Yasser Bustanji

University of Sharjah and The University of Jordan · College of Medicine

Rosmarinic acid (RA), a natural ester phenolic compound, is known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. RA has also been reported to exhibit a hypoglycemic effect; however, the mechanisms underlying this effect have yet to be investigated. Therefore, the present study focused on the anti-diabetic effects and mechanism of RA in INS-1...

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are widely searched for their usage in breast cancer research because of their unique features. For example, these particles can deliver drugs to specific sites, making imaging and photothermal therapy possible, thus rendering them suitable particles for theranostic purposes. Bibliometric research is a statistical analytic...

Calotropis procera is a perennial flowering plant of the Apocynaceae family, traditionally used in medicine to treat various ailments. Recent investigations have revealed its potential therapeutic activities such as anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, analgesic, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic properties. RP-HPLC qualitatively and quantitatively e...

Introduction Berberine is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid with anti-cancer properties. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism of its action in human colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been thoroughly elucidated. We investigated the anti-cancer effect of berberine on HT-29, SW-480 and HCT-116 human CRC cell lines. Methods Cell proliferation, migration...

Commiphora gileadensis L. is an important endangered medicinal plant that belongs to the family Burseraceae. In this study, C. gileadensis callus culture was established successfully using mature leaves as explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 24.50 μM of indole butyric acid (IBA) and 2.22 μM 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP...

Background and Aim: Human monkeypox is an emerging global threat. Hundreds of publications were disseminated in the last few months. This study aimed to map, analyze, and evaluate the bibliometric indicators of the global monkeypox research output. Materials and Methods: All documents published in the past 20 years were retrieved using the Scopus...

Essential oils (EOs) of medicinal plants became a matter of interest in scientific research because of their potential of utilization for several therapeutic purposes, The EO of Thymus capitatus has been traditionally used in treatment of several conditions related to skin, muscles, and respiratory system, to reduce fever, and to stimulate menstrua...

Skin cancer, including malignant melanoma (MM) and keratinocyte carcinoma (KC), historically named non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), represents the most common type of cancer among the white skin population. Despite decades of clinical research, the incidence rate of melanoma is increasing globally. Therefore, a better understanding of disease path...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most frequent form of gastrointestinal cancer and one of the major causes of human mortality worldwide. Many of the current CRC therapies have limitations due to multidrug resistance and/or severe side effects. Quinazoline derivatives are promising lead compounds with a wide range of pharmacological actions. In this s...

Untargeted multi-omics analysis of plasma is an emerging tool for the identification of novel biomarkers for evaluating disease prognosis, and for developing a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying human disease. The successful application of metabolomic and proteomic approaches relies on reproducibly quantifying a wide range of m...

Glioblastoma (GB) is a primary malignancy of the central nervous system that is classified by the WHO as a grade IV astrocytoma. Despite decades of research, several aspects about the biology of GB are still unclear. Its pathogenesis and resistance mechanisms are poorly understood, and methods to optimize patient diagnosis and prognosis remain a bo...

IntroductionDuring the holy month of Ramadan, adult healthy Muslims are mandated to abstain from dawn to sunset, with free eating at night hours that may extend up to 12 h. The current work was designed to investigate the metabolomics changes incurred upon the observance of Ramadan diurnal intermittent fasting (RDIF).Methods Twenty-five metabolical...

Background Obesity is a serious public health problem contributing to development of several diseases, including hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension. The plant Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat many ailments and traditional healers used it to reduce weight. Objective To examine the pote...

Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common tumor in males worldwide. The lack of effective medication and the development of multidrug resistance towards current chemotherapeutic agents urge the need to discover novel compounds and therapeutic targets for PC. Herein, seven synthesized 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1 H )-one analogues were evaluated f...

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has captivated the globe’s attention since its emergence in 2019. This highly infectious, spreadable, and dangerous pathogen has caused health, social, and economic crises. Therefore, a worldwide collaborative effort was made to find an efficient stra...

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a non-selective ligand-gated cation channel with high permeability for Ca2+, has received considerable attention as potential therapeutic target for the treatment of several disorders including pain, inflammation, and hyperlipidemia. In particular, TRPV1 regulates lipid metabolism by mechanisms that...

