Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research : IJPR

Polyamines prolong longevity due to their role in cell proliferation and are regarded as an essential group of anti-aging substances that reduce the risk of cardiovascular, neurological, and chronic inflammatory illnesses, as well as cancer. Because of its importance in growth and tissue regeneration, discovering polyamine-rich sources has gotten a lot of interest. Given the role of polyamines in controlling plant growth and physiological changes in the spring after cold winter stress, high polyamine concentrations in quickly growing plant tissues such as flowers, blossoms, and germs are possible...

BACKGROUND: Expression of the miR-34 family, including miR-34a/b/c, has been reported to inhibit the progression of several cancer types by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. OBJECTIVES: We attempted to investigate the effect of SW480 cell transfection with miR-34c-5p mimics on cell proliferation. METHODS: To do this, SW480 colon cancer cell line was transfected with miR-34c-5p mimics, scramble sequence, and the vehicle in PBS mock, and then cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay...

BACKGROUND: Amphotericin B (AmB) is the first-line drug to treat invasive fungal infections. However, its delivery to the body and clinical use faces many challenges because of its poor solubility, poor pharmacokinetics, and severe nephrotoxicity. OBJECTIVES: Due to the necessity for designing safer and more effective nanocarriers for AmB and the importance of preclinical pharmacokinetic studies in evaluating these novel drug delivery systems, the present study was framed to explore the influence of rat strain on the pharmacokinetic profile of this drug...

Since December 2019, the world has been grappling with an ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Various virus variants have emerged over the past two years, each posing a greater threat than its predecessors. The recent appearance of the omicron variant (B.1.1.529) has raised significant alarm within the field of epidemiology due to its highly contagious nature and rapid transmission rate. The omicron variant possessed mutations in the key receptor-binding domain (RBD) region, the S region, and these modifications have shown a notable impact on the strain's susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies...

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin has potent antitumor properties. It has several toxic side effects, such as hepatotoxicity. It is thought that hepatotoxicity induced by cisplatin is caused by oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES: It has shown that calcium dobesilate (CD) has potent antioxidant properties. The present study aimed to assess CD protective effects on cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. METHODS: In this study, 28 mice were selected randomly and were divided into four groups, including control, cisplatin (20 mg/kg, i...

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy drugs can cause drug resistance and other problems when treating lung cancer, which leads to treatment failure. Ursolic acid (UA) is used in formulations based on traditional Chinese medicine. UA has excellent anti-tumor effects, but they are limited by solubility and non-specificity to tumor cells. OBJECTIVES: To overcome these issues, we created a novel hyaluronic acid (HA)-targeted liposome system for delivering UA (HA-Lipo/UA) to explore the targeting and anti-tumor effects of UA...

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are 2 common liver diseases that currently lack effective treatment options. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on NAFLD treatment in an animal model. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce NAFLD for 7 weeks. The rats were then categorized into 3 groups: Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), MSC + LPS, and fenofibrate (FENO) groups...

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists play an important role in improving outcome by providing advice and counselling services to patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to measure the willingness to pay (WTP) for pharmacist counselling services in community pharmacies and identify determinant factors on consumers' WTP. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire-based survey was conducted in community pharmacies in Tehran (capital of Iran) from January 1, 2020 to February 20, 2021...

In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained attention in the biomedical field, particularly as drug carriers for treating tumors. Therefore, we decided to synthesize a novel benzoic acid Zn-based MOF and study the Zn-based MOFs' drug-delivery properties and the drug-delivery system's anticancer effects. This study successfully synthesized a zinc-based MOF using solvent thermal synthesis. The crystal structure of a Zn-based MOF was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy...

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear which formulation of the corticosteroid regimen has the optimum efficacies on COVID-19 pneumonia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of 2 different regimens in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19: Methylprednisolone at a dose of 1 mg/kg every 12 hours (low-dose group) and 1000 mg/day pulse therapy for 3 days following 1 mg/kg methylprednisolone every 12 hours (high-dose group)...

