Al Mustansiriyah Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

The need for producing sustained release
dosage form was increased (especially
for chronic diseases) to decrease side
effect, increase efficacy of treatment, so
it is now possible to administer the drugs
once a week to once a year.

Dexamethasone sodium Phosphate (DSP) is a potent corticosteroid used for the treatment of
many conditions like osteoarthritis (OA) and post joint replacement surgery.
Microencapsulated dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) having continuous prolonged
release was prepared. To achieve that, DSP microcapsules were prepared using w/o/w double
emulsion method where PLGA was used as a polymer, PVA and glycerol as plasticizer and
Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as emulsifying agent. Nine formulas of (PLGA
coated (DSP) (microcapsules) were prepared to study the effect of different variables on the
% yield and entrapment efficiency (EE) including the effect of internal aqueous phase
volume, presence of NaCl (as osmotic pressure enhancer), PLGA concentration, plasticizer
concentration and sonication time. The best formula was found to be formula (F1) containing
16 mg DSP coated with PLGA and found to give 85% EE and 94.19% yield.
Key words: Dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP), PLGA, GMO, entrapment efficiency,
% yield.

Elaeagnus angustifolia, is from
Elaeagnus genus and a member of the
Elaeagnaceae family which is reported to
have many species that are distributed
throughout the world. The plant acquired
a considerable importance because it is a
rich source of vitamins such as
tocopherol, carotene, vitamin C, thiamine B1 and minerals like calcium, magnesium,
potassium, iron and manganese. from the phytochemical point of view, the plant was reported
to contains: flavonoids, alkaloids, terpens, sterols and saponin. TLC fingerprinting was used
to identify the ethyl acetate extract containing flavonoids. The isolation and purification
afforded crystalline powder which were subjected to spectral identification by1H‐NMR and
FT-IR. The compounds were identified as Isorhamnetin and Kaempferol.
Key words: Elaeagnus angustifolia ,1H-NMR, ethyl acetate extract.

Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) is one of
the most common infectious human
pathogens, which infected more
than (50%) of the populations
worldwide.
H. pylori induce inflammation, which
causes of upper gastrointestinal illnesses
including dyspepsia, peptic ulcer

diseases, gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue
(MALT) lymphoma. It is important to use a greatly effective and better tolerated eradication
regimen. In this study, fifty newly diagnosed adult patients with H. pylori infection were
included, they were allocated into two groups with two different treatment regimens for H.
pylori eradications; Group A (25 patients) received oral conventional clarithromycin-triple
therapy for 14 days. Group B (25 patients) received oral moxifloxacin triple therapy for 14
days. The results reported in this study indicated a significant higher eradication rate of triple
moxifloxacin regimen (80%) of patients with H. pylori infections compared to that of triple
clarithromycin regimen (52%). In the present study, using different H.pylori eradication
regimens for patients with different age groups demonstrated no statistically significant
differences in eradication rate achieved (p< 0.05). The result of this study showed that triple
moxifloxacin therapy produced a significant higher eradication rate than clarithromycin triple
therapy among normal weight patients with H. pylori infection (100% and 50% respectively
(p=0.032)), while there was no significance difference among overweight and obese patients
(p< 0.05) between the two groups. The present study concluded that the administration of
moxifloxacin triple regimen for H. pylori eradication, demonstrated eradication effectiveness
was significantly higher compared to that of clarithromycin triple regimen.

Key words: H. pylori, moxifloxacin, clarithromycin, triple therapy, age, BMI.

Preparation of a topical gel for
erythromycin using optimized nano
sized cubosome dispersion, which is
changed into a gel to get nanocubosomal
gel using different gelling agents. The
optimum nanocubosomal dispersion

containing 4.4% glyceryl mono oleate (GMO) (as an oil phase) and 0.6% poloxamer 407 (as
an emulsifying agent) was converted into a gel using different gelling agents including
carbopol 974, carbopol 940, carbopol 934 and hydroxyl propyl methylcellulose (HPMC) at
different ratios of (1:1 and 1:2). Each prepared gel was then evaluated in vitro to determine
the homogenisity, consistency, spreadability, viscosity and drug release. The selected formula
(FG6) showed best homogenisity, consistency and spreadability as well as it produced initial
burst release of 60.3% (within 1 hour) followed by prolonged release of 96.3% continued for
4 hours. In addition, the optimum gel formula (FG6) has shown remarkable antibacterial
activity, which was significantly higher than the marketed gel (ERYTHROMYCIN GEL ®
2%) against four different strains of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa).

Key words: cubosomes, nanotechnology, erythromycin, poloxamer 407, GMO

Sleep apnea, a common respiratory
complication
of
Corresponding Author email:
Dr.abbasrah.ndc@uomustansiriya.edu.iq
orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0368-4383
acromegaly
is
accountable for 25% of deaths in
acromegalic patients. It contributes to
increasing cardiovascular diseases and
raising mortality rate in acromegalic
patients and still persists after control of
acromegaly. Raised insulin resistance that was noticed in some acromegalic patients are
believed to be caused by acromegaly itself, weight gain, octreotide therapy or the deleterious
effect of sleep apnea itself. It was found that both acromegaly and sleep apnea share a
disordered melatonin secretion. Numerous clinical and experimental studies have shown a
promising role of melatonin as an antidiabetic agent. Nevertheless, no other study had
examined the effect of melatonin supplementation on insulin resistance level in acromegalic
patients receiving their standard treatment and experiencing some sleep difficulties. The study
was designed to scrutinize the effect of melatonin supplementation on insulin resistance in
controlled acromegalic patients who had been receiving their standard treatment. It was a
prospective randomised controlled open labelled study included 27 Iraqi acromegalic patients.
Their age ranged (29-57).The patients were receiving their usual octreotide monthly dose
determined by the physician to control their disease and they had moderate to severe sleep
apnea (Epworth sleepiness scale and STOP-BANG score were used to include them in the
study ,they were enrolled if the summation of their ESS points ≥10 or of their STOP-BANG
points ≥3).The patients were divided into two groups, group 1 included 15 patients taking
their usual octreotide dose once monthly plus 5 mg of melatonin at night, group 2 included 12
patients taking their usual octreotide dose only. Blood samples were taken at fasting state at
baseline and after 2 months to estimate serum growth hormone (GH), insulin like growth
factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin and blood glucose. The homeostatic model assessment for insulin
resistance (HOMA) result was calculated for each subject. At the end of the study period,
melatonin treated group showed no significant change in GH, IGF-1, a highly significant
decrease in glucose level (p<0.001), a highly significant decrease in insulin (p<0.001) and a
highly significant decrease in HOMA score (p<0.001).Standard treatment group showed no
significant difference in GH, IGF-1, insulin level and HOMA score at the end of the two
months study period and a highly significant increase in glucose level. In conclusion, our
study has confirmed the existing evidence of that melatonin supplementation improves
glucose homeostasis and offers promising tool for future studies in acromegalic patients and
larger trials.
Key words: Acromegaly, Melatonin supplementation, insulin resistance, sleep problems,
sleep apnea.

Back ground: Doxorubicin is a very
effective anticancer therapy of the
anthracycline\'s family used in many
pediatric and adult cancers. However,
due to severe cardiotoxicity adverse
effect, the uses of doxorubicin are
limited. Metformin reducing basal and
postprandial glucose levels. Metformin has a good treatment efficacy and safety profile in
treatment of T2DM in conjunction with lifestyle modification. Metformin have a
cardioprotective effect in addition to reducing basal and postprandial levels of glucose by
decreasing the production of reactive oxygen species, maintaining energy homeostasis and
apoptosis regulation by its activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase.
Method: Thirty-six white male rabbits randomly divided to six groups, each comprising of
six rabbits. 1- Control group injected 2 ml saline single dose intraperitoneally. 2- Metformin
group 300 mg/kg/daily for 14 days orally. 3- Acute doxorubicin induction group 16 mg/ kg
intraperitoneally as a single dose. 4- Chronic doxorubicin induction group 4mg/kg
intraperitoneally twice a week for two weeks. 5- Metformin+ acute doxorubicin induction
group 16 mg/kg intraperitoneally single dose and Metformin 300 mg/kg/daily for 14 days
orally, three days before doxorubicin treatment. 6- Metformin + chronic doxorubicin
induction group 4 mg/kg intraperitoneally, twice a week for two weeks and Metformin 300
mg/kg/daily for 14 days orally, three days before doxorubicin treatment.
Result: our results revealed the treatment with metformin significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the
serum level of troponin I and MMP2 in Metformin+ acute doxorubicin induction and
Metformin + chronic doxorubicin induction groups in comparison with the acute doxorubicin
and chronic doxorubicin groups.
Conclusion: From these results in this study, we can conclude that metformin has a
cardioprotective effect against doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity in acute and also the
chronic induction by decreasing serum level of troponin I and MMP2.
Key words: Cardiotoxicity, Doxorubicin, Metformin, Troponin, Matrix Metalloproteinases.

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy known
by slow degenerative structural changes
seen in retinal ganglion cells and the
optic nerve head. Elevation in
intraocular pressure caused by
imbalance between the production of

aqueous humor and the drainage of this liquid through the trabecular meshwork. Nitric oxide
donors being evaluated as a novel way to impact the progression of glaucoma by increasing
the conventional outflow, hence lowering intraocular pressure. The aim of study was to
evaluate the potential effect of topical sodium nitroprusside in glaucomatous rabbits. Thirty
two rabbits were used and distributed into four groups include: normal group, glaucoma
induced group, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) group and timolol group. The treatment was given
twice daily: at 9:00 a.m. and at 1:00 p.m. for 12 day. The intraocular pressure was recorded
two times a day: at 9:00 a.m. and at 12:00 p.m. The intraocular pressure, nitrite level,
endothelial nitric oxide synthase and the histology of ciliary body were measured. The results
revealed a high significant decrease in intraocular pressure and no significant difference in
nitrite level while a high significant elevation in endothelial nitric oxide synthase with
improvement in the histology of ciliary bodies.

Key words: Glaucoma, intraocular pressure, Nitric oxide.

Contrast- induced nephropathy (CIN) is
an elevation of serum creatinine of ≥ 0.5
mg/dL from baseline after two to three
days of exposure to contrast substance if
there is no other cause for acute kidney
injury. Atorvastatin may protect normal
kidney physiology from contrast- induced
kidney injury by effects unrelated to hypolipidemia termed pleiotropic effect by decline of
endothelin production, angiotensin system down regulation, and under expression of
endothelial adhesion molecules. This study was conducted to assess the strategy by which
atorvastatin can achieve protective effect for kidneys after exposure to contrast media in an
animal model. A 40 male rats were distributed randomly into 4 groups; ten rats for each:
group (1): given normal saline; group (2): CIN group given iopromide as contrast media;
group (3): given atorvastatin (20mg/kg) and iopromide; and group (4): given atorvastatin
(40mg/kg) and iopromide. Blood collected by cardiac puncture for detection of serum
glutathione, malondialdehyde, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and interleukin-18. The results
have shown a significant increase in inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in contrast
media group, and significant reduction in these markers in atorvastatin treated groups, in a
dose-dependent manner. As conclusion, atorvastatin mechanism for protection against CIN in
a dose-dependent manner can mediate by anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
Key words: contrast induced nephropathy, atorvastatin, oxidative stress, inflammation.

Background: Cancer is a pathogenesis
that
Corresponding Author email:
Pharm.ghaithali@uomustansiriyah.edu.iq
orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5153-4094
happens when modification in
collections of normally occurring cells
inside the human body occurs leading to
non-controlled growth causing a lump
called the tumor; this applies to all types
of cancers except leukemia (cancer of
the blood). Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the highly effective anti-neoplastic drugs of the
anthracycline\\'s family used to treat many pediatric and adult cancers, e.g. solid tumors,
lymphomas, leukemia and breast cancer. Doxorubicin is known to produce severe
cytotoxicity. Metformin (Met) is a biguanide used for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metformin
have cytoprotective effect in addition to reducing basal and postprandial levels of glucose by
decreasing the production of ROS, maintaining energy homeostasis and apoptosis regulation
by its activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Met has also
the ability to increase apoptotic factors and suppression of proliferation thus MET consider as
cytotoxic and anti-proliferative drug.
Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the cytotoxic and antiproliferative effect of
Met comparing to DOX as a control in RD cell, also combination of both.
Materials and Methods: Cell lines that used (Epithelial cells as a normal cell line and RD cell
line was taken from human breast cancer) cultured in suitable media potentiated with different
concentrations of heat-inactivated human serum. MTT assay (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2
yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) using for detection of cytotoxicity in Epithelial and RD
cell lines for duration 72hrs.
Results: The results showed that treatment with DOX, MET and combination DOX with MET
there is significant (p≤ 0.5) cytotoxic, apoptotic and antiproliferative effect and there is
potentiation effect between MET and DOX on tumor cells when treated by combination DOX
with MET also Met showed a valuable cytotoxic effect through the detection of IC50.
Conclusion: From the results, it can be concluded that Metformin have a good cytotoxic and
antiproliferative effect on tumor cell lines.
Key words: Doxorubicin, Metformin, IC50, RD cell line.

Cressa cretica Fam: Convolvulaceae
(morning glory). These plants are native
to the tropical and subtropical areas of the
world. Nutritional analysis provide it to be
a potential source of minerals, energy,
carbohydrate, alpha-tocopherol, edible oil.
From phytochemical point of view, the
plant was reported to contain: coumarins, sterols, alkaloids, tannins, glycosides, flavonoids,
unidentified sugars and high salt content. Ethyl acetate layer and ethanolic layer were
examined for cytotoxic activity.Kampferol-3-O-glucoside (Astragalin) was isolated as
amorphous powder from the aerial parts of Cressa cretica. The flavonoid in the Iraqi plant was
detected by TLC. Its presence was confirmed by HPLC.
Key words: Cressa cretica, Astragalin, HPLC analysis