ABSTRACT
Thymoquinone (TQ), the main active constituent of Nigella sativa, has demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects, which suggest its potential use in secondary infections caused by COVID-19. However, clinical deployment has been hindered due to its limited aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability. Therefore, a targeted delivery system to the lungs using nanotechnology is needed to overcome limitations encountered with TQ. In this project, a novel TQ-loaded poly(ester amide) based on L-arginine nanoparticles was prepared using the interfacial polycondensation method for a dry powder inhaler targeting delivery of TQ to the lungs. The nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR and NMR to confirm the structure. Transmission electron microscopy and Zetasizer results confirmed the particle diameter of 52 nm. The high-dose formulation showed the entrapment efficiency and loading capacity values of TQ to be 99.77% and 35.56%, respectively. An XRD study proved that TQ did not change its crystallinity, which was further confirmed by the DSC study. Optimized nanoparticles were evaluated for their in vitro aerodynamic performance, which demonstrated an effective delivery of 22.7-23.7% of the nominal dose into the lower parts of the lungs. The high drug-targeting potential and efficiency demonstrates the significant role of the TQ nanoparticles for potential application in COVID-19 and other respiratory conditions.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Considering the transmissible nature of COVID-19 it is important to explore the trend of the epidemiology of the disease in each country and act accordingly. This study aimed to examine the trend of COVID-19 epidemiology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in term of its incidence rate, recovery rate, and mortality rate. Material and Methods: We conducted an observational study using publicly available national data taken from the Saudi Ministry of Health for the period between 3 March and 7 June 2020. The number of newly confirmed cases, active cases, critical cases, percentage of cases stratified by age group [adults, children, and elderly] and gender were extracted from the reports of the Saudi Ministry of Health. Results: During the study period, the total number of confirmed cases with COVID-19 rose from one on 2 March 2020 to 101,914 on 7 June, representing an average of 1,039 new cases per day, [trend test, p < 0.000]. Despite the increase in the number of newly confirmed daily cases of COVID-19, the number of reported daily active cases started to stabilize after 2 months from the start of the pandemic in the country and the overall recovery rate was 71.4%. The mortality rate decreased by 6.4% during the study period. COVID-19 was more common among adults and males compared to other demographic groups. Conclusion: The epidemiological status of COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia showing promising improvement. Males and adults accounted for the majority of COVID-19 cases in the KSA. Further studies are recommended to be conducted at the patient level to identify other patient groups who are at higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19, and for whom the best pharmacological intervention could be provided.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adult , Aged , Child , Humans , Male , Pandemics , Research , SARS-CoV-2 , Saudi Arabia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that has been affected by COVID-19. At the beginning of March 2020, it revealed a steadily rising number of laboratory-confirmed cases. By 20th May 2020, 59,854 infected cases had been confirmed, with 329 deaths. To prevent a further outbreak of COVID-19, this article discusses the current understanding of COVID-19 and compares it with the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. It also discusses the causes, transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and prevention measures to identify an applicable measure to control COVID-19.