Centre of Experimental Medicine SAS
Topic
Anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapeutic interventions studied on an animal model: research on bioactive substances of natural origin and increasing their bioavailability employing nano-drug delivery drug systems
PhD. program
Pharmacology
Year of admission
2024
Name of the supervisor
PharmDr. František Dráfi, PhD., MPH
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University
Annotation
The topic of the PhD dissertation thesis (PDT) will focus on research and evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect of selected bioactive substances and their combinations with medical standards on an experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis. PDT will focus on optimizing pharmacokinetics (using enhanced bioavailability) and monitoring their effects through biometric, immune and inflammatory processes. The primary pharmacodynamic goal will be to monitor the ability to reduce bone erosion and synovitis mediated by the RANKL/RANK/osteoprotegerin signalling pathway, as well as suppress inflammatory cachexia and affect markers of skeletal muscle catabolism and anabolism. The PDT will include the analysis of the dynamics of the effect of the experimental substances, as well as their combinations with methotrexate or the JAK inhibitor (both in sub-therapeutic doses), while their synergistic and/or additive pharmacological effect will be investigated. The co-primary aspect of PDT will be the characterization of the effects of selected substances on articular and extra-articular manifestations of experimental arthritis and their pharmacological influence. An integral part of the research will also be the analysis of the time- and dose-dependence of the individual investigated substances through relevant methods. The secondary goal of PDT, the effect on mitochondrial energetics and the verification of the most effective substance on an alternative model of experimental RA (collagen-induced arthritis) will be proposed.