Background: Glycation is implicated in the pathophysiology of many diseases, including diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging. Several natural and synthetic compounds were investigated for their antiglycation activity. We evaluated the antiglycation effect of vanillic acid (VA) using in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Meth...

Cancer of the central nervous system (CNS) is ranked as the 19th most prevalent form of the disease in 2020. This study aims to identify candidate biomarkers and metabolic pathways affected by paclitaxel and etoposide, which serve as potential treatments for glioblas-toma, and are linked to the pathogenesis of glioblastoma. We utilized an untargete...

Kahweol and cafestol are two diterpenes extracted from Coffea arabica beans that have distinct biological activities. Recent research describes their potential activities, which include anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer properties, among others. The two diterpenes have been shown to have anticancer effects in various in vitro and in...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second prominent cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. Usually, HCC is diagnosed in advanced stages, wherein sorafenib, a multiple target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is used as the first line of treatment. Unfortunately, resistance to sorafenib is usually encountered within six months of treatment. Therefo...

Background Tendinopathy or tendon injuries can affect many people, causing a huge impact on their movements and maintaining standing posture. Treatment options include physiotherapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, and alternative medicine. The use of physiotherapy or anti-inflammatory drugs may cause some side effects like pain and liver failure, respect...

A series of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives (3a–3m) was screened for in vitro whole-cell antitubercular activity against the tubercular strain H37Rv and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains. Compounds 3l and 3m with di-substituted aryl moiety (halogens) attached to the 2-position of the scaffold showed a mi...

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a disorder characterized by a group of factors that can increase the risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Metabolomics has provided new insight into disease diagnosis and biomarker identification. This cross-sectional investigation used an untargeted metabolomic...

Calotropis procera is an evergreen, perennial shrub of the family Apocynaceae has been used to treat rheumatism, filariasis, and skin disorders, and its leaf has been used to treat jaundice. The flowers' extract has been used to treat spleen, liver, and stomach problems. Members of the same plant family are reported to exhibit anticancer potential....

Objectives We aimed to evaluate the levels of serum lipoprotein a, LP (a), in Jordanian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM); and to examine its relation to glycemic control, metabolic syndrome (MS) and duration of DM. The LP (a) is considered one of the independent risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) in the general population. M...

Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in the developed world and is associated with important comorbidities. Pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitors play a key role in the metabolism of human fat. A series of novel epoxyketones peptide derivatives were investigated for their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. The epoxyketone moiety is a wel...

Carnosic acid (CA), a natural polyphenolic diterpene derived from Rosmarinus officinalis, has been proven to possess a broad spectrum of medicinal properties. Nevertheless, no studies on its impact on pancreatic β-cells have been conducted to date. Herein, clonal rat INS-1 (832/13) cells were pretreated with CA for 24 h and then incubated with stre...

Background: The healthcare system in Jordan faced substantial burden during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic including disruption of routine childhood vaccination services. Aims: We sought, for the first time, to describe the impact of the 2020 pandemic on vaccination coverage of Jordanian children in Jordan and to identify the key contributing factor...

Being multipurpose, relatively safe, and widely favorable for consumption, interest in the essential oils of medicinal plants has been increasing. Essential oil (EO) of Juniperus phoenicea is traditionally used for treatment of several health problems such as diabetes, rheumatism, and cancer that is the second leading cause of death in Jordan. This...

Context: Recent scientific studies have reported that essential oils induce apoptosis in various cancer cell types by interfering with intracellular signaling pathways. Aims: To evaluate the cytotoxicity, the apoptotic activity of essential oil (EO) of Ruta chalepensis L. against MCF-7 cell line. Methods: Cytotoxicity was determined using methyl th...

Alcea setosa A. (Malvaceae) is a wild plant that grows in Jordan and have several traditional medicinal uses. This study aims to collect and chemically analyze the methanolic extract from Alcea setosa A. from Jordan and to evaluate its cytotoxic and antioxidant activity against human breast cancer cells (T47D), colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (CACO...

