Browsing by Author "Prateeksha Prateeksha"

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Engineered an ultrasmall curcumin oral nanoformulation restores intestinal integrity and gut microbiota dysbiosis
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Vivek Sharma; Prateeksha Prateeksha; Balwant Singh Paliya; Sateesh Chandra Gupta; Sarvendra Singh; Anand Anunay; Sushil Agrahari; Shailendra P. Singh; Chandana Venketswara Rao; Saroj Kanta Barik; Brahma Nand Singh
Antibiotic therapy for bacterial infections often disrupts gut microbiota (GM) and intestinal integrity, inducing chronic inflammation and inflammatory bowel diseases. An effective therapeutic intervention is urgently needed to alleviate the aforementioned adverse effects of antibiotics. Curcumin (CUR) reveals great potential to restore intestinal integrity and GM dysbiosis due to its strong antiinflammatory and prebiotic effects. However, the weak solubility and stability of CUR result in limited bioavailability and a short half-life, which restricts its clinical uses. An ultra-small CUR oral nanoformulation was created using a carboxylated galactomannan (cGM), facilitated by hydrogen bonding between the phenolic hydroxyl groups of CUR and the carboxyl groups present on cGM. The developed nanoformulation increased CUR stability both in vitro and in vivo, extended its retention period in the gastrointestinal tract, and enhanced its permeability across the mucus layer and intestinal epithelium to improve oral bioavailability of CUR. The nanoformulation attained notable therapeutic efficacy in restoring intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction and GM dysbiosis, as validated in an antibiotic-induced in vivo model. This research highlights the benefits of cGM in creating a very stable and ultrasmall nanoformulation for CUR, offering a promising oral nanoplatform for the delivery of CUR. © 2025
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis bioactive extract ameliorates LPS-induced inflammation through the inhibition of NF-κB signalling pathway
(Elsevier Ireland Ltd, 2024) Vivek K. Sharma; Prateeksha Prateeksha; Shailendra P. Singh; Chandana V. Rao; Brahma N. Singh
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L. is a mythical plant used in traditional Indian medicinal systems for the treatment of inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, and pain-related responses. However, its bioactive compounds and underlying mechanism of action have not been fully elucidated. Aim of the study: This investigation aimed to study the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects of the bioactive extract of N. arbor-tristis (NATE), both in vitro and in vivo, elucidate the possible mechanism of action, and determine its chemicals. Materials and methods: We studied the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of NATE on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages, paw-ear edema, and acetic acid-induced pain in rats and analysed its chemical components using Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometric (LC-ESI-MS). Results: NATE efficiently reduced the production of various inflammatory mediators and factors, such as free radicals, lipid peroxidation, nitrous oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), and IL-10, as well as their corresponding mRNA expression in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells (p < 0.001). Furthermore, NATE inhibited the activation of a key signaling pathway, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), as it caused a decrease in the degradation of inhibitor of kB alpha (IkBa). Administration of NATE significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema (p < 0.001), TPA-induced ear edema, and the production of inflammatory factors (p < 0.01). NATE revealed anti-nociceptive impacts in acetic acid-induced writhing and tail immersion experiments (p < 0.001) as well as no toxicity signs. A total of six compounds, namely iridoid glycoside (6,7-di-O-benzonylnyctanthoside), arborsides A, arborsides C, betulinic acid, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, were characterized through the examination of their mass spectra in correlation with those documented in a database of mass spectra. Conclusions: The present study furnishes scientific corroboration of the inhibitory potency of N. arbor-tristis as a promising herbal treatment for inflammation and pain responses without toxicity, offering a scientific basis for future drug development strategies aimed at ameliorating inflammatory diseases. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
Tetrahydrocannabinols: potential cannabimimetic agents for cancer therapy
(Springer, 2023) Prateeksha Prateeksha; Vivek K. Sharma; Shiv M. Singh; Minaxi Sharma; Deepti Diwan; Abd El-Latif Hesham; Sanjay Guleria; Quang D. Nguyen; Vijai K. Gupta; Brahma N. Singh
Tetrahydrocannabinols (THCs) antagonize the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, whose signaling to the endocannabinoid system is essential for controlling cell survival and proliferation as well as psychoactive effects. Most tumor cells express a much higher level of CB1 and CB2; THCs have been investigated as potential cancer therapeutic due to their cannabimimetic properties. To date, THCs have been prescribed as palliative medicine to cancer patients but not as an anticancer modality. Growing evidence of preclinical research demonstrates that THCs reduce tumor progression by stimulating apoptosis and autophagy and inhibiting two significant hallmarks of cancer pathogenesis: metastasis and angiogenesis. However, the degree of their anticancer effects depends on the origin of the tumor site, the expression of cannabinoid receptors on tumor cells, and the dosages and types of THC. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the molecular processes that THCs target for their anticancer effects. It also emphasizes the substantial knowledge gaps that should be of concern in future studies. We also discuss the therapeutic effects of THCs and the problems that will need to be addressed in the future. Clarifying unanswered queries is a prerequisite to translating the THCs into an effective anticancer regime. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.