Research Activities

The main areas of research activity of the Department include:

• Investigation of acute and specific toxicity, determination of the nature of effects, as well as pharmacological and biological activity (antioxidant, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic, etc.) of new medicinal products developed on the basis of natural raw materials (capsules Hepafisan and Fitovenol, granules Polyherbagastrin and Hepatropin, a new combined oil-based herbal medicinal product, quercetin preparations, products based on propolis, leaves of Chinese poplar, stevia, and yacon), as well as synthetic agents (statins, thiocetam, derivatives of 5-carbofunctionalized (imidazol-4-yl) thioacetic acids, nanochromium citrate);
  
  

• Study of the mechanisms of hepato- and nephroprotective properties of medicinal products with antioxidant activity;
  
  

• Comparison of therapeutic efficacy and economic accessibility of medicinal products.
  
  

In 2010, the Department completed a planned research project entitled
“Pharmacoeconomic aspects and the pharmacological renal profile of metabolic cardioprotective agents (trimetazidine, thiotriazoline, thiocetam, mildronate, etc.)”.
Based on the results of this research, a final scientific report covering the period 2006–2010 was prepared.

The completed research project was devoted to solving an important scientific problem — expanding the indications for the use of well-known medicinal products. Experimental studies demonstrated:

• the efficacy of thiotriazoline, thiocetam, and preductal as nephroprotective agents in experimental acute renal failure;
  
  

• the efficacy of thiocetam in pathological conditions accompanied by water and salt retention, due to a reduction in interstitial fluid;
  
  

• the ability of mildronate to activate tissue fibrinolysis and proteolysis, which may be taken into account in the pharmacological correction of thromboembolic processes;
  
  

• chronopharmacological aspects of the renal action of mildronate, namely an increase in natriuresis in the first half of the day with an acrophase at 12:00–14:00, providing a basis for more rational clinical use of the drug.
  
  

In 2015, the Department completed another planned research project entitled
“Pharmaceutical and biomedical aspects of the action of medicinal products with antioxidant properties.”
Within this project, the following issues were investigated:

• pharmacological screening to determine the optimal composition and conditionally therapeutic doses of new medicinal products based on natural raw materials (Hepafisan capsules, Hepadif preparation, gastrointestinal herbal formulations) with respect to hepatoprotective activity; toxicological characteristics and pharmacological properties of Hepafisan capsules and gastrointestinal herbal formulations were studied, and the spectrum of their therapeutic action was investigated in models of hepatitis of various etiologies;
  
  

• analysis of the structure of the pharmaceutical market of methylxanthines, determination of their importance index according to regulatory availability criteria (formal VEN analysis), and assessment of the pharmacoeconomic accessibility of these products;
  
  

• comparative investigation of the effects of various medicinal products (lipoflavone, thiotriazoline, statins, etc.) on renal function indicators and water-electrolyte balance under normal conditions and experimental pathology, taking into account age and sex of animals, chronopharmacological characteristics, different mineralocorticoid backgrounds, levels of natriuretic hormone and prostaglandins, as well as the effects on lipid and protein peroxidation processes, fibrinolytic and proteolytic systems;
  
  

• development of optimal synthesis conditions for new types of functionalized imidazoles and investigation of their biological activity;
  
  

• study of the kinetics and mechanisms of oxidation processes, development of quantitative determination methods for dosage forms of diprazine using oxidation reactions with peroxymonosulfuric acid salts;
  
  

• investigation of the above-ground parts of plants of the genus Paeonia L., isolation and identification of biologically active compounds, development of medicinal product technologies, determination of their pharmacological activity, and development of quality control methods.
  
  

The Department’s research theme for 2016–2020 was
“Pharmacological and pharmacoeconomic justification for the use of antioxidant agents in renal and gastrointestinal injuries”
(state registration No. 0116U002932).

This research continued previous developments of the Department and set the following objectives:

• to study safety indicators and pharmacological activity of new medicinal products (Hepafisan and Fitovenol capsules, Polyherbagastrin and Hepatropin granules, a new combined oil-based herbal medicinal product, and a pharmaceutical composition based on bee products) with regard to their effects on the digestive system;
  
  

• to comparatively investigate the effects of antioxidant agents (thiocetam, statins, quercetin preparations, Chinese poplar leaf extract, nanochromium citrate) on renal function and water-electrolyte balance under experimental pathology and to establish mechanisms of action;
  
  

• to determine the phytochemical composition of stevia and yacon leaves, followed by development of technologies for obtaining biologically active substances and evaluation of their hypoglycemic activity;
  
  

• to conduct a targeted search for new pharmacologically active substances among imidazole derivatives functionalized with thioacetic acid residues, with determination of their biological activity;
  
  

• to analyze the range of statins available on the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market and assess their pharmacoeconomic accessibility.
  
  

Fragments of the Department’s research work include ongoing dissertation studies conducted by Department staff:

• O. V. Herush — Doctoral dissertation;
  
  

• K. V. Sadohurska — PhD dissertation;
  
  

• O. O. Rovinskyi — PhD dissertation;
  
  

• N. A. Hudz — PhD dissertation.
  
  

In recent years, Department staff have defended dissertations and obtained the degree of Candidate of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD), including:

• O. V. Herush — “Effect of Thiotriazoline on Renal Function Indicators and Water-Electrolyte Balance” (2004), specialty 14.03.05 Pharmacology (Supervisor: Prof. R. B. Kosuba, MD);
  
  

• O. M. Horoshko — “Therapeutic Properties of Corvitin and Lipoflavone in Experimental Acute Renal Failure” (2010), specialty 14.03.05 Pharmacology (Supervisor: Prof. I. I. Zamorskyi, MD);
  
  

• N. Ya. Muzyka — “Experimental Substantiation of the Use of a New Suppository Preparation ‘Altabore’ in Prostate Diseases” (2010), specialty 14.03.05 Pharmacology (Supervisor: Prof. L. V. Yakovleva, MD);
  
  

• O. M. Korovenkova — “Pharmacological Profile of the Effect of Thiocetam on Renal Function” (2013), specialty 14.03.05 Pharmacology (Supervisor: Prof. R. B. Kosuba, MD);
  
  

• Zh. M. Haina — “Pharmacological Aspects of the Effect of Mildronate on Renal Function and Water-Electrolyte Balance” (2013), specialty 14.03.05 Pharmacology (Supervisor: Prof. R. B. Kosuba, MD);
  
  

• O. I. Shliusar — “Reactions of Peroxymonosulfuric Acid with Phenothiazine Derivatives and Their Application in Pharmaceutical Analysis” (2013), specialty 15.00.02 Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy (Supervisor: Prof. M. Ye. Blazheievskyi, DSc);
  
  

• V. H. Zeleniuk — “Nephroprotective Properties of Statins in Acute Renal Failure (Experimental Study)” (2016), specialty 14.03.05 Pharmacology (Supervisor: Prof. I. I. Zamorskyi, MD);
  
  

• A. O. Palamar — “Synthesis and Biological Activity of 4-Thio-Substituted 5-Formylimidazoles and Their Derivatives” (2016), specialty 15.00.02 Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy (Supervisor: Prof. M. V. Vovk, DSc);
  
  

• O. Yu. Tkachuk — “Development of the Composition and Technology of a Combined Oil-Based Herbal Hepatotropic Preparation” (2017), specialty 15.00.01 Pharmaceutical Technology, Organization of Pharmacy, and Forensic Pharmacy (Supervisor: Prof. L. I. Vyshnevska, DSc);
  
  

• N. S. Bohdan — “Development and Study of an Antiulcer Medicinal Product Based on Bee Products” (2017), specialty 15.00.01 Pharmaceutical Technology, Organization of Pharmacy, and Forensic Pharmacy (Supervisor: Prof. O. I. Tykhonov, DSc).
  
  

Assistants without academic degrees conduct exploratory and screening studies aimed at further planning and implementation of PhD dissertations.

In October 2007, in Chernivtsi, the Department of Pharmacy, jointly with the Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology, and Occupational Diseases, actively participated in the organization and conduct of the All-Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Conference “Training of Clinical Pharmacists in Ukraine: Experience, Problems, and Prospects.”

Since 2012, the Department’s academic staff has annually participated in organizing the “Pharmacology and Pharmacy” section of the Bukovinian International Medical Congress (BIMCO).