Publications by authors named "Youssef Bakkour"

This study explored the synergistic potential of photoelectrochemical water splitting through bifunctional CoO/g-CN heterostructures. This novel approach merged solar panel technology with electrochemical cell technology, obviating the need for external voltage from batteries. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were utilized to confirm the surface morphology and crystal structure of fabricated nanocomposites; CoO, CoO/g-CN, and CoO/Cg-CN.

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  • Myrtle methanolic extract (MMEx) shows promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, with high total phenolic and flavonoid contents; its most abundant compounds include 1,8-cineole and α-pinene.
  • In vitro and in vivo tests demonstrated that MMEx effectively inhibits oxidative stress and inflammation, particularly showing good results against carrageenan-induced paw edema.
  • The pharmacokinetic study indicated that the active compounds from MMEx have favorable absorption and distribution profiles, with limited toxicity, making it a potential therapeutic option for health issues related to oxidative stress and inflammation.
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  • * Essential oils were extracted from plant leaves and analyzed using advanced techniques, which identified various chemical compounds, primarily oxygenated monoterpenes, with 1,8-cineole being the most abundant.
  • * Results showed that MCEOs had significant antioxidant activities and anti-inflammatory effects, both in vitro (using proteins) and in vivo (in rats), with promising concentration-dependent results.
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  • Recent advancements in nanotechnology have led to the development of a new nanocomposite combining tungsten trioxide nanoparticles with graphene oxide and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) for enhanced energy storage performance.
  • This innovative composite achieved a specific capacitance of 478.3 F·g, outperforming the traditional tungsten trioxide-graphene oxide combination, which had a capacitance of 345.3 F·g.
  • Additionally, the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)@tungsten trioxide-graphene oxide composite demonstrated excellent cycling stability, maintaining 92.1% capacity after 5000 cycles, making it a promising material for super
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To address the high tolerance of biofilms to antibiotics, it is urgent to develop new strategies to fight against these bacterial consortia. An innovative antibiofilm nanovector drug delivery system, consisting of Dispersin B-permethylated-β-cyclodextrin/ciprofloxacin adamantyl (DspB-β-CD/CIP-Ad), is described here. For this purpose, complexation assays between CIP-Ad and (i) unmodified β-CD and (ii) different derivatives of β-CD, which are 2,3-O-dimethyl-β-CD, 2,6-O-dimethyl-β-CD, and 2,3,6-O-trimethyl-β-CD, were tested.

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  • ATRP of methyl methacrylate using Eosin Y as a green photocatalyst was successfully conducted in a continuous flow reactor, significantly speeding up the process to achieve 90% conversion in just 3 hours.
  • The polymers produced exhibited results in line with theoretical expectations and demonstrated low dispersity, ensuring high quality.
  • This research highlights the effectiveness of Eosin Y for controlled polymerization and showcases the utility of NMR techniques for analyzing polymer properties, paving the way for similar applications in reversible-deactivation radical polymerizations.
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Polymer vectors for gene therapy have been largely investigated as an alternative to viral vectors. In particular, double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) have shown potential in this domain, but to date studies mainly focus on non-degradable copolymers, which may be a restriction for further development. To overcome this limitation, we synthesized a DHBC (PEG-b-PCL(COOH)) composed of a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) non-ionic and bioeliminable block and a degradable carboxylic acid-functionalized poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) block.

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The use of double-hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) in biomedical applications is limited by their lack of degradability. This additional functionality has been obtained in the past through multistep chemical strategies associated with low yields. In this work, a series of DHBCs composed of a bioeliminable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block and hydrolyzable functional poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) blocks bearing carboxylic (PEG--PCL(COOH)), amino (PEG--PCL(NH)), or hydroxyl side groups (PEG--PCL(OH)) is synthesized in only three steps.

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In this study, hydrophilic hydroxypropyl methylcellulose matrices with various concentrations of Poloxamer 188 were used in the development of oral controlled release tablets containing diclofenac sodium. Four formulations of hydrophilic matrix tablets containing 16.7% w/w HPMC and 0, 6.

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Hypothesis: The functionalization of poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PCL) block copolymers with moieties allowing for core-crosslinking is expected to result in improved micellar stability and drug delivery properties.

Experiments: PEG-(PCL) star block copolymers were functionalized with pendant benzylthioether (BTE) groups by applying an anionic post-polymerization modification technique followed by photoradical thiol-yne addition of benzyl mercaptan. The micellar properties of PEG-(PCL) and PEG-(PCL-BTE) were studied and compared in terms of critical micelle concentration (CMC), size, morphology, drug loading and release and in vitro cytotoxicity.

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Advanced drug delivery systems (DDS) are easily designed following a photoiterative strategy. Multifunctional polymers are obtained by coupling building blocks of interest to an alkynated poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) platform via an efficient thiol-yne photoaddition. Fine-tuning over the design is achieved, as illustrated with targeting and enzyme-responsive DDS.

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