Browsing by Author "Marwa H.S. Dawoud"

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    Beyond erectile dysfunction: Optimization of vardenafil dihydrochloride for hepatic encephalopathy prophylaxis using hybrid lipid polymeric nanoparticles formulation
    (Editions de Sante, 2025-03-06) Marwa H.S. Dawoud; Heba T. Elbalkiny; Yasmeen E.M. Gharib; Sara A.A. Fakkar; Rowaa Saber; Marry E. Yanni; Mai A. Zaafan
    Vardenafil dihydrochloride (VD), a phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) is widely used to treat erectile dysfunction, but recent studies suggested its potential for other diseases such as hepatic encephalopathy. However, VD suffers poor solubility and oral bioavailability, and significant first-pass metabolism. This study aims to enhance the bioavailability of VD by employing two combined approaches: formulation of VD into hybrid lipid-polymeric nanoparticles (HLPNPs), and incorporating piperine, a known bioavailability enhancer, to investigate its potential in preventing hepatic encephalopathy. HLPNPs were developed using homogenization/ultrasonication technique, with a one-factor design testing chitosan, oleic acid, or sodium alginate as the helper polymers. Oleic acid showed the best results and was used to prepare the optimized formula (O1), which had a particle size of 128 ± 2.8 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.173 ± 0.07, an entrapment efficiency of 93 ± 1.8 %, and a zeta potential of − 32 ± 1.67 mV. O1 showed a sustained drug release profile, with approximately 70 % of VD released over 72 h. O2 was then prepared with the addition of piperine, resulting in a longer residence time of 717 min compared to O1 (94 min) in the pharmacokinetics study. O1 showed a twofold increase in the bioavailability compared to the unformulated VD while O2 exhibited a ninefold increase. The improvement was confirmed by the higher Cmax from 9 ng/mL for standard VD to 13 ng/mL and 22 ng/mL for O1 and O2, respectively. In hepatic encephalopathy-induced mice model, O2 showed promising efficacy, with significant improvements in liver enzymes, ammonia levels, hippocampal BDNF levels, cGMP levels, and hippocampal GluR1 and P-CREB levels. These findings suggest that combining VD into HLPNPs with piperine is an effective strategy to overcome its bioavailability limitations and enhance its therapeutic potential.
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    Innovative natural anti-aging nanofiber facial mats: Harnessing quality by design and artificial intelligence for sustainable skincare solutions
    (Editions de Sante, 2025-06-02) Marwa H.S. Dawoud; Abdelrahman E. Gharieb; Ahmed H.M. Hassan; Omaima M.B. Hendawy; Heba H. Awad
    The growing emphasis on skin health among aging population has sparked attention to combat aging. Cosmeceutical products with natural ingredients provide safe, effective, and sustainable formulation with demand for clean and organic skincare. Pomegranate and collagen have emerged as promising antiaging agents, which could be easily incorporated into electrospun biodegradable nanofibers (ESN), especially if incorporated with chitosan. This study aims to formulate ESN loaded with these natural antiaging agents, using Quality by Design (QbD), complemented by artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the nanofiber diameter. A complete risk assessment study was conducted, where screening of the electrospinning solution for viscosity, surface tension, pH, and electrical conductivity to ensure optimal electrospinning conditions. The solution showed an optimal viscosity of 330.87 mPa s, surface tension of 41.76 dyne/cm, and electrical conductivity of 10004.78 μs/cm. The electrospinning process was meticulously optimized, with a flow rate of 0.2 mL/h, a voltage of 25 kV, 40 % humidity, and a needle-to-collector distance of 15 cm. An AI model was employed to predict the nanofiber diameter, demonstrating exceptional predictive accuracy. The formulated pomegranate and collagen nanofibers mat was tested in-vivo and showed significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-regenerative properties, restoring SOD and collagen levels, reducing MMP-1, COX-2, and PGE-2 levels, and effectively attenuating NF-κB activation, highlighting the therapeutic potential of the formulated mats for managing skin aging. This study provides novel insights into the integration of QbD and AI for the development of natural product-based formulations, paving the way for their application in advanced pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical systems. © Elsevier B.V