Dr. Samir Haj Bloukh Born in Amman. Ph.D in Virology and Serology (Microbiology), University of Manchester, UK, 1991. Postgraduate Diploma in Bacteriology (Microbiology), University of Manchester, UK, 1985. DVM, University of Faisalabad, Pakistan, 1977. Associate Professor, Ajman University, UAE, since 2015. Head Department of Pharmacology, Ajman University, UAE, 1 year. Assistant Professor, Ajman University, UAE, 15 years. Dean of College of Pharmacy, Ajman University, 9 years. Head of Research Teams in Ajman University, Ajman University, UAE, 1 year. Teaching: Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Immunology, (Ajman & Fujairah Campuses) for several years Clinical Microbiology for M.Sc, Microbiology and Immunology for Dentistry, (Ajman & Fujairah campuses) Pathology for Pharmacy (Ajman campus) for several years, Biochemistry for Dentistry (Ajman & Fujairah Campuses) and Engineering (Ajman Campus) AIDS Education for the Control of AIDS Disease, Ministry of Health, Jordan, 4 years. Research Area: 1. Co Investigator in Research grant from AU Graduate and Research Studies: Received the Research Grant of Ajman University with the Number 2019-A-PH-05 for October 2019-September 2020. Research Title: Antimicrobial activity of polyiodide complexes of sandwiched Group I crown ethers-Optimization on 12-crown-4 and Computational analysis 2. Antimicrobial activity of 12-crown-4 polyiodides with MI (M=Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Cu). 3. Antimicrobial activity of Copper Iodide Nanoparticles and Polyiodides with polymers. 4. Antibacterial activity of Polyiodides of Cupric iodide and Alkalimetaliodides MI (M=Li, Na, K) on E-Coli mediated by DNA and membrane damage. 5. Chlostridium Difficile infections 6. Increased immunogenicity of oral poliovirus vaccine 7. Paralytic poliomyelitis 8. Neutralization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) with antibody from carriers' plasma against HIV-1 protein p17 9. AIDS virus 10. The Effect of Metformin and Diabetes 11. Vitamin D Deficiency 12. Plants as sources of antimicrobials 13. Polyiodides with antimicrobial activity due to halogen bonding 14. Biosynthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of TCA-Cinn silver nanoparticles. From chemical reduction to green synthesis
Despite the promising medicinal properties, berberine (BBR), due to its relatively poor solubility in plasma, low bio-stability and limited bioavailability is not used broadly in clinical stages. Due to these drawbacks, drug delivery systems (DDSs) based on nanoscale natural polysaccharides, are applied to address these concerns. Natural polymers are biodegradable, non-immunogenic, biocompatible, and non-toxic agents that are capable of trapping large amounts of hydrophobic compounds in relatively small volumes. The use of nanoscale natural polysaccharide improves the stability and pharmacokinetics of the small molecules and, consequently, increases the therapeutic effects and reduces the side effects of the small molecules. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of the different methods used for increasing the BBR solubility and bioavailability. Afterwards, the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic of BBR nanostructures were discussed followed by the introduction of natural polysaccharides of plant (cyclodextrines, glucomannan), the shells of crustaceans (chitosan), and the cell wall of brown marine algae (alginate)-based origins used to improve the dissolution rate of poorly soluble BBR and their anticancer and antibacterial properties. Finally, the anticancer and antibacterial mechanisms of free BBR and BBR nanostructures were surveyed. In conclusion, this review may pave the way for providing some useful data in the development of BBR-based platforms for clinical applications.
The advancement in early diagnosis and precise treatments options result in more predictable and powerful health care modalities. Aptamers are known as nucleic acid structures with three-dimensional conformation to selectively bind a target site. Physicochemical properties of aptamers, their conjugation with nanoparticles (NPs) in theranostics applications and their internalization have been found to be of interest in development of aptamer-based drug delivery systems. Therefore, we aimed to present an overview on the structure and generation of aptamers followed by advantages of aptamers-conjugated NPs and their theranostics applications in various diseases such as oncology, inflammatory diseases and viral diseases. Afterward, we discussed several reports on the internalization approaches of aptamers, efficiency of aptamers vs. their analogous, and implications of aptamers in clinical trials. Finally, we discussed the current challenges and future perspectives of actively targeted aptamers for clinical application. In conclusion, this review may hold a great promise for development of aptamer-based therapeutic platforms in clinical trials.
Khan S., Cho W.C., Jaragh-Alhadad L.A., Tarharoudi R., Bloukh S.H., Edis Z., Sari S., Falahati M., ten Hagen T.L.M., Khan R.H., Bai Q. Nano-bio interaction: An overview on the biochemical binding of DNA to inorganic nanoparticles for the development of anticancer and antibacterial nano-platforms International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2023, 225, pp. 544 – 556. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.110 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.110
Hasan, S.; Sulieman, H.; Babi, H.; Bloukh, S. Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Antibiotic Knowledge and Consumption Tool (AKCT). Antibiotics 2022, 11, 1744. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11121744.
Edis, Z.; Bloukh, S.H. Antimicrobial V-Shaped Copper(II) Pentaiodide: Insights to Bonding Pattern and Susceptibility. Molecules 2022, 27, 6437. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27196437
Suliman Khan, Majid Sharifi, Jason P. Gleghorn, Mohammad Mahdi Nejadi Babadaei, Samir Haj Bloukh, Zehra Edis, Mohammadreza Amin, Qian Bai, Timo L.M. ten Hagen, Mojtaba Falahati, William C. Cho Artificial engineering of the protein corona at bio-nano interfaces for improved cancer-targeted nanotherapy. Journal of Controlled Release 2022, 348, 127-147, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.05.055.
Zheng Nie, Yasaman Vahdani, William C. Cho, Samir Haj Bloukh, Zehra Edis, Setareh Haghighat, Mojtaba Falahati, Rasoul Kheradmandi, Laila Abdulmohsen Jaragh-Alhadad, Majid Sharifi 5-Fluorouracil-containing inorganic iron oxide/platinum nanozymes with bimodel drug delivery and peroxidase-like activity for the treatment of breast cancer Arabian Journal of Chemistry 2022, 15(8), 103966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2022.103966
Zhang, W.; Cho, W.C.; Bloukh, S.H.; Edis, Z.; Du, W.; He, Y.; Hu, H.Y.; ten Hagen, T.L.M.; Falahati, M. An overview on the exploring the interaction of inorganic nanoparticles with microtubules for the advancement of cancer therapeutics International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2022, 212, pp. 358 – 369.. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.05.150 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.05.150
Sharifi, M.; Cho, W.C.; Ansariesfahani, A.; Tarharoudi, R.; Malekisarvar, H.; Sari, S.; Bloukh, S.H.; Edis, Z.; Amin, M.; Gleghorn, J.P.; et al. An Updated Review on EPR-Based Solid Tumor Targeting Nanocarriers for Cancer Treatment. Cancers 2022, 14, 2868. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14122868
Edis, Z.; Bloukh, S.H.; Sara, H.A.; Azelee, N.I.W. Antimicrobial Biomaterial on Sutures, Bandages and Face Masks with Potential for Infection Control. Polymers 2022, 14, 1932. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14101932
Desai, A.S.; Singh, A.; Edis, Z.; Haj Bloukh, S.; Shah, P.; Pandey, B.; Agrawal, N.; Bhagat, N. An In Vitro and In Vivo Study of the Efficacy and Toxicity of Plant-Extract-Derived Silver Nanoparticles. J. Funct. Biomater. 2022, 13, 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb13020054.