Stevan Pecic

Inhibitors of sEH and FAAH

Our main research interests and assignments are focused on identification of novel inhibitors of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism and their evaluation as potential therapeutics. In particular, we are interested in two enzymes, soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Through traditional medicinal chemistry techniques, including in silico drug design, organic synthesis, structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies and in vitro biological evaluations, our goal is directed toward elucidation of the pharmacology and biochemistry of lipid metabolism and pathophysiology of related diseases.

Development of DNA-based aptamer biosensors

We are using optimized procedure (SELEX) that directly yields DNA-aptameric sensors for small molecules in so-called structure-switching format. We are in particular interested in small molecules such as steroids and drugs that regulate pain and inflammation. Aptamers generated via SELEX hold promise for diverse biomedical applications, such as drug development, bioimaging, drug discovery, disease diagnosis, hazard detection, food inspection, etc.

Selected publications (Click for full list)

Alizadeh, J., da Silva Rosa, S. C., Weng, X., Jacobs, J., Lorzadeh, S., Ravandi, A., . . . Ghavami, S. (2023). Ceramides and ceramide synthases in cancer: Focus on apoptosis and autophagy. Eur J Cell Biol, 102(3), 151337. doi:10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151337

Angelia, J., Weng, X., Solomatov, A., Chin, C., Fernandez, A., Hudson, P. K., . . . Pecic, S. (2023). Structure-activity relationship studies of benzothiazole-phenyl analogs as multi-target ligands to alleviate pain without affecting normal behavior. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat, 164, 106702. doi:10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2022.106702

Eshraghi, M., Ahmadi, M., Afshar, S., Lorzadeh, S., Adlimoghaddam, A., Rezvani Jalal, N., . . . Pecic, S. (2022). Enhancing autophagy in Alzheimer's disease through drug repositioning. Pharmacol Ther, 237, 108171. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108171

Makarian, M., Gonzalez, M., Salvador, S. M., Lorzadeh, S., Hudson, P. K., & Pecic, S. (2022). Synthesis, kinetic evaluation and molecular docking studies of donepezil-based acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. J Mol Struct, 1247. doi:10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.131425

Naeimi, R., Najafi, R., Molaei, P., Amini, R., & Pecic, S. (2022). Nanoparticles: The future of effective diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer? Eur J Pharmacol, 936, 175350. doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.175350

Pecic, S., Vicic, M., Belca, I., Stojadinovic, S., Nidzovic, B., Kurij, L., & Devic, S. (2023). Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration. Z Med Phys. doi:10.1016/j.zemedi.2023.05.008

Stec, J., & Pecic, S. (2022). Facile synthesis of the fungus-derived natural products: N,N'-dipalmitoleyl urea (C(16:1)) and N,N'-dioleyl urea (C(18:1)). Nat Prod Res, 36(8), 2158-2165. doi:10.1080/14786419.2020.1844694

Stec, J., & Pecic, S. (2023). Convenient synthesis and in vitro activity of oxalyl bis(benzenesulfonylhydrazides) and related compounds. Results in Chemistry, 5, 100860. doi:10.1016/j.rechem.2023.100860

Wilt, S., Kodani, S., Valencia, L., Hudson, P. K., Sanchez, S., Quintana, T., . . . Pecic, S. (2021). Further exploration of the structure-activity relationship of dual soluble epoxide hydrolase/fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem, 51, 116507. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116507

Zarrabi, A., Perrin, D., Kavoosi, M., Sommer, M., Sezen, S., Mehrbod, P., . . . Ghavami, S. (2023). Rhabdomyosarcoma: Current Therapy, Challenges, and Future Approaches to Treatment Strategies. Cancers (Basel), 15(21). doi:10.3390/cancers15215269