Almas Jabeen | University of Karachi (original) (raw)
Papers by Almas Jabeen
Scientific Reports, 2020
Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine. It act as central... more Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine. It act as central biological regulator in critical immune functions, but its dysregulation has been linked with a number of diseases. Inhibition of TNF-α has considerable therapeutic potential for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and especially autoimmune diseases. Despite the fact that many small molecule inhibitors have been identified against TNF-α, no orally active drug has been reported yet which demand an urgent need of a small molecule drug against TNF-α. This study focuses on the development of ligand-based selective pharmacophore model to perform virtual screening of plant origin natural product database for the identification of potential inhibitors against TNF-α. The resultant hits, identified as actives were evaluated by molecular docking studies to get insight into their potential binding interaction with the target protein. Based on pharmacophore matching, interacting residues, docking sc...
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2012
Spices, like vegetables, fruit, and medicinal herbs, are known to possess a variety of antioxidan... more Spices, like vegetables, fruit, and medicinal herbs, are known to possess a variety of antioxidant effects and other biological activities. Phenolic compounds in these plant materials are closely associated with their antioxidant activity, which is mainly due to their redox properties and their capacity to block the production of reactive oxygen species. More recently, their ability to interfere with signal transduction pathways involving various transcription factors, protein kinases, phosphatases, and other metabolic enzymes has also been demonstrated. Many of the spice-derived compounds which are potent antioxidants are of great interest to biologists and clinicians because they may help protect the human body against oxidative stress and inflammatory processes. It is important to study the bioactive compounds that can modulate target functions related to defence against oxidative stress, and that might be used to achieve health benefits individually. In the present review, an attempt has been made to summarize the most current scientific evidence about the in vitro and in vivo effects of the bioactive compounds derived from herbs and spices, focused on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, in order to provide science-based evidence for the traditional uses and develop either functional foods or nutraceuticals.
Drug Discovery Today, 2004
Arthritis is a common disease in which the end-point results in joint replacement surgery. This a... more Arthritis is a common disease in which the end-point results in joint replacement surgery. This article reviews the use of nutraceuticals as alternative treatments for pathological manifestations of arthritic disease. The efficacy of fish oils (e.g. cod liver oil) in the diet has been demonstrated in several clinical trials, animal feeding experiments and in vitro models that mimic cartilage destruction in arthritic disease. In addition, there is some evidence for beneficial effects of other nutraceuticals, such as green tea, herbal extracts, chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine. However, in most cases, there is little scientific evidence at the cellular and molecular levels to explain their mechanisms of action.
Phytochemistry Reviews, 2005
Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-jB) is a transcription factor involved at the downstream stage of many... more Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-jB) is a transcription factor involved at the downstream stage of many signalling cascades and plays a crucial role in acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, induced and adaptive immunity, apoptosis and induced cell proliferation. For the last decade it has attracted intense research interest throughout the world. This review briefly expands on information on biogenic modulators of this transcription factor published since an earlier review in 2002 and goes into much more detail on parthenolide and curcumin -two natural products that have been at the centre of molecular and biochemical interest in identifying modulators of the NF-jB pathway. Both compounds have attracted considerable attention in regard to the mechanistic aspects of the compounds' action. An attempt to further develop some compounds into leads for new medicines are also discussed, focusing on an EU-funded project on anti-inflammatory natural products, mostly from medicinal plants used locally in selected Mediterranean regions.
Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 2007
Scientific Reports, 2020
Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine. It act as central... more Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine. It act as central biological regulator in critical immune functions, but its dysregulation has been linked with a number of diseases. Inhibition of TNF-α has considerable therapeutic potential for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and especially autoimmune diseases. Despite the fact that many small molecule inhibitors have been identified against TNF-α, no orally active drug has been reported yet which demand an urgent need of a small molecule drug against TNF-α. This study focuses on the development of ligand-based selective pharmacophore model to perform virtual screening of plant origin natural product database for the identification of potential inhibitors against TNF-α. The resultant hits, identified as actives were evaluated by molecular docking studies to get insight into their potential binding interaction with the target protein. Based on pharmacophore matching, interacting residues, docking sc...
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2012
Spices, like vegetables, fruit, and medicinal herbs, are known to possess a variety of antioxidan... more Spices, like vegetables, fruit, and medicinal herbs, are known to possess a variety of antioxidant effects and other biological activities. Phenolic compounds in these plant materials are closely associated with their antioxidant activity, which is mainly due to their redox properties and their capacity to block the production of reactive oxygen species. More recently, their ability to interfere with signal transduction pathways involving various transcription factors, protein kinases, phosphatases, and other metabolic enzymes has also been demonstrated. Many of the spice-derived compounds which are potent antioxidants are of great interest to biologists and clinicians because they may help protect the human body against oxidative stress and inflammatory processes. It is important to study the bioactive compounds that can modulate target functions related to defence against oxidative stress, and that might be used to achieve health benefits individually. In the present review, an attempt has been made to summarize the most current scientific evidence about the in vitro and in vivo effects of the bioactive compounds derived from herbs and spices, focused on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, in order to provide science-based evidence for the traditional uses and develop either functional foods or nutraceuticals.
Drug Discovery Today, 2004
Arthritis is a common disease in which the end-point results in joint replacement surgery. This a... more Arthritis is a common disease in which the end-point results in joint replacement surgery. This article reviews the use of nutraceuticals as alternative treatments for pathological manifestations of arthritic disease. The efficacy of fish oils (e.g. cod liver oil) in the diet has been demonstrated in several clinical trials, animal feeding experiments and in vitro models that mimic cartilage destruction in arthritic disease. In addition, there is some evidence for beneficial effects of other nutraceuticals, such as green tea, herbal extracts, chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine. However, in most cases, there is little scientific evidence at the cellular and molecular levels to explain their mechanisms of action.
Phytochemistry Reviews, 2005
Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-jB) is a transcription factor involved at the downstream stage of many... more Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-jB) is a transcription factor involved at the downstream stage of many signalling cascades and plays a crucial role in acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, induced and adaptive immunity, apoptosis and induced cell proliferation. For the last decade it has attracted intense research interest throughout the world. This review briefly expands on information on biogenic modulators of this transcription factor published since an earlier review in 2002 and goes into much more detail on parthenolide and curcumin -two natural products that have been at the centre of molecular and biochemical interest in identifying modulators of the NF-jB pathway. Both compounds have attracted considerable attention in regard to the mechanistic aspects of the compounds' action. An attempt to further develop some compounds into leads for new medicines are also discussed, focusing on an EU-funded project on anti-inflammatory natural products, mostly from medicinal plants used locally in selected Mediterranean regions.
Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 2007