I Dr.Kavitha R, graduated MBBS from Govt Kilpauk Medical college in 1999 and MD pharmacology from Dr.ALMPG IBMS (Madras university) in 2004 and awarded PhD at MAHER university in May 2024. I had worked in various reputed institutions since 2005 and joined as a professor in SRMC & RI in June 2019 and currently working as Professor & Head since April 2023. My job profile includes teaching, evaluating and designing lecture plan for under graduate, Post graduate medical, nursing and allied health science students on pharmacology. I have been actively involved in organizing and coordinating CME / Workshop on recent developments in pharmacology (Medical affairs, GCP, clinical trials, Zebra Fish. pharmacovigilance, Materiovigilance, drug addiction, clinical study designs). I had contributed a significant role in rolling out of new NMC competency-based education as a member of medical education unit and curriculum committee in the previous institutions (KIMS & SMMCH). Presently I have been a member secretary of Post graduate curriculum committee and contributed in developing BOS of PG broad specialities and superspecilaities. And also, I have been a member of the Institutional Ethics Committee for evaluating the proposed research projects in human in V.S Hospital, Medway hospital, SIMS hospital and Frontier lifeline hospital. I have been a member of Institutional animal ethics committee (IAEC) in previous institutions and present institution. I have been actively involved in ADR reporting to Indian Pharmacopeia commission IPC and organizing ADR reporting sensitization programme periodically for faculties, UG, PG and nursing students more than a decade as a Coordinator of SRMC AMC. I have guided undergraduates (ICMR STS, Summer research project) and postgraduates in their research activities. As a clinical trial coordinator, I oversee the protocol, and the processes of clinical trials are being carried out as per GCP & ICMR guidelines. I have been actively involved in organizing ASPIRE, a rapid review programme in pharmacology for postgraduates MD pharmacology as an organizing secretary and resource person. I have published 32 research articles in indexed national and international journals.
| Presently, several chemotherapeutic agents have emerged due to significant advancement in the cancer research to treat patients diagnosed with cancer. However, the success of the treatment in such patients is hindered by the development of disruptive adverse effects like CIPN. Currently, there are no specific therapeutic agents available for the prevention or treatment of CIPN. Hence, it is imperative to develop novel compounds to mitigate the excruciating pain induced by chemotherapeutic agents. Flavonoids have been considered in the present study to screen for anti-neuropathic effect as they are proven to involve in targeting some of the important mechanisms of CIPN. The present study has identified the anti-neuropathic effect of 3´,4´-dihydroxyflavone, 5,3´- dihydroxyflavone and 7,3´-dihydroxyflavone against paclitaxel model of peripheral neuropathy in mice. Moreover, the involvement of GABA A , adenosine receptors and K ATP channel in the anti-neuropathic effect was established by in vivo and in silico studies. Therefore, the three structurally related dihydroxyflavones could be promising therapeutic agents for the management of the distressful CIPN. Thus, the present study has added a few more effective compounds to the arena of flavonoids with potential use in the treatment of CIPN. Additional investigations on the effect of these dihydroxyflavones in CIPN due to other chemotherapeutic drugs may throw more light on their possible use in other types of CIPN as well. |
| Epilepsy is a serious psychological condition associated with social stigma, psychiatric comorbidity and high economical burden. A meta-analysis performed in 2017 evidenced the cumulative incidence of epilepsy to be 67.77 per100,000 persons. Most of the drugs targeting epilepsy are ion channel blockers. Itis pertinent to develop novel treatment methods in view of the ever-evolving disease. In the recent times, various newer antiepileptic drugs are being studied, out of which a newer targeted modality consists of SV2A receptors. Though, a few models have been designed to study the clinical aspect of BRV and LEV, in-vitro results have not been demonstrated previously for BRV to the best of our knowledge. This study aims to evaluate and compare the antioxidant property or free radical scavenging activity of the newer heterogeneous antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) acting on the SV2A receptors, Levetiracetam (LEV) and Brivaracetam (BRV) using various established assays in order to identify that these newer drugs also have apparent neuroprotective effect. The present study suggests the ferric reducing potential, free radical scavenging, increased catalase activity and superoxide dismutase potential of newer AEDs- LEV and BRV. |
| Acamprosate is an orally administered FDA approved (2004) drug which is used in counselling and social support to treat alcohol dependence. The mechanism of action of acamprosate can be described as the inhibition of neuronal hyper-excitability mediated by antagonism at the site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Few studies have shown NMDA receptors are important regulators of pancreatic cancer and are the potential targets for treatment of the same. The anti-proliferative property of acamprosate in pancreatic cancer is yet to be explored. The present study showed that increasing cytotoxicity and decreasing cell density of PANC-1 with increase in concentration of acamprosate treatment, indicating its antiproliferative property in in-vitro studies.
