Turkish Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences最新文献

Objectives: This study aims to present a method for the determination of the aluminum in antiperspirant products (APPs) by chelating it with quercetin before its detection by smartphone digital image colorimetry (SDIC).

Materials and methods: Samples were prepared by closed-vessel acid digestion in PTFE cups. This was followed by complexation of aluminum in the sample solution using quercetin as a chelating agent. Sample solutions were transferred into a quartz ultraviolet/visible detection microcuvette for detection in a homemade colorimetric box designed for capturing images of the yellow complex with a smartphone camera. The pixel intensity of the images was converted to numbers for quantitation using ImageJ software for a personal computer. An independent study using high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection was conducted to check the accuracy of the proposed method.

Results: Optimum SDIC conditions included a Samsung C9 smartphone as the detection camera, a cropped region of interest of 6400 px², and the side position of the colorimetric box were selected for capturing the images of the sample solutions placed 10.0 cm from the detection camera, whereas optimum complexation conditions were found to be as sample pH of 5.5, sample volume of 3.0 mL, complexation time of 1.0 min and a ligand concentration of 0.28 mmol L^-1. Analytical performance of the method included a limit of detection of 0.5 μmol L^-1 and a coefficient of determination (R²) of the calibration graph of 0.9981.

Conclusion: The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of aluminum in APPs with percentage recoveries ranging from 80.0 to 109.6%.

Objectives: The genus Lonicera includes medicinally important plants. Two varieties of L. etrusca have been recorded in Türkiye. Anatomical structures and phytochemical contents are important in the diagnosis and identification of medicinal plants. This study included stem and leaf anatomy of L. etrusca var. etrusca and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the methanol extracts obtained from these parts.

Materials and methods: Plant materials were collected from Ankara. Methanol extracts were prepared from the stems and leaves by ultrasonic bath. The amounts of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid that are major compounds in the stem and leaves, were determined by HPLC. For anatomical studies, specimens were preserved in 70% alcohol. Transverse and surface sections were prepared by hand. Detection of tissues was performed using Sartur reagent. Anatomical specimens were examined using a light microscope and microphotographed.

Results: In HPLC analysis, the highest amount of chlorogenic acid was determined in the leaf (1.148%), and the highest amount of caffeic acid (0.156%) was determined in the stem. In the anatomical analysis, it was observed that the stem was disc-shaped and hollow; pericycle is in a ring form, consists of fibre-like cells with thick walls and wide lumina; cork occurs adjoining pericyclic fibers; thin-walled pith cells containing dense druse crystals. The leaf lamina is bifacial in the transverse section; palisade and spongy parenchyma, both contain abundant starch grains; solitary druse crystals are sparse in the leaf mesophyll; the stomata were observed only on the lower surface with 3-5 subsidiary cells. With this study, L. etrusca var. etrusca has been clarified in terms of its anatomical structures and phenolic compounds.

Conclusion: The chemical contents and anatomical structures of the plant may contain important information that can be used in classification. This study may support in taxonomically classification for the L. etrusca var. etrusca.

Objectives: Immune enhancers are attracting attention day by day. Besides, during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been an increasing demand for immune enhancers. Pharmacists are seen as trustable providers of complementary and alternative medicines, dietary and herbal supplements, immune-enhancers, and so on. This study aims to prioritization criteria that affect community pharmacists' recommending behavior regarding immune enhancers.

Materials and methods: This paper adopts the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to rank different criteria substantial for affecting community pharmacists' recommending behavior regarding immune enhancers. In this direction, firstly seven criteria were identified through literature review and views of pharmacists who have community pharmacy experiences. These are; (i) ease of access, (ii) selling price, (iii) package, (iv) content (appropriateness to patient health status), (v) expectation of patient, (vi) quality, and (vii) trust in the manufacturer. Then, a questionnaire including criteria was prepared and delivered to community pharmacists. The data obtained from 93 participants were transferred to the Super Decisions software. The hierarchical structure of the AHP was established and pair-wise comparisons were made.

Results: This study showed that the most important criterion was the ease of access (28%). Secondly, pharmacists give importance to the content of the product, while advising immune-enhancers (22%). Besides, it was determined that the least important criterion was the package of the product (4%).

Conclusion: This study will contribute to the literature by facilitating the process of assessing factors that pharmacists pay attention to while recommending immune-enhancing products. Additionally, the present study results will shed light on firms producing such products, to shape their supply chain management strategies, especially for marketing and sales.

Objectives: This study investigates the amino acid sequence and identifies antigenic epitopes of 49.8 kilodalton (kDa) pili protein Shigella flexneri, which will be used as candidates for the shigellosis vaccine.

