Browsing by Author "Dureja, Harish"

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    Biomedical Applications of polymeric micelles in the treatment of diabetes mellitus: Current success and future approaches
    (2022) Kaur, Jaskiran; Gulati, Monica; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Dureja, Harish; Loebenberg, Raimar; Ansari, Md Salahuddin; AlOmeir, Othman; Alam, Aftab; Chellappan, Dinesh Kumar; Gupta, Gaurav; Jha, Niraj Kumar; Pinto, Terezinha de Jesus Andreoli; Morris, Andrew; Choonara, Yahya E.; Adams, Jon; Dua, Kamal; Singh, Sachin Kumar
    Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common metabolic disease and multifactorial, harming patients worldwide. Extensive research has been carried out in the search for novel drug delivery systems offering reliable control of glucose levels for diabetics, aiming at efficient management of DM. Areas covered Polymeric micelles (PMs) as smart drug delivery nanocarriers are discussed, focusing on oral drug delivery applications for the management of hyperglycemia. The most recent approaches used for the preparation of smart PMs employ molecular features of amphiphilic block copolymers (ABCs), such as stimulus sensitivity, ligand conjugation, and as a more specific example the ability to inhibit islet amyloidosis. Expert opinion PMs provide a unique platform for self-regulated or spatiotemporal drug delivery, mimicking the working mode of pancreatic islets to maintain glucose homeostasis for prolonged periods. This unique characteristic is achieved by tailoring the functional chemistry of ABCs considering the physicochemical traits of PMs, including sensing capabilities, hydrophobicity, etc. In addition, the application of ABCs for the inhibition of conformational changes in islet amyloid polypeptide garnered attention as one of the root causes of DM. However, research in this field is limited and further studies at the clinical level are required.
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    Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF): Fuel for Cancer Progression
    (Bentham Science Publ. LTD, 2021) Satija, Saurabh; Kaur, Harpreet; Tambuwala, Murtaza M.; Sharma, Prabal; Vyas, Manish; Khurana, Navneet; Sharma, Neha; Bakshi, Hamid A.; Charbe, Nitin B.; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Aljabali, Alaa A.; Nammi, Srinivas; Dureja, Harish; Singh, Thakur G.; Gupta, Gaurav; Dhanjal, Daljeet S.; Dua, Kamal; Chellappan, Dinesh K.; Mehta, Meenu
    Hypoxia is an integral part of the tumor microenvironment, caused primarily due to rapidly multiplying tumor cells and a lack of proper blood supply. Among the major hypoxic pathways, HIF-1 transcription factor activation is one of the widely investigated pathways in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). HIF-1 is known to activate several adaptive reactions in response to oxygen deficiency in tumor cells. HIF-1 has two subunits, HIF-1 beta (constitutive) and HIF-1 alpha (inducible). The HIF-1 alpha expression is largely regulated via various cytokines (through PI3K-ACT-mTOR signals), which involves the cascading of several growth factors and oncogenic cascades. These events lead to the loss of cellular tumor suppressant activity through changes in the level of oxygen via oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent pathways. The significant and crucial role of HIF in cancer progression and its underlying mechanisms have gained much attention lately among the translational researchers in the fields of cancer and biological sciences, which have enabled them to correlate these mechanisms with various other disease modalities. In the present review, we have summarized the key findings related to the role of HIF in the progression of tumors.
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    Protein and peptide delivery to lungs by using advanced targeted drug delivery
    (2022) Chellappan, Dinesh Kumar; Prasher, Parteek; Saravanan, Vilashini; Yee, Vanessa See Vern; Chi, Wendy Chai Wen; Wong, Jia Wei; Wong, Joon Kang; Wong, Jing Tong; Wan, Wai; Chellian, Jestin; Molugulu, Nagashekhara; Prabu, Sakthivel Lakshmana; Ibrahim, Rania; Darmarajan, Thiviya; Candasamy, Mayuren; Singh, Pankaj Kumar; Mishra, Vijay; Shastri, Madhur D.; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Chakraborty, Amlan; Mehta, Meenu; Gupta, Piyush Kumar; Dureja, Harish; Gulati, Monica; Singh, Sachin Kumar; Gupta, Gaurav; Jha, Niraj Kumar; Oliver, Brian Gregory George; Dua, Kamal
    The challenges and difficulties associated with conventional drug delivery systems have led to the emergence of novel, advanced targeted drug delivery systems. Therapeutic drug delivery of proteins and peptides to the lungs is complicated owing to the large size and polar characteristics of the latter. Nevertheless, the pulmonary route has attracted great interest today among formulation scientists, as it has evolved into one of the important targeted drug delivery platforms for the delivery of peptides, and related compounds effectively to the lungs, primarily for the management and treatment of chronic lung diseases. In this review, we have discussed and summarized the current scenario and recent developments in targeted delivery of proteins and peptide-based drugs to the lungs. Moreover, we have also highlighted the advantages of pulmonary drug delivery over conventional drug delivery approaches for peptide-based drugs, in terms of efficacy, retention time and other important pharmacokinetic parameters. The review also highlights the future perspectives and the impact of targeted drug delivery on peptide-based drugs in the coming decade.
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    Vitamin D-A prominent immunomodulator to prevent COVID-19 infection
    (WILEY, 2023) Ashique, Sumel; Gupta, Kirti; Gupta, Gaurav; Mishra, Neeraj; Singh, Sachin Kumar; Wadhwa, Sheetu; Gulati, Monica; Dureja, Harish; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Oliver, Brian G.; Paudel, Keshav Raj; Hansbro, Philip M.; Chellappan, Dinesh Kumar; Dua, Kamal
    COVID-19 remains a life-threatening infectious disease worldwide. Several bio-active agents have been tested and evaluated in an effort to contain this disease. Unfortunately, none of the therapies have been successful, owing to their safety concerns and the presence of various adverse effects. Various countries have developed vaccines as a preventive measure; however, they have not been widely accepted as effective strategies. The virus has proven to be exceedingly contagious and lethal, so finding an effective treatment strategy has been a top priority in medical research. The significance of vitamin D in influencing many components of the innate and adaptive immune systems is examined in this study. This review aims to summarize the research on the use of vitamin D for COVID-19 treatment and prevention. Vitamin D supplementation has now become an efficient option to boost the immune response for all ages in preventing the spread of infection. Vitamin D is an immunomodulator that treats infected lung tissue by improving innate and adaptive immune responses and downregulating the inflammatory cascades. The preventive action exerted by vitamin D supplementation (at a specific dose) has been accepted by several observational research investigations and clinical trials on the avoidance of viral and acute respiratory dysfunctions. To assess the existing consensus about vitamin D supplementation as a strategy to treat and prevent the development and progression of COVID-19 disease, this review intends to synthesize the evidence around vitamin D in relation to COVID-19 infection.