Marwa S. Khattab

Efficacy of recombinant HVT + IBD + H5 vaccine against novel variant infectious bursal disease, A2dB1b, in broiler and SPF chickens.

The increasing prevalence of antigenic variations and genetic reassortments of Infectious Bursal Disease virus (IBDV) across various global regions, causing subclinical infections, poses a significant threat to the poultry industry, leading to substantial losses. In the current study, the protective efficacy of recombinant trivalent vaccine rHVT + IBD + H5, administered once at 1-day old (DO) in the hatchery was assessed against challenge with the most recent circulating novel variant IBD (nVarIBDV), A2dB1b, Egyptian isolate (IBD/EGY/F1335/2023) in commercial broiler, and specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens at 28 DO. A total of 210, commercial broilers and 120 SPF chicks, housed at BSL-3 conditions, were divided into 11 equal groups (Broilers, G1-G7, and SPF G8-G11, n = 30/group). The bursa/body weight ratio (BBR) and bursa/body weight index (BBI) scores calculated at 4-, 7-, 10-, and 14-days post-infection (DPC) revealed significantly higher scores in the vaccinated challenged broiler groups (especially G4) and in the vaccinated challenged SPF group (G8) as compared to their control non-vaccinated challenged groups, G2, G5 and G9, respectively. Additionally, the histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations indicated significantly higher protection in the vaccinated-challenged broilers (G1 and G4) and SPF (G8) groups in comparison to their controls. Overall, this study demonstrated higher protective efficacy of rHVT + IBD + H5 hatchery vaccination against Egyptian nVArIBDV, A2dB1b, especially in the broiler chickens G4 that had specific MDA.

14 th International Phytocosmetics and Phytotherapy Congress

Protective effect of Dapagliflozin on hepatic encephalopathy induced by thioacetamide in rats: involvement of ERK, JNK, and Nrf2/HO-1 pathways.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric disorder associated with oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and hyperammonaemia secondary to hepatic dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate dapagliflozin's effects (DAPA) against HE induced by thioacetamide (TAA) in rats and to elucidate the roles of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/Heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) signaling pathways. HE was induced by injection of TAA (200 mg/kg) intraperitoneally 2 times every other day. Two groups were pretreated with DAPA at 5 and 10 mg/kg for 15 days; on the 13th day, rats were given TAA (200 mg/kg, i.p.) twice, 2 days apart. Behavioral assessments, including object recognition and rotarod tests, were conducted, and serum and tissue samples were collected for biochemical and molecular analyses. DAPA pretreatment ameliorated TAA effects, improved recognition memory, enhanced muscular tone and motor coordination. DAPA also reduced ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), and ammonia serum levels. Additionally, it restored antioxidant balance, decreased malonaldehyde (MDA) and increased reduced glutathione (GSH). Moreover, it reduced tissue inflammation and inhibited apoptosis; where tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and caspase-3 expression were suppressed. DAPA was associated with increased Nrf2/HO-1 pathway-related protein expression while decreasing pERK/total ERK and pJNK/total JNK ratios, along with nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, p65 subunit (NF-κB-p65) protein expression. Histopathologically, DAPA improved hepatic and brain architecture. Collectively, DAPA exhibits hepatoprotective and neuroprotective effects against TAA-induced HE accompanied by modulation in oxidative-, inflammatory-, and apoptotic-related protein expression, highlighting its therapeutic potential in hepatic encephalopathy.

Improving the efficacy of tazarotene in psoriasis via bilosomal gel delivery: in vitro characterization, ex vivo evaluation, and preclinical assessment in an imiquimod induced psoriasis in a rat model.

Bilosomes (BLs) loaded with tazarotene (TZ) were developed to enhance dermal delivery for psoriasis management. Vesicles were prepared using the thin-film hydration technique and optimized using 32 full factorial design to maximize entrapment efficiency (EE%) and zeta potential (ZP) while minimizing particle size (PS). The optimized bilosomal formulation (Opt-BLs), was evaluated for morphology and elasticity, then incorporated into a 1% Carbopol gel (Opt-BLs gel), which was further characterized for rheological behavior, storage stability (4 to 8°C, 3 months), and ex vivo skin permeation and deposition. The anti-psoriatic activity of the gel was subsequently assessed using an imiquimod induced rat model. The Opt-BLs exhibited an EE% of 90.27 ± 0.93%, PS of 451.39 ± 26.05 nm, ZP of -52.11 ± 2.76 mV, and PDI of 0.48 ± 0.06, with high elasticity. The Opt-BLs gel demonstrated pseudoplastic rheological behavior, supporting ease of application and prolonged residence at the application site, while maintaining physicochemical stability. Ex vivo studies showed enhanced skin deposition (389.12 ± 14.08 µg/cm2), indicating localized drug retention within the skin layers. In vivo, the Opt-BLs gel demonstrated greater therapeutic improvement compared with the commercial product (Acnitaz®), as reflected by the lowest increase in ear thickness (5.5 ± 0.72 x10-2 mm), reduced spleen index (0.0087 ± 0.001), and a PASI score of 3. Histopathological evaluation confirmed the restoration of skin architecture with minimal inflammatory infiltration. These findings indicate that the Opt-BLs gel represents a stable and deformable vesicular system that enhances dermal delivery and therapeutic performance of tazarotene in psoriasis.