Materials and methods: Our study is a prospectively descriptive laboratory. We used bacterial isolate of S. flexneri pili isolation was performed using a pili cutter and sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The amino acid sequences were analyzed using liquid chromatography dual mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method in the proteomic laboratory. The target epitope antigenicity analysis was tested using Kolaskar and Tongaonkar Antigenicity software. The Bepired Linear Epitope Prediction software is used for epitope mapping. PymOL software was used for the visualization of proteins and molecular docking. Peptides and antibodies were applied to hemagglutination test and immune response was tested using the dot blot method.

Results: LC-MS/MS analysis results from the mascot server showed that the 49.8 kDa pili protein is S. flexneri similar to the flagellin protein of S. flexneri 1235-66 (ID I6H2T2). The results of antigenicity analysis and epitope mapping showed that areas of protein that has the most potential and antigenic epitopes are the regions 98-111 and 263-290 with the amino acid sequences, QSSTGTNSQSDLDS (Q-S) and DTTITKAETKTVTKNQVVDTPVTTDAAK (D-K). The results of the molecular docking interaction test between the peptide and the B-cell receptor have a low binding energy. Peptide Q-S and peptide D-K antigens are hemagglutinin molecules because they can agglutinate erythrocytes. The immune response between peptide antigens and anti-peptide antibodies can react based on color gradations in the dotblot method.

Conclusion: The amino acid sequences Q-S and D-K are potentially antigenic epitopes. These peptides can be used to develop candidates for shigellosis vaccine.

Objectives: Olaparib is an orally active poly (ADP-ribose) PARP (polymerases) inhibitor known to destroy cancer cells with BRCA1 or BRCA2 deficiency. An authentic, fast, distinct, and reliable reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and promptly validated in tablet formulations for olaparib estimation.

Materials and methods: The proposed method focuses on the separation of olaparib in reverse phase mode using a Waters symmetry C18 (150 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm) analytical column with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and the injection volume was kept at 20 μL. The optimized mobile phase consists of ammonium acetate buffer (pH adjusted to 3.5 by glacial acetic acid): methanol in the ratio of 50:50 v/v.

Results: The eluents were measured at 254 nm and the retention time for the drug encircled was about 4.32 min. The stress degradation studies of olaparib were conducted under acidic, alkaline, oxidative, photolytic and thermal conditions to demonstrate the stability of the drug. The regression value of 0.998 showed that the developed method was linear over the range of 80 μg/mL to 120 μg/mL. The developed RP-HPLC method is accurate and precise. The method was statistically validated as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines.

Conclusion: The proposed method is suitable and can be applied for the quantitative estimation of olaparib without any interference of the excipients used in the drug formulations.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the tableting performance of maize and potato starches, when used in combination either as a disintegrant or binder in solid dosage form development.

Materials and methods: Wet granulation was used to process metronidazole granules incorporating either maize starch, potato starch, or a combination of the two starches as binders or disintegrant at 10% ^w/_w. Granule analysis was carried out on the various formulations and subsequently compressed into tablets weighing approximately 500 mg following the addition of extragranular excipients. Tablet properties were assessed after 24 h of storage.

Results: Analysis of granule properties did not reveal a wide variation across the formulations irrespective of the type and combination of starches used in the formulation either as binder or disintegrant. It was observed, however, that there were slight differences in particle size, bulk and tapped densities of granule formulations containing the combined starch as excipients compared to granule formulations containing individual starch as the excipient. Tablets prepared using the combined starches as binder had lower tensile strength and disintegration time compared to other formulations incorporating the individual starches as binders. However, when evaluated as disintegrant, the tablet formulation containing the combined starches produced tablets with relatively lower disintegration time compared to formulations containing the individual starches as disintegrant.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the combination of maize and potato starches as excipients in tablet formulation influenced the outcome of granule and tablet properties.

There are several blood-based markers to assess iron stores, but they all have some limitations. Hepcidin, a low-molecular-weight peptide hormone, is produced mainly by the liver. It is the main regulator of iron homeostasis by preventing iron release into plasma from absorptive enterocytes and macrophages. This review aims to critically assess existing data on potential role of hepcidin in diagnosis, particularly the (pre) analytical implications of the hepcidin measurement. There is a well-known causative correlation between hepcidin and iron deficiency. Therefore, hepcidin is considered as a promising marker in the assessment of iron status, particularly in patients with a diagnostic dilemma, such as patients with chronic renal disease and infants. The clinical implications of this peptide hormone in diagnosis of other diseases have been expanded in the recent studies, including elevated hepcidin levels in neoplastic diseases, sepsis, and inflammation. The potential role of hepcidin in diagnosis is controversial in the various types of iron deficiency because data are conflicting (as in anaemia of chronic disease) or limited (as in infants), whereas in the case of hereditary haemochromatosis, it has been proposed that hepcidin may be used for stratification of molecular testing, or to improve the frequency of phlebotomy, however, this issue still needs to be investigated. Due to lack of a clinically approved test, the medical application of this peptide as a biomarker in diagnosis is restricted. Recently, assays have been developed to determine hepcidin levels in serum and urine, facilitating the future use of hepcidin in research and clinical practice.