Department of Pharmacology

• Pharmacology is an interdisciplinary field that explores many aspects of drug discovery and development including preclinical and clinical studies. The postgraduate programme, Master of Pharmacology (M. Pharm), affiliated to RGUHS was established in the year 2008 for focusing advanced study of drugs and medications and for initiating research in the department.
• The department has competent faculty members with doctorate degrees and expertise in various specialized areas of pharmacology. Core competency of faculty members include drug development against neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. All faculty members in the department have international publications to their credit
• The department strives to become Centre of Excellence in Pre-clinical research dealing with several core areas such as, toxicokinetic studies, PK/PD studies, neuropharmacology research, drug interactions, biological assays, pain and inflammation studies, organ protective studies, cell biology and proteomics etc.
• All studies are performed in accordance to the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) approved by CCSEA for animal use. The department has a well established animal house and the available animal species include Swiss Albino rats and mice, C57 BL/6 mice, Rabbits, Guinea pigs, etc. Currently, the department is having 30 PG students and 5 Ph.D. students who are perusing their PhD.

Core Research Area:

• Toxicokinetic studies
• PK/PD studies,
• Neurodegenerative disorders,
• Drug Interactions,
• Biological assays,
• Pain and inflammation studies,
• Organ protective studies,
• Cell biology and proteomics.
• All studies are performed in accordance to the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) approved by CCSEA for animal use. Available Animal species include Swiss Albino rats and mice, C57 BL/6 mice, Rabbits, Guinea pigs, etc.
• Currently, the department has 30 PG students and 5 PhD students.

Centres of Excellence – Centre for Pre-clinical research

Overview:

Unique state-of-the art facility with special focus on preclinical pharmacological  drug  screening. Led by expert preclinical pharmacologists with decades of research and managerial experience in leading academic and research institutes in India. Equipped with ultra modern laboratories with small animal facility for experimentation including video recording systems for different Mazes including stereotaxy, biochemical analyzers, ELISA reader, spectrophotometer etc.

Activities:

• Skill development for the students towards research and innovation.
• Provide advanced research and animal testing to young professionals from academia and industry.
• Facilitates new drug discovery from natural sources and synthetic molecules.
• Validate and rationalization of Indian system of medicine using modern scientific experimental studies.
• Development of novel animal models for unmet medical disorders. 
• Expertise and support for in vivo evaluation of formulations, natural products. 

Ongoing Projects

• Evaluation of Anti-Neurodegenerative effect of Cassytha filiformis against Scopolamine induced Alzheimer Disease.
• Appraisal of the Bioavailability of Nano-Plastics and its Biodegradation through Herbal formulations
• Anti diabetic drug loaded nano formulation as possible neuroprotective agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
• Evaluation of Antidepressant effect of Desmodium Triflorum (L.) and Honey Comb extract tablets by using In vivo and In vitro methods

Services:

• Inflammatory arthritis: CIA, mBSA, AIA, Carrageen an, Hot plate, Brennan model, Tail flick, Capsaicin, Formalin models.
• Oncology models: Bone cancer pain, Syngeneic, Xenograft, Vascular Permeability (Miles Assay), VEGF
• CNS models: Anxiety, depression, seizure.
• Digestive system: Gastric Irritation, Ulcers, Hepatic injury, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (DSS/TNBS induced colitis.
• Respiratory system: Asthma, Cough, Fibrosis, Pulmonary, Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neutrophilia.
• Dermal Inflammation: Allergy, Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Wound Healing, etc.
• Metabolic Disease: Cholesterol, Diabetes, Glucose, Pancreatitis, Hepatitis.
• Cardiovascular system: Bleeding time, BP, Heart rate, QTc interval, Thrombosis.
• Cytokine Release Models: Mouse models of LPS induced TNF α and IL-1 release, rat model of ATP activated IL-1β release.
• Toxicity studies: Ames Assay, general toxicity, MNT, chromosomal aberration, LD50, etc.
• Histopathology studies.
• In vivo DMPK Models: Blood brain barrier, Plasma, In-life and Bioanalysis.

Contact Details:

Dr. NM Raghavendra

Professor and Principal

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

M: 09949110836

 

Dr. Geetha KM

Professor and HOD

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

M: 09900508674

Facilities

• Cooling Centrifuge - Remi-India
• Semi auto Analyzer - Inco
• BOD Incubator with Cooling - Remi, India
• Plethysmometer - Remi, India
• Bio Pack System
• Langendroff’s Heart apparatus
• Eddy’s Hot Plate - Inco, India
• Homogenizer - Remi
• Electroconvulsiometer - Inco, India
• RotaRod – Inco
• Animal House – IAEC No:606/PO/Re/S/02CPCSEA

Facility:

• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

Publications

• A Short Appraisal on Gold Nanoparticles: Recent Advances and Applications. Singh D, Tonjam R, Chaudhary T, Bhatia T, Razdan K, Kurmi BK, Tiwari P, Gupta S. Current Nanomedicine. 2022: xx (x): 1-9. https://www.eurekaselect.com/article/119525
• Evaluation of Anti Diabetic Activity of Ethanolic Seed Extract of Datura Innoxia Mill. Jincy Thomas, A. Srinivas, Folitartha Roy, Advances in Pharmacology and Pharmacy, 10, 1, 69 - 75, 2022. Doi: 10.13189/app.2022.100106. https://www.hrpub.org/journals/article_info.php?aid
• Protective Effect of Nigella sativa Seeds Extract against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Rats: Possible Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibition. Geetha KM, Anitha KN. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2022 ;84(1).48-58. https://www.ijpsonline.com/
• Protective effect of celastrus paniculatus seeds extract against lipopolysaccharide-induced paw edema in rats. Anitha KN, Geetha KM. Journal of microbiology, biotechnology and food sciences. 2022 Jun 2;11(6):e4713-.1-4. https://www.jmbfs.org/
• Neuroprotective effect of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides against monosodium glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. Hazarika I, Mukundan GK, Sundari PS Nat Prod Res. 2022 Dec;36(23):6156-6159. Doi: 10.1080/14786419.2022.2057493. Epub 2022 Mar 31. PMID: 35356842. https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/gnpl20
• The modulatory effect of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides in attenuating the aluminium chloride induced neurotoxicity in rat brain. Hazarika, I., Mukundan, G.K., Sundari, S.P.  Adv Tradit Med (Adtm) 22, 207–219 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13596-020-00526-7  https://www.springer.com/journal/13596
• Acute oral toxicity evaluation of extracts of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides in wister albino rats as per OECD 425 TG. Hazarika I, Geetha KM, Sundari PS, Madhu D. Toxicology reports. 2019 Jan 1;6:321-8. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/toxicology-reports
• A Survey on Thyroid Disorders and its Predisposing Factors in the Telangana Population. Kadiri SK, Kumar RR, Jyothi K, Ramya K, Annam LD. J Young Pharm. 2023 Apr 17;15(2):368-71. https://jyoungpharm.org/
• Nutraceuticals as therapeutic interventions in Alzheimer's disease. Gargantiel M, Faller E, Kumar D, Tiwari P. One Health Bulletin. 2023 Jan 1;3(1):4:1-4. https://www.johb.info/
• Neuroleptic drug-induced hyperprolactinemia and associated neurochemical, hematological and histological changes in rats. Tiwari P, Sahu PK.  Drug Discovery, 2021, 15(35), 98-107. http://www.discoveryjournals.org/drugdiscovery/.

Partners in research National & International Collaborations

Upcoming events

• FDP 20-24th November 2023 (Extramural )-Dept of Pharm. chemistry, Pharmaceutics & Pharmacology
• Short term Training Program (NIRF/ARIIA) by 2nd week of  December 2023.
• Guest lecture Pharmacology Pharmacogenomics 3rd week of December 2023.