|
| Objective of the study is to evaluate the wound healing property of vitamin D3 in diabetes mellitus induced adult zebra fish following caudal fin amputation. The findings of the study shows that the length of regeneration of amputated caudal fin in Zebrafish post 14 days treatment the study compounds (Metformin, 10pg Vitamin D 3 and 100pg Vitamin D 3 ) via oral pellet. Metformin, 10pg Vitamin D 3 and 100pg Vitamin D 3 treated groups upon comparison with model group showcased a distinction in the regeneration of amputated caudal fin post 14 days dosing period. With 10pg Vitamin D 3 having a rate of regeneration comparable to that of the control group. We conclude that Vitamin D3 (in low dose) has shown effective wound healing in diabetes induced wound in adult Zebrafish model. |
| Zebrafish is an emerging model in biological research as humans and zebrafish genomesshare about 70% homology. The ease of maintenance and an option to conduct geneticscreens makes zebrafish an attractive model organism. The zebrafish is a prominent vertebrate model system for comprehensive analysis of various genetic mechanisms and signalling pathways during development and neurodegeneration, and it has thus been proposed as a successful model for Alzheimer’s disease. As current drug treatments for AD are symptomatic-based rather than curative to limit the progression of disease and there are limited studies with liraglutide, we have designed this study to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of liraglutide in Alzheimer’s disease induced zebrafish model. The results of the present study suggested that liraglutide attenuated memory impairment and were anxiolytic. Liraglutide also increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes. These findings can be useful for further research to develop liraglutide as a health product to ameliorate the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
|
| Neuroblastoma is the most common and earliest childhood tumour with complicated biological and clinical characteristics. The treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgical resection, stem cell therapy and many other modes, making the management difficult to tolerate and unacceptable. Thereby increasing the need to develop novel therapies or repurpose already existing ones with anticancer potential. Many studies have shown that vitamin D3 has anticancer properties. Vitamin D3 receptors have been found in neuroblastoma cell lines, according to research. Anticancer property of vitamin D3 hasn’t been studied much in neuroblastoma cell lines. The study aimed to evaluate the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of vitamin D3 on human neuroblastoma cell lines-SH-SY5Y. The findings of the study show that Vitamin D3 exhibited both proapoptotic and antiproliferative properties, as demonstrated by the MTT assay, Phase Contrast, and DNA fragmentation. |
| Very few studies have explored the wound healing property of the basil seeds. We have designed this study to evaluate the wound healing property of gel formulation prepared from the seeds of Ocimum basilicum linn in adult Zebrafish model. But from the results of the study we conclude that the gel extract obtained from the seeds of Ocimum basilicum linn did not show significant wound healing effect in adult Zebrafish model under present study condition. |
| Diabetic retinopathy DR is considered as one of the most common microvascular complications of Diabetes mellitus, and the leading cause of blindness worldwide. The available treatment options for DR is expensive and has a lot of safety concerns. Hence the need for developing new molecules or repurposing already existing drugs is crucial. Vitamin D3 a seco-steroid hormone with multiple physiological actions was selected for the evaluation of anti-angiogenic activity adult zebrafish model based on In-silico molecular docking study. In the molecular docking study Vitamin D3 showed antidiabetic and antiangiogenic activity by showing better binding capacity to the selected targets when compared to standards. In acute toxicity studies, also the drug Cholecalciferol has not shown toxicity and proved to be safe in zebra fish models. In the antiangiogenic study Cholecalciferol at low dose (10pg) showed to lower the random blood glucose levels, reduced abdominal circumference, improve the cycles in Optokinetic motor response assay, % degeneration of Ganglion Cell Layer , reduced the thickness of retinal vasculature in retinal histopathology and reduced gene expression of VEGF and IL-6. This study also promotes the use of Zebrafish models for Preclinical work so as to reduce the dose of drugs, cost and duration of study. This study proved that the oral Cholecalciferol alone at low doses has shown potential to be safe and effective drug candidate for treating Diabetic Retinopathy. |
| Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) involved in managing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic were instructed to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect themselves from contracting virus. However, PPE use can sometimes lead to adverse events which create greater impact on health status of HCPs. Thus, the prevalence of adverse events and associated risk factors should be estimated for taking necessary preventive measures.To evaluate the prevalence of adverse events in HCPs due to PPE use during second wave of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, India. The results of the study concluded that higher prevalence of adverse events with PPE was seen among doctors and nurses. Most common encountered adverse events were dehydration, headache and skin problems, which have been associated with prolonged use of PPE. |
