Papers by Peter Pushparaj
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2020
Chronic inflammation is a common underlying factor in osteoarthritis (OA) and most age-related de... more Chronic inflammation is a common underlying factor in osteoarthritis (OA) and most age-related degenerative diseases. As conventional therapies help only in partial alleviation of symptoms in OA, stem cell-based therapies and herbal supplements are being widely explored. Thymoquinone (TQ), an active ingredient of Nigella sativa is reported to have immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. We evaluated the effects of TQ on bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) derived from OA patients and its interrelated pathways in inflammation and age-related degenerative diseases using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) as well as possible molecular targets using SwissTargetPrediction. BM-MSCs were derived from OA patients and their stemness properties were characterized by studying the MSCs related CD surface marker expression and differentiation into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes. Treatment with TQ (100 nM-5 µM) demonstrated cell death, especially at higher concentrations. MTT assay demonstrated a significant concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability which ranged from 20.04% to 69.76% with higher doses (300 nM, 1 µM, and 5 µM), especially at 48h and 72h. Additional cell viability testing with CellTiter-Blue also demonstrated a significant concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability which ranged from 27.80 to 73.67% with higher doses (300 nM, 1 µM, 3 µM, and 5 µM). Gene expression analysis following treatment of BM-MSCs with TQ (1 and 3 µM) for 48h showed upregulation of the anti-inflammatory genes IL-4 and IL-10. In contrast, the pro-inflammatory genes namely IFN-γ, TNF-α, COX-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-16, and IL-12A although were upregulated, compared to the lower concentration of TQ (1 µM) they were all decreased at 3 µM. The pro-apoptotic BAX gene was
BMC medical genomics, Jan 15, 2015
The biomedical research sector in Saudi Arabia has recently received special attention from the g... more The biomedical research sector in Saudi Arabia has recently received special attention from the government, which is currently supporting research aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of common diseases afflicting Saudi Arabian society. To build capacity for research and training, a number of centres of excellence were established in different areas of the country. Among these, is the Centre of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research (CEGMR) at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, with its internationally ranked and highly productive team performing translational research in the area of individualized medicine. Here, we present a panorama of the recent trends in different areas of biomedical research in Saudi Arabia drawing from our vision of where genomics will have maximal impact in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We describe advances in a number of research areas including; congenital malformations, infertility, consanguinity and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, cance...
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Papers by Peter Pushparaj