures is influenced by their knowledge, attitudes and practices towards the disease. Therefore, in the present study we assessed pharmacy senior students’ knowledge, attitudes and practices...

Doxorubicin (DOX) chemotherapy is associated with the release of inflammatory cytokines from macrophages. This has been suggested to be, in part, due to DOX-mediated leakage of endotoxins from gut microflora, which activate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in macrophages, causing severe inflammation. However, the direct function of DOX on macr...

Recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU) is a well-known painful, inflammatory disease with uncertain etiology for which local symptomatic therapy is only available. The aim of this study was to formulate and characterize muco-adhesive sponges containing a mixture of tenoxicam and miconazole nitrate to manage pain, inflammation and avoid candida infection th...

Cisplatin is a major classical anticancer agents. However, cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity remains a major dose limiting side effect. Several studies has highlighted the role of catalytic iron content in several diseases including cispatin nephrotoxicity opening the doors for adding iron chelators as an adjunct therapy to cisplatin therapy. Since...

The aim of this work was to study the influence of process variables on the quality attributes of pomegranate extract loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (PE-SLNs) using Plackett–Burman design. PE-SLN formulations were prepared by hot homogenization followed by ultra-sonication technique and evaluated based on the dependent variables that were analyze...

The vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and c-mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (c-Met) are members of receptor tyrosine kinases which have a crucial role in the process of angiogenesis. Isatin moiety is a versatile group that is shared in many compounds targeting both c-Met and VEGFR2 kinases. In this study, we designed a...

Corticosteroids are frequently used for their powerful anti-inflammatory activity in the management of various chronic inflammatory diseases. They are also used because of their potent immunosuppressive power in the manipulation of adverse effects associated with chemotherapeutic treatments. However, their long-term usage is associated with several...

Extraordinary actions have been implemented in an effort to control the rapid spread of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in Egypt. People’s adherence to control measures is influenced by their knowledge, attitudes and practices towards the disease. Therefore, in the present study we assessed pharmacy senior students’ knowledge, attitudes and practices...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the major risk factors for COVID-19 complications as it is one of the chronic immune-compromising conditions especially if patients have uncontrolled diabetes, poor HbA1c &/or irregular blood glucose levels. Diabetic patient’s mortality rates with COVID-19 are higher than cardiovascular or cancer patients. Recently...

Aims Aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 (ALDH-1) is considered a signature of breast cancer stem cells and is linked to poor outcomes in breast cancer patients. This study aimed at investigating the effect of vitamin D3 on enhancing the tumor responsiveness to different conventional chemotherapeutic agents, viz., cisplatin, methotrexate, and doxorubicin. Ma...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Treatment of breast cancer by paclitaxel (PAX) often encounters therapeutic failure most likely caused by innate/acquired resistance. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) and multidrug resistance complex (MDR-1 or P-glycoprotein) overexpression are main mechanisms implicated in chemoresistance. Increased aldehyde dehrogenase-1 (ALDH-1) was previously correlate...

Neuroinflammation is prominent in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In AD mouse model, intraperitoneal injection with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharides, LPS) once (0.5 mg/kg) elevated levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). LPS reduced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and pain sensitivity (wel...

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Huang-Qin or Chinese skullcap) is a native medicinal plant in China that is commonly used for the treatment of seizures, viral infections, and cancer. The numerous pharmacodynamics of this plant is referred to as its rich content of flavones (baicalin and wogonoside) and their corresponding aglycones (baicalein and w...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a widespread progressive neurodegenerative disease; its main neuropathological hallmark is massive loss of dopaminergic neurons. Most PD studies were focused on the basal ganglia. However, the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum also play certain roles in PD pathophysiology. Dopamine replacement therapies remain t...

Offering novel scaffolds targeting estrogen receptor creates huge necessity to overcome the evolving resistance developed by tumors. Structure-based drug design coupled with ring opening strategy of the steroids skeleton revealed the potential of indole-based analogs to be synthesized targeting the ligand binding domain of estrogen receptor-α. In v...

Oromuco-adhesive films for buccal delivery of Propolis extract (PPE) entrapped in niosomes, were prepared to treat oral recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU). PPE was investigated for antimicrobial compounds. Niosomes composed of span60 and cholesterol were evaluated for particles size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta-potential, entrapment efficiency and...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer mortality worldwide. Although, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapeutic regimens remain the mainstay for treatment of CRC, intrinsic and acquired resistance to 5-FU is the main reason for treatment failure and relapse. Adjunct or add-on therapy, therefore, should be thought of to enhance r...

Thermoresponsive gels containing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared using Pluronic®127 alone (F1) and with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (F2) at ratios of 15% w/w and 15:1% w/w, respectively. AuNPs were evaluated for particle size, zeta-potential, polydispersity index (PDI), morphology and XRD pattern. AuNP-containing thermoresponsive gels we...

Statins like simvastatin (SIM) have demonstrated to have pleiotropic actions other than their conventional use as antilipidemic drugs. Also, nowadays natural scaffolds like platelets rich fibrin (PRF) showed promising results on bone regeneration. Aim This study compare the regenerative power of SIM and PRF added locally each as a sole filling mate...

Ajwa fruits are among the most nutritious and economically valuable fruits. In this study, the effect of different solvents on the extraction of polyphenols was investigated. Aqueous acetone (50%) extract contained the highest content of polyphenols and flavonoids. Filtration of the extract through a Diaion HP-20 column led to a polyphenols-enriche...

Drug repositioning is a revolution breakthrough of drug discovery that presents outstanding privilege with already safer agents by scanning the existing candidates as therapeutic switching or repurposing for marketed drugs. Sitagliptin, vildagliptin, saxagliptin & linagliptin showed antioxidant and neurorestorative effects in previous studies linke...

INTRODUCTION: Gemifloxacin Mesylate is a fourth generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial agent. A simple, accurate and precise reversed phase UPLC method was developed and validated for short time analysis of Gemifloxacin Mesylate in its bulk and pharmaceutical preparation. METHODS: The optimum separation was achieved at 0.5±0.03 min using Acclaim...

Background Pomegranate extract (PE) is a natural product with potent antioxidant and anticancer activity because of its polyphenols content. The main purpose of this study was to maximize the PE chemotherapeutic efficacy by loading it in an optimized solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) formula. Materials and methods The influence of independent varia...

The nuclear receptor, farnesoid X receptor (FXR), has been recently considered as a tumor suppressor in HCC. IL-6/Janus kinase 2 (Jak-2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway has been implicated as a key player in many cancer types. This study aimed at investigating the potential effect of the FXR agonist, obeticholic a...

Honey was used to treat wounds since ancient times till nowadays. The present study aimed at preparing a honey-based hydrogel and assay its antimicrobial properties and wound healing activity; in-vitro and in-vivo. Topical honey hydrogel formulations were prepared using three honey concentrations with gelling agents; chitosan and carbopol 934. The...

The present study considered the pharmacokinetic evaluation of empagliflozin after administration to Egyptian volunteers, and the results were compared with other ethnic populations. The FDA recognizes that standard methods of defining racial subgroups are necessary to compare results across pharmacokinetic studies and to assess potential subgroup...

Targeting solid tumors transdermally is an emerging approach that is currently under intense investigation. In this context, microemulsions are reported as one of the most favored carriers for successful transdermal drug delivery. Thereby, these nano-carriers were utilized in this study for the delivery of a phytochemical, namely Methyl Dihydrojasm...

Objective: Diabetic Polyneuropathy (DPN) represents a major health problem as it increases morbidity affecting patients’ quality of life. Vitamin B frequently is used for treating DPN. ALPHA Lipoic Acid (ALA) seems to delay or reverse DPN. The present study compared the effect of Vitamin B complex combined with ALA versus Vitamin B in treatment of...

A fast, sensitive and specific LC-MS/MS method was developed for estimation of alogliptin (AG) and metformin (MF) using sitagliptin (SG) as an internal standard (IS). Hypersil Gold column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.9 μm) was used applying gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.2% formic acid solution. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM), with transitions of...

Sorafenib is the only chemotherapeutic agent currently approved for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, poor response rates have been widely reported. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is a potential chemopreventive phytochemical. The present study aimed to explore the potential chemomodulatory effects of I3C on sorafenib in HCC cells as we...

Scientific Reports 6 : Article number: 21005 10.1038/srep21005 ; published online: 15 February 2016 ; updated: 02 September 2016 In this Article, Affiliation 4 is incomplete.

Background: The use of combined therapy of antiplatelet and anticoagulant versus anticoagulant alone to reduce instances of thromboembolic events in patients with heart valve prostheses is an established standard of care in many countries but not in Egypt. A previous Markov model cost-effectiveness study on Egyptian patients aged 50-60 years demon...

Liver fibrosis is one of the most serious consequences of S. mansoni infection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential anti-fibrotic effect of human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) combined with praziquantel (PZQ) in S. mansoni-infected mice. S. mansoni-infected mice received early (8(th) week post inf...

Development of enhanced UPLC-UV method for determination of nicotine in human plasma was achieved on a Symmetry(®) C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 2.2 μm) applying isocratic elution based on Methanol: Acetonitrile: Phosphate Buffer (pH: 2.7) with the ratio (20:30:50, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. The ultraviolet detector was operated at 260 nm. The mobile...

Chromatographic determination of some basic analytes was achieved on a Symmetry® C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 2.2 μm) applying an isocratic elution based on Methanol: Acetonitrile: Phosphate Buffer (pH: 2.7) with the ratio (20:30:50, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. The ultraviolet detector was operated at 260 nm. The buffer solution was filtered through...

Liver fibrosis is one of the most serious consequences of S. mansoni infection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential anti-fibrotic effect of human Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) combined with praziquantel (PZQ) in S. mansoni-infected mice. S. mansoni-infected mice received early (8th week post infec...

Pegylated-interferon α-2a and ribavirin (PIFN/RBV), the current standard treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Egypt, is frequently associated with hematological adverse effects, leading to high treatment discontinuation rates. The objective of the present study is to explore the effectiveness of intervening with folic acid (F) and/or...

Background The combination of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy significantly reduces the rate of thromboembolic events in patients with heart valves compared with anticoagulant therapy alone. Cost-effectiveness of this therapy in Egypt, however, has not yet been established. Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cost-eff...

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most aggressive human malignancies with an increasing incidence worldwide. Mostly diagnosed in late stages, hence prognosis is very poor. Early diagnosis is important to improve its prognosis and treatment. Aim: Our aim explore the circulating levels of VEGF 165 and HGF in lung and pleural cancers. Pointing out...

P 30. Assessment of Hen’s Egg Test-Chorioallantoic Membrane (HET-CAM) for Screening of Anti-Cancer Activities of Drugs Galal M. A. 1, Abd Elmonem M. 1, Mostafa A. M. A. 1, El-Khatib A. S. 2, Elmazar M. M. 3 Faculties of Pharmacy, Helwan University1, Cairo University2, and British University in Egypt (BUE) 3, Egypt Background: The chick embryo (Hen...

Brassica napus (rape) seeds were chosen as source for milk-clotting activity (MCA). The extract shows the most potent clotting activity (164 U/g dry seeds) with firm clotting with the minimum proteolytic activity at pH 4.5. The purification scheme for milk-clotting enzyme (MCE) included precipitation with (NH 4) 2 SO 4 (20-60%-saturation) followed...

Since activation of PPARγ is the main target for the antidiabetic effect of TZDs, especially when it heterodimerizes with RXR, we aimed to test the potential antidiabetic effect of phytol (250 mg/kg), the natural precursor of phytanic acid, a RXR ligand and/or pioglitazone (5 mg/kg) to diabetic insulin-resistant rats. Regarding the molecular dockin...

The aim of this study is to test the possible presence of different proteolytic enzymes with promising industrial application in local low cost plant seeds. The aqueous extracts of 28 dry seeds representing eight families (Cruciferae, Umbelliferae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Asteraceae, Gramineae, Tiliaceae, and Cucurbitaceae) were screened in order to...

The aim of this study was to test the possible presence of potent milk-clotting enzymes with promising industrial application in local low cost Egyptian plant seeds. The aqueous extracts of 28 dry seeds representing eight families (Cruciferae, Umbelliferae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Asteraceae, Gramineae, Tiliaceae, and Cucurbitaceae) were screened in...

Diuresis is important in the treatment of many diseases ranging from acute cases as renal failure to chronic cases as hypertension. Olive, Olea europaea L., is a species of a small evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the Mediterranean region. Olive leaves are used as anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, antinocicepti...

Recent studies demonstrated the carcinogenicity and the mutagenicity of vanadium compounds. In addition, vanadium (V(5+)) was found to enhance the effects of other genotoxic agents. However, the mechanism by which V(5+) induce toxicity remain unknown. In the current study we examined the effect of V(5+) (as ammonium metavanadate, NH(4)VO(3)) on the...

A series of 3-[2 and 3-(4-(aryl- and benzylpiperazinyl)alkoxy]-2-methyl-4(3H)-quinazolinones (7a-t) and corresponding dihydrochlorides (7a, d-f, h-l, n-t. 2HCl) were synthesized. The dihydrochloride salts (7a-t. 2HCl) were tested for their neuroleptic activity in an apomorphine-induced climbing paradigm. Inhibition of apomorphine-induced stereotypy...