Obesity is considered a serious prevalent disease that is accelerating at an alarming rate. It has drawn worldwide attention and many approaches have been suggested to reduce dietary lipid hydrolysis and absorption. One of the substantial approaches is to inhibit pancreatic lipase (PL) that is the major responsible enzyme for fat digestion in the g...

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) enzyme, type 1 non-transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase, is extensively expressed in different organs in the body and is linked to different signal transduction pathways including insulin signaling pathway. PTP1B inhibition exhibits significant effects on glucose homeostasis and glucose balance in blood...

Breast cancer is one of the significant causes of death among women diagnosed with cancer worldwide. Even though several chemotherapy combinations are still the primary treatment of breast cancer, unsuccessful treatments, and poor prognostic outcomes are still being reported. DNA methylation and gene expression changes among two breast cancer cell...

Background & aims: This study aims to provide GC-FID and GC-MS analyses of the essential oil of dried aerial parts of Ecballium elaterium L. grown in Jordan and examining its cytotoxicity capacity. Methods: Essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation using Clevenger apparatus. MTT assay method was used to investigate the plant's in vitro antipr...

Context: Recent scientific studies have reported that essential oils induce apoptosis in various cancer cell types by interfering with intracellular signaling pathways. Aims: To evaluate the cytotoxicity, the apoptotic activity of essential oil (EO) of Ruta chalepensis L. against MCF-7 cell line. Methods: Cytotoxicity was determined using methyl...

Calamintha incana (Sm.) Helder (Lamiaceae) is an aromatic herb used in folk medicine in Jordan and neighboring countries. This study aimed to isolate and characterize the chemical composition of essential oils extracted from the aerial parts of C. incana and to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxic...

Echinomycin (quinomycin A) is a peptide antibiotic from the quinoxaline family, which has a DNA bifunctional intercalating activity and an inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF1a). Echinomycin was discovered in 1957 as a potent antitumor agent; however, it was not successful in clinical use due to its low water solubility and short half-life....

Triple negative breast cancer is an aggressive type of cancer with limited therapeutic options. Aptamer-functionalized liposomes to deliver short interference RNAs (siRNAs) offer a promising therapeutic option. The current study aimed at preparing an aptamer functionalized liposome loaded with siRNA-protamine polyplexes for selective delivery of No...

Triple negative breast cancer is an aggressive type of cancer with limited therapeutic options. Aptamer-functionalized liposomes to deliver short interference RNAs (siRNAs) offer a promising therapeutic option. The current study aimed at preparing an aptamer functionalized liposome loaded with siRNA-protamine polyplexes for selective delivery of No...

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Most of the anticancer drugs showed poor selectivity. Medicinal plants have proven, historically, their value as a source of molecules with therapeutic potential. Aim and objective: This study aims to optimize the method of extraction, identification, qualitative and quantitative ana...

In Jordanian folkloric medicine, several medicinal plants–based recipes are used for skin lightening. Local recipes for skin lightening were collected and the tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the plants reported in these recipes, as a potential depigmentation mechanism was evaluated in vitro on both, mushroom and murine melanoma tyrosinase. The s...

Background Cancer is one of the most overwhelming diseases nowadays. It is considered the second cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. Due to the diversity of its types, stages, and genetic origin, there is no available drug to treat all cancers. Serious side effects and resistance to existing drugs are other problems in this struggle again...

The development of plant‐based nano‐materials is considered an eco‐friendly technology because it does not involve hazardous chemicals. In this study, bimetallic ZnFe2O4 and CrFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized using an aqueous extract of Boswellia carteri resin. Synthesized ZnFe2O4 and CrFe2O4 nanoparticles were characterized by UV‐Vis spectrosc...

Objectives: Vitamin D is very important for calcium and mineral metabolism, and many hypotheses appear to link sunlight exposure with cancer risk and prognosis. As many studies supported the antitumor effect of vitamin D we wanted to investigate the potential effect of multiple vitamin D metabolites. Methods: This study compared the anticancer e...

Introduction Cedrus atlantica is an endemic pine tree species well known for its wood oil. Its traditional medicinal usages are mainly anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. The current study aimed to explore both the essential oil of the tree's cones and the organic extracts of the branches chemically and biologically. Methods The essential oil was...

Ruta chalepensis L. (Rutaceae) is an aromatic herb used in traditional medicine in Jordan and many countries. The main aims of this study are to isolate and identify the components of the essential oil from the aerial parts of R. chalepensis. Determination of the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, in addition to the in vitro assessment of antio...

Plant phytochemicals are very extensive and varied sources for medicinal compounds. The need for finding alternative remedies for several illnesses that are linked to the products of an enzyme like xanthine oxidase, motivates researchers to find in nature searching for local new better remedies. Many plants' extracts are investigated, and many othe...

Background: Medicinal plants have been and continue to be the primary source of treatment for many diseases. Taraxacum officinale (dandelion), has been used for hundreds of years as a traditional medical remedy for several diseases. However, the anti-cancer potential of this plant has not been fully screened. Genotoxicity screening which is an inte...

Microparticles represent a promising drug delivery system as they offer a definite amount of drug to the site of action and provide protection for unstable drugs before and after administration. Poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) is a polymer approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that has been among the most attractive polymeric candidate...

Background Medicinal plants have been used for many centuries for their significant phytochemical reservoir, forming a foundation for many medicinal drugs. Conventional cancer therapy possesses a number of undesired problems including poor selectivity, severe side effects and resistance of cancer. Objective There is a need for new anticancer drugs...

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The impact of the environmental triggers is associated with increases in oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to test the serum levels of oxidant/antioxidant status along with analysis of MTHFR C677T polymorphism (rs1801...

Natural polymers, particularly polysaccharide, have been used as drug delivery systems for a variety of therapeutic agents such as peptides, proteins, vaccines, DNA, and drugs for parenteral and non-parenteral administration. Chitosan, the second most abundant naturally occurring polysaccharide after cellulose, is a biocompatible and biodegradable...

Helicobacter pylori, a gram-negative bacterium, known factor for chronic active gastritis, stomach and peptic ulceration, which may progress to gastric cancer. It is also associated with other non-gastric diseases such as stroke, diabetes mellitus and alzheimer’s disease. Although conventional treatment achieved a great advancements in controlling...

Intense efforts by pharmaceutical industry have been made to identify new targets for obesity-diabetes (Diabesity). Pancreatic triacylglycerol lipase (PL) inhibition is an interesting putative target for obesity management. Fluoroquinolones (FQs) have been identified as potent inhibitors of PL. The aim of this research was to synthesize novel FQs a...

Imbalance in metabolism can lead to many health complications, and obesity is one of the alarming ones in the new world. Modern lifestyle has reduced physical activity and increased intake of various processed, unhealthy, fattening, and fast food. Many approaches have been followed to reduce lipid absorption through the gastrointestinal tract, incl...

Imbalance in metabolism can lead to many health complications, and obesity is one of the alarming ones in the new world. Modern lifestyle has reduced physical activity and increased intake of various processed, unhealthy, fattening, and fast food. Many approaches have been followed to reduce lipid absorption through the gastrointestinal tract, incl...

ABSTRACT Background & Aim In the present study, composition of the volatile (essential) oil hydrodistilled from flowering tops of Paronychia argentea Lam. (Caryophyllaceae) grown in Jordan was examined. Methods Analyses were performed by means of GC and GC-MS. In-vitro cytotoxicity of the aqueous and alcohol extracts of the plant aerial parts was...

ABSTRACT Introduction: Recently aptamers, a single strand oligonucleotide that bind to their targets with high affinity and specificity, played a crucial role in medical research. Smart nanoparticles or triggered releasing liposomes are a newly developed drug delivery that can remotely and selectively release their payload. Echinomycin is an an...

Immune system alteration has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic pain conditions, epilepsy and generalized anxiety disorder. Targeting cytokines has recently been proposed for the management of such conditions. Pregabalin (PGB) is an antiepileptic agent used for the management of these conditions. However, little is known about its immun...