Dr Samir Ayoub

Senior Lecturer

Medicines Research Group

Department of Bioscience , School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience

Dr Samir Ayoub is a valued member of the pharmacology programme and modules leadership, helping to widen participation and promotion of pharmacology within the further education community. He is also a supervisor of PhD and MSc students.

Areas Of Interest

Member of the editorial board for Inflammopharmacology
Active member of the British Pharmacological Society
Ambassador for the British Pharmacological Society

OVERVIEW

Dr Ayoub is a senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of East London. He acquired his PhD training at the William Harvey Research Institute, London, which was followed by a post-doctoral post funded by the Leverhulme Trust as an Early Career Fellowship; during which time he was also a visiting scientist at Professor Daniel Simmons' laboratory at the Brigham Young University, USA. Before joining the University of East London, Dr Ayoub worked as a research associate at the Institute of Heart and Lung, Imperial College London.

CURRENT RESEARCH

Dr Ayoub's research focus has been on the pharmacology of paracetamol and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in inflammation, pain and thermoregulation and has been the first to provide substantial evidence on implicating cyclooxygenase variant enzymes in mediating the thermoregulatory and analgesic actions of paracetamol. Dr Ayoub continues to be active in this area of research as well as in elucidating the role of interleukin-4 and cycloogenase-2 in the resolution of inflammation and macrophage polarisation. In recent years, Dr Ayoub has been collaborating with colleagues at the University of East London in research aimed at elucidation of mechanisms involved in the development of addiction behaviours to alcohol in Drosophila.

PUBLICATIONS

Publications

Ayoub SS. Paracetamol (acetaminophen): A familiar drug with an unexplained mechanism of action. Temperature (Austin). 2021 Mar 16;8(4):351-371. doi: 10.1080/23328940.2021.1886392. PMID: 34901318; PMCID: PMC8654482.
Ayoub SS, Flower RJ. Loss of hypothermic and anti-pyretic action of paracetamol in cyclooxygenase-1 knockout mice is indicative of inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 variant enzymes. Eur J Pharmacol. 2019 Oct 15;861:172609. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172609.
Ranson DC, Ayoub SS, Corcoran O, Casalotti SO. Pharmacological targeting of the GABAB receptor alters Drosophila's behavioural responses to alcohol. Addict Biol. 2020 Mar;25(2):e12725. doi: 10.1111/adb.12725
Koyyada R, