Özkaya, Yağmur; Özçelikay, Gülbin

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the relationship between emotional labor, professional commitment, and self-efficacy among community pharmacists. Specifically, this study examined how self-efficacy influences professional commitment and the mediating role of emotional labor strategies in this relationship. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from 396 community pharmacists. The study used a convenience sampling method and included standardized measures of emotional labor, professional commitment, and self-efficacy. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the levels of these variables among the participants. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the interdependencies and mediating effects of emotional labor strategies. Results: General self-efficacy was positively correlated with emotional commitment (β=0.275, p<0.05) and continuance commitment (β=0.364, p<0.05), explaining 5% and 8% of their variances, respectively. A normative commitment was influenced by self-efficacy (β=0.464, p<0.05) and deep emotional labor (β=0.134, p<0.05), explaining 11% of its variance. Self-efficacy and deep emotional labor positively affected overall professional commitment (β=0.368, p<0.05), accounting for 15% of the variance. Conclusion: The results highlight the crucial role of self-efficacy in managing the emotional demands of the pharmacy profession and in fostering stronger professional commitment. Enhancing pharmacists’ self-efficacy and emotional management skills can improve their job satisfaction and commitment to the profession. These findings have clinical implications for the development of training interventions aimed at supporting pharmacists in coping with the emotional aspects of their work and improving their overall professional well-being.

Gözcü, Sefa; Polat, Kerem Heybet

Objectives: Rutin has been broadly applied for treating several diseases due to its pharmacological activities. However, its low aqueous solubility limits its absorption and bioavailability. This research aims to increase the solubility of rutin using cyclodextrin and to develop a temperature-triggered in situ gelling system for dermal application. Materials and Methods: The solubility of rutin was increased with sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD). Rutin-SBE-β-CD inclusion complex was prepared by kneading and freeze dying method. Structural characterization was carried out using differential scanning calorimetry and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In situ gel formulations were prepared with pluronic F127 (PF127), a thermosensitive polymer, and chitosan (CH), a natural, biodegradable, and mucoadhesive hydrophilic polymer. In situ gel characteristics such as pH, clarity, gelation temperature, and viscosity were determined. Results: When the solubility diagrams were examined, it was concluded that SBE-β-CD showed a linear increase, therefore, AL-type diagram was selected. The formulations were produced using different amounts of PF127 and a fixed ratio of CH. Three in situ gels were evaluated for their pH, gelling temperature, and the rheological behaviors, and one formulation was selected. It was observed that the formulations had a pH between 6-6.1, and their gelation temperature decreased with increasing PF127 that was between 20°C to 34°C. For the selected formulation (formulation E3), 0.5% rutin and rutin/SBE-β-CD were transferred to the in situ gelling system. Because of in vitro release studies, it was observed that the release of the rutin/SBE-β-CD inclusion complex containing NZ formulation showed a higher burst effect than the others and the release continued for 6 hours. Conclusion: The results indicated that the combination of PF127 and CH can be a hopeful in situ gelling vehicle for dermal delivery of rutin and rutin/SBE-β-CD.

Bilginer, Sinan; Gözcü, Sefa; Güvenalp, Zuhal

Objectives: Coronaviruses (CoVs) cause infections that affect the respiratory tract, liver, central nervous, and the digestive systems in humans and animals. This study focused on the main protease (Mpro) in CoVs (PDB ID: 6LU7) that is used as a potential drug target to combat 2019-CoV. In this study, a total of 35 secondary metabolites from medical plants was selected and docked into the active site of 6LU7 by molecular docking studies to find a potential inhibitory compound that may be used to inhibit Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection pathway. Materials and Methods: The chemical structures of the ligands were obtained from the Drug Bank (https://www.drugbank.ca/). AutoDockTools (ADT ver. 1.5.6) was used for molecular docking studies. The docking results were evaluated using BIOVIA Discovery Studio Visualizer and PyMOL (ver. 2.3.3, Schrodinger, LLC). Results: Pycnamine, tetrahydrocannabinol, oleuropein, quercetin, primulic acid, kaempferol, dicannabidiol, lobelin, colchicine, piperidine, medicagenic acid, and narcotine is found to be potential inhibitors of the COVID-19 Mpro. Among these compounds, pycnamine, which was evaluated against COVID-19 for the first time, showed a high affinity to the COVID-19 Mpro compared with other seconder metabolites and reference drugs. Conclusion: Our results obtained from docking studies suggest that pycnamine should be examined in vitro to combat 2019-CoV. Moreover, pycnamine might be a promising lead compound for anti-CoV drugs.

Haydar, Muhammet Kerim; Yamashita, Fumiyoshi; Akhtar, Saghir

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, kullanılan polimer türlerine bakılmaksızın sürekli olarak minosiklin hidroklorür mikroküreleri sağlayabilen sağlam bir\rhazırlama yöntemi oluşturmaktır.\rGereç ve Yöntemler: Minosiklin hidroklorürün poli (D, L-laktit-ko-glikolid) (PLGA) mikroküreleri için işlem parametrelerini optimize etmek için\rTaguchi’nin Güçlü Deneysel Tasarım metodolojisi kullanılmıştır. Deneysel tasarımda yedi faktör yani hazırlama yöntemi, sulu fazın pH’si, sulu fazın\rhacmi, diklorometan hacmi, dönüş hızı, sıcaklık ve polivinil alkol miktarı kontrol edilebilir faktörler olarak kabul edilmiştir ve laktit/glikolid oranını\rdeğiştiren PLGA türleri, işlem parametrelerinin optimizasyonu için kontrol edilemeyen (gürültü) bir faktör varsayılmıştır. L18 ortogonal dizisine (L18\rOA) göre, her PLGA tipi için 18 deneysel çalışma gerçekleştirilmiştir.\rBulgular: PLGA tipine bakılmaksızın, yağda-katı-suda (K/Y/S) çözücü buharlaştırma yöntemiyle hazırlanan mikroküreler, yardımcı çözücü yöntemine\rgöre çok daha yüksek kapsülleme verimliliğine ve daha hızlı ilaç salımına sahiptir. Hazırlama yöntemleri, sulu fazın pH’si ve sulu fazın hacmi,\rkapsülleme verimliliği üzerinde en çok etkileyen parametreler olarak belirlenmiştir. Doğrulama deneyi, oranınınbaşlangıç oranına göre 5,76 db\rarttığını göstermiştir. Minosiklin salınımı en hızlı PLGA (50:50) mikroküreler, ardından PLGA (75:25) ve PLGA (85:15) ile olmuştur.\rSonuç: Değerlendirmede seçilen faktörler arasındaki etkileşimin göz ardı edilmesine rağmen, Taguchi’nin Güçlü Deneysel Tasarım metodolojisine\rdayalı deneyin ortogonal dizi tasarımı, minosiklin hidroklorürün PLGA mikroküreleri için proses parametrelerini optimize etmek için yeterli\rbulunmuştur. Mikroküreler hazırlama yönteminin yağda katı suda (K/Y/S) kapsülleme verimliliğini etkileyen ana faktör olduğu keşfedilmiştir. (K/Y/S)\ryöntemiyle hazırlanan mikroküreler, yardımcı çözücü yöntemiyle hazırlanan mikrokürelere göre daha yüksek kapsülleme etkinliği ve daha hızlı ilaç\rsalımı göstermiştir. pH ve sulu faz hacmi de kapsülleme verimliliği üzerinde etkili parametreler olarak bulunmuştur. Minosiklin salınımı en hızlı\rPLGA (50:50) mikroküreler ile olmuştur; ardından bu sıralamayı PLGA (75:25) ve PLGA (85:15) izlenmiştir. Mikrokürelerin hazırlanması için proses\rparametrelerinin optimizasyonuna sağlam deneysel tasarım başarıyla uygulanmıştır.

Haidar, Mohammad Karim; Yamashita, Fumiyoshi; Hashida, Mitsuru

Objectives: The objective of the present study is to establish a robust preparation method that could steadily produce minocycline hydrochloride (MCH) microspheres regardless of used polymer types. Materials and Methods: Taguchi’s Robust Experimental Design methodology was employed to optimize the process parameters for MCH-loaded poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres. In the experimental design, seven controllable factors, i.e., preparation method, pH of the aqueous phase, volume of the aqueous phase, volume of dichloromethane, rotation speed, temperature, and amount of polyvinyl alcohol, were considered for the optimization of process parameters. PLGA types with different lactide/glycolide ratios were considered the uncontrollable (noise) factor. Based on the L18 orthogonal array, 18 experimental runs were conducted for each type of PLGA. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) and in vitro release rate were evaluated for all the prepared formulations. Results: Regardless of the PLGA type with different lactic/glycolic acid ratios, microspheres prepared via the solid-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) method, showed a much higher EE and faster drug release than the microspheres prepared via the co-solvent method. Preparation methods, pH of the aqueous phase, and volume of the aqueous phase were the most influencing parameters on the EE. The confirmation experiment results indicated that the signal-to-noise ratio increased by 5.76 db from that of an initial condition. The release of minocycline was fastest with the PLGA (50:50) microspheres, followed by PLGA (75:25) and PLGA (85:15). Conclusion: Although the interaction between the selected factors in the evaluation was ignored, the orthogonal array design of the experiment based on Taguchi’s robust experimental design methodology was sufficient to optimize the process parameters for the PLGA microspheres of MCH. The S/O/W was the main factor affecting the EE. Microspheres prepared via the S/O/W method exhibited a higher EE and faster drug release than the microspheres prepared via co-solvent method. The pH and volume of the aqueous phase were also effective parameters on the EE. A robust experimental design has been successfully applied to the optimization of the process parameters for microsphere preparation.

Sunar, Serap; Korkmaz, Mustafa; Siğmaz, Burcu; Ağar, Güleray

Objectives: Salvia L. is the largest genus of the family Lamiaceae, which includes approximately 1000 species. According to recent studies, 100 Salvia species in total grow in Turkey. At the same time, 53% of them are endemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic relationships among 15 Salvia species that grow in wild conditions in Turkey’s Eastern Anatolia region. Materials and Methods: The genetic relationships among 15 Salvia species were investigated using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic-DNA (RAPD) profiles in the present study. Thirteen ISSR primers and 11 RAPD primers were utilized. The ISSR and RAPD data were combined to construct the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic average cluster. Results: Based on the RAPD and ISSR data, the Salvia species were classified into six groups. As a result of the combined analysis, it was shown that similarities between the species varied between 0.54 (S. rosifolia-S. sclarea, S. rosifolia-S. limbata, and S. staminea-S. verticillata) and 0.93 (S. sclera-S. divaricata). Conclusion: The findings show that the two markers represent powerful instruments for assessing the genetic diversity and relationships among Salvia species.

Dursunoğlu, Benan; Yuca, Hafize; Güvenalp, Zühal; Gözcü, Sefa; Yilmaz, Bilal

Objectives: The aim of our study was to develop a simple, precise, sensitive and specific method for the simultaneous determination of arbutin and hydroquinone in different herbal slimming products using GC-MS. Materials and Methods: The methanol and aqueous extracts of nine herbal slimming products in Turkey were evaluated for analysis of arbutin and hydroquinone using GC-MS method. Results: The retention times of arbutin and hydroquinone were found as 11.32 and 5.44 min, respectively. The linear ranges in this method were 5-500 ng/mL for arbutin and hydroquinone, respectively. The intra-and inter-day precisions, expressed as the relative standard deviation, were less than 1.94 and 2.73%, determined from quality control samples for arbutin and hydroquinone, and accuracy was within 1.13 and 2.56% in terms of relative error, respectively. The limit of detection and quantification were 0.555 and 1.665 ng/mL for arbutin, and 0.031 and 0.093 ng/mL for hydroquinone, respectively. Conclusion: The developed method can be used for routine quality control analysis of arbutin and hydroquinone in different herbal slimming products.

Shirinzadeh, Hanif; Süzen, Sibel; Altanlar, Nurten; Westwell, Andrew D.

Objectives: In new antimicrobial drug development studies, indole and its derivatives create an important class of compounds. In addition, azoles and their derivatives were recognized to be associated with a variety of biologic activities such as antibacterial and antifungal. In this study antimicrobial activities of some indole derivatives mainly substituted with 1,2,4-triazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole and hydrazinecarbothioamide were investigated to evaluate their efficacy. Materials and Methods: The efficacy of new compounds was evaluated using 2-fold serial dilutions against Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, and Candida krusei. Results: The MIC was determined for test compounds and for the reference standards sultamicillin, ampicillin, fluconazole, and ciprofloxacin. Conclusion: The compounds possessed a broad spectrum of activity having MIC values of 3.125-50 µg/mL against the tested microorganisms. This study provides valuable evidence that the indole-triazole derivative compound 3d holds significant promise as a novel antibacterial and antifungal lead compound.

Dilek, Esra

Objectives: Human carbonic anhydrase I and II (hCAI, II) isoenzymes were purified from human erythrocyte. Kinetic interactions between the enzymes and memantine and donepezil, two different drugs used in Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment, were investigated. Materials and Methods: The purification procedure was composed of preparation of homogenate (or hemolysate) and affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B-L-tyrosine-sulfanilamide. Results: Both drug exhibited in vitro activator effects on hCAI and II enzymes activity. Strong activations were found for these compounds: The CA values of memantine and donepezil against hCAI were 0.013 ?M and 1.8 ?M, respectively. The KA values of memantine and donepezil against hCAII were 0.045 ?M and 3.7 ?M, respectively.Conclusion: Since the levels of CA isoenzymes are low in patients with AD or in the older population, increasing activities of these isoenzymes are important for these patients. The effect of these drugs used in AD treatment was thought to be caused by positive changes in the levels of carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes.

Dilek, Esra

Objectives: Human carbonic anhydrase I and II (hCAI, II) isoenzymes were purified from human erythrocyte. Kinetic interactions between the enzymes and memantine and donepezil, two different drugs used in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment, were investigated. Materials and Methods: The purification procedure was composed of preparation of homogenate (or hemolysate) and affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B-L-tyrosine-sulfanilamide. Results: Both drug exhibited in vitro activator effects on hCAI and II enzymes activity. Strong activations were found for these compounds: The CA values of memantine and donepezil against hCAI were 0.013 M and 1.8 µM, respectively. The KA values of memantine and donepezil against hCAII were 0.045 M and 3.7 µM, respectively. Conclusion: Since the levels of CA isoenzymes are low in patients with AD or in the older population, increasing activities of these isoenzymes are important for these patients. The effect of these drugs used in AD treatment was thought to be caused by positive changes in the levels of carbonic anhydrase isoenzymes.