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, algae have attracted worldwide attention for their great biological activities, such as antidiabetic and antibacterial properties. OBJECTIVES: We measured antibacterial and α-glucosidase inhibition potential of methanol and 80% methanol extracts of three brown algae species, Polycladia myrica , Padina antillarum , and Sargassum boveanum , and a red alga, Palisada perforata , from the Persian Gulf coasts. METHODS: Antibacterial activity of the algal extracts was assessed by broth dilution method against three gram-negative and -positive bacteria, including Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumonia , Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Staphylococcus epidermidis , Staphylococcus aureus , and Bacillus subtilis , respectively...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity has almost tripled since 1975, and obesity places a heavy economic burden on healthcare systems. There is a high tendency to use a variety of complementary medicine modalities for weight management among obese patients. Persian Medicine is an ancient medical school practiced for thousands of years in Iran. Found in reliable Iranian traditional resources, Komouni formulation (KF) is a compound medicine that can be effective in the treatment of obesity...

BACKGROUND: Malignant tumors are a significant disease endangering human health. Chinese Medicine (CM) plays an important role in comprehensive and holistic tumor treatment. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate whether CM combined with the immunosuppressant PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor has a good synergistic effect and can significantly improve response rates for the immunosuppressant. METHODS: We combined CM with immunosuppressant in treating six-week-old hepatocellular carcinoma-bearing mice and compared the outcomes of groups undergoing different interventions: blank group, control group, CM group, PD-L1 inhibitor group, and CM + PD-L1 inhibitor group, with ten mice in each group...

Breast cancer is a deadly disease with a high prevalence rate among females. Despite several treatments, scientists are still engaged in finding less invasive treatments for this disease. The cellular proliferation rate and cell viability survey are critical to assess the drug's effect on both normal and malignant cell populations. Indole derivatives are promising candidates for their cytotoxic effect causing on breast cancer cells; however, they are less toxic on normal cells. This study synthesized 23 novel 5-hydroxyindole-3-carboxylic acids and related esters featuring various linear, cyclic, and primary aromatic amines...

CONTEXT: Fungal infections are very common, and several medications are used to treat them. Azoles are prescribed widely to treat fungal infections. In addition to therapeutic effects, any drug can be accompanied by side effects in patients. One of the most important complications in this regard is liver injury. Therefore, hepatotoxicity induced by azole antifungal drugs were reviewed in this study. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: English scientific papers were evaluated to review the effects of hepatotoxicity by azole antifungal agents, and the related studies' results were summarized using a table...

BACKGROUND: Chromene derivatives showed numerous biological activities. In the current study, the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis properties of halogenated dihydropyrano[3,2- b ]chromene-3-carbonitrile derivatives (HDCCD) on MCF-7 cell line have been examined. OBJECTIVES: This study's principal point was synthesizing new halogenated pyranochromene derivatives and assessing their cytotoxic effects and apoptosis potential on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line by flow cytometry...

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a multifaceted disease characterized by genetic and epigenetic changes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth and metastasis. Early detection and treatment are crucial for managing diseases. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of chimeric peptides for drug delivery and to identify biomarkers associated with breast cancer. Recent studies have shown that the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1) receptor has a significant impact on the development of breast cancer...

BACKGROUND: The goal of this research was to design and characterize quercetin microemulsions (MEs) to resolve water solubility issues related to quercetin and improve transcorneal permeation into the eye. METHODS: MEs were prepared by the phase diagram method. Oily phase (oleic acid-Transcutol P), surfactant (Tween 80, Span 20), and co-surfactant (propylene glycol) were used to make a quercetin-loaded ME. The size of the droplets, their viscosity, pH, release, flux, and diffusivity were all measured...

The current study aimed to evaluate the safety profile and efficacy of a cannabis-based sublingual spray, CBDEX10® (containing 100 µg cannabidiol and 10 µg Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol per puff; CBD/Δ9 -THC 10:1), in improving lipid profile and glycemic state of the diabetic patients. Fifty diabetic patients were randomly allocated to the treatment (n = 25; receiving two puffs of CBDEX10® twice daily) or the control groups (n = 25; receiving two puffs of placebo). The primary endpoint of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the CBDEX10® adjunctive therapy in improving the lipid profile and glycemic state of diabetic patients; the secondary endpoint was to assess the safety profile and tolerability of the spray...

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the impact of the tryptanthrin (TRP) compound, with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, on the excisional wound (EW) model. In an EW model in mice, we tried to explain the possible effect of TRP through vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) that contribute significantly to wound healing. METHODS: A total of 90 BALB-C female mice aged 6 - 8 weeks were used in the present study. Animals were randomly divided into five groups...