| The study aimed to investigate the synergistic antioxidant effect of polyherbal combination of plants such as turmeric, tulsi, adhimadhuram, black pepper, dry ginger using DPPH and NO2 scavenging assays and anti-proliferative and cytotoxic activity of polyherbal extract using breast cancer cell line . This study demonstrated that the ethanol extract of polyherbal extract inhibits the proliferation of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells and induces cell death by apoptosis. Moreover, the extract exhibited a potent cytotoxic activity. |
| The study aimed to compare the anti-diabetic potential of microcurcumin with conventional curcumin and metformin in type 2 diabetes induced adult Zebrafish model by observing changes in phenotype, random blood glucose level, wound healing, gene expression for adipoqb (adiponectin) and fbp1(fructose 1,6 Bisphosphatase), histopathology of zebrafish pancreas and kidney. This study results have concluded microcurcumin can be developed a therapeutic molecule as it has better antidiabetic potential and also overcomes the pharmacokinetic disadvantages of curcumin. |
| Among the various Phytosteroids present, Sarsasapogenin has emerged as a promising molecule with anti-inflammatory & anti-oxidant [4] and neuroprotective effects. We would like to hypothesize that Sarsasapogenin can be a potential molecule in treating the colorectal cancer.From our study, Sarsasapogenin has enhanced binding, cytotoxic and apoptotic capabilities that contributes to its anticancer activity. It is a promising phytosteroid with a great potential for targeted therapy in Colorectal cancer. |
| Sarsasapogenin, a natural steroidal sapogenin has shown potential anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties in preliminary studies. This study investigates the protective effects of Sarsasapogenin on UC using both in-silico and in-vivo approaches.Sarsasapogenin exhibits significant protective effects against TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis in zebrafish, as evidenced by both in-silico and in-vivo studies. Based on these results, Sarsasapogenin appears to be a viable natural beneficial agent for the treatment of UC. Further studies are warranted to explore its potential in clinical settings.
|
| The study aimed to compare the therapeutic efficacy and safety profile of topical Methotrexate gel 1% with topical Betamethasone valerate 0.1% for the treatment of palmoplantar psoriasis, utilizing salicylic acid as a surfactant to enhance the percutaneous delivery.We thus conclude that topical 1% methotrexate gel is superior to topical 0.1% betamethasone valerate due to its faster resolution of erythema,scaling and fissuring along with its lower incidence of side effects. |
| In this study, in vitro and in silico tests were used to assess the 7,3′-dihydroxyflavone’s anti-proliferative activity. First, we used the MTT assay toshow that 7,3′-dihydroxyflavone had anti-proliferative properties. Second, we assessed the apoptotic activity, which was verified by the Propidium Iodide Assay and Annexin V, which showed cells at every stage of the process. Third, we investigated the gene expression level of p53, p21, and Nfkb by RT-PCR analysis. Fourth, we studied the binding affinity of 7,3′-dihydroxyflavone against p53, p21, and Nfkb by molecular docking and protein-ligand interaction analysis. Molecular docking of 7,3′-dihydroxyflavone were performed against p53, p21, and Nkfb receptors by using AutoDock Vina. An ADMET predictions was performed to inspect the chance of 7,3′-dihydroxyflavone being anti-cancer drug. |
| In summary, our meta-analysis indicated that Trastuzumab based ADCs (Emtansine and deruxtecan) significantly prolonged PFS and OS with a tolerated toxicity than other anti-HER2 therapies in patients with HER2-Positive locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer. Thus, ADC could be used as treatment option in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, especially in those who have been heavily pre-treated or have residual invasive HER-2 positive breast cancer. Considering the potential limitations in this study, further larger-scale, well-design RCTs are needed to identify these findings. |
| Many studies have demonstrated that Flavonoids exert a multiplicity of Neuroprotective actions within the brain, including its potential to protect Neurons against injury induced by Neurotoxins and suppressed Neuro inflammation by inhibiting the expression of Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) & Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and slow down the development of a wide range of pathologies because they have found to possess those beneficial effects. We conclude that 7,3’ Dihydroxyflavone showed Neuroprotective effects as confirmed by MTT & ROS Confocal Microscopy assay and reduction in the measurements of proinflammatory cytokine markers TNF-α and IL-6 using ELISA method further proves its effective role against Neuroinflammation, indicating its overall protection against Paclitaxel induced Neurotoxicity |
| Recently, probiotics are recognized for their role in the bidirectional communication between the gut and brain (gut- brain axis).The aim of the current study is to find out whether consumption of probiotics could reduce the physical/psychological stress on healthy students under academic stress. This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that probiotic administration could reduce subjective stress level in healthy but the effect on cortisol was not significant.
|
| Study designed that to assess neuroprotective effect of 7,3’-Dihydroxyflavone against Paclitaxel induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Yneuroblastoma cell line and CACNA1H gene expression which is responsible for neurotoxic effects. The present study concludes that 7,3’dihydroxyflavone may serve as a potential molecularly-targetedphytochemical that can alleviate neurotoxicity by its neuroprotective effect and free radical scavenging activity. |
| Present study is aimed to evaluate the incidence of MEs and its corrective actions in a tertiary care teaching institution. MEs were well within the benchmarks set by NABH & JCI (<2%) at our institute. Possible because of effective medication safety protocols and computer aided transcriptions. |
| 5,3’dihydroxyflavone, synthetic polyphenolic flavonoid was chosen for the study and it was evaluated for the effect on wound healing property by scratch assay and anti-inflammatory effect by NO estimation on RAW264.7 cell line and evaluation of gene expression of JAK and COX2 in LPS induced RAW264.7 cell line. 5,3’dihydroxyflavone may serve as a potential molecularly-targeted phytochemical that can improve skin wound healing by its anti-inflammatory and wound healing property. |
| Three structurally related dihydroxyflavones (7,3¢-dihydroxyflavone, 5,3¢-dihydroxyflavone and,3¢,4¢ -dihydroxyflavone) were investigated for their effect on paclitaxel-induced neuropathy in mice. The manifestations of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) like mechanical allodynia, cold allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia induced by paclitaxel were assessed by established procedures. A dose dependent attenuation of neuropathic manifestations was observed after treatment with the above dihydroxyflavones. Investigations on their mechanism of action revealed the involvement of GABAA receptor, Adenosine A3 receptor and KATP channel in the anti-neuropathic effect of dihydroxyflavones. The in silico studies performed also indicated good binding affinity of the dihydroxyflavones to the above targets, thus confirming the role of the above receptors and ion channel in the action of dihydroxyflavones. |
| National Association of Pharmacology and Therapeutics is a prestigious national-level organization of medical doctors specialized in pharmacology /clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. Envisaged to provide strong leadership, the association aims to promote the science of pharmacology and therapeutics for a better tomorrow. The association is fostered by NMDP (National MD Pharmacology), a prestigious group of eminent pharmacologists. I have been actively involved in NC meeting and organizing NAPTICON conferences as a executive member of this association.
|
| National Association of Pharmacology and Therapeutics is a prestigious national-level organization of medical doctors specialized in pharmacology /clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. Envisaged to provide strong leadership, the association aims to promote the science of pharmacology and therapeutics for a better tomorrow. The association is fostered by NMDP (National MD Pharmacology), a prestigious group of eminent pharmacologists. I have been actively involved in NC meeting and organizing NAPTICON conferences as a executive member of this association. |
| I have involved in reviewing the submitted research proposals involving human as participants. IEC shall provide advice to the researchers on all aspects of the welfare and safety of the research participants after ensuring the scientific soundness of the proposed research. Further ascertaining the work is carried out in compliance with the Principles of GCP, ICMR guidelines and SOP. Member OF IAEC at SRIHER.As a member of Institutional Animal ethics Committee, I have been involved in reviewing the quality and ethical standards of all research proposals involving small lab animals such as mice, rats, rabbits, guineapig etc., and also research on animals are in place as prescribed by the CCSEA under PCA Act 1960. |
As a life member of IPS and MPS, I am keen in updating knowledge in the field of pharmacology and promoting research in pharmacology and allied disciplines, with particular reference to the current health needs of the country and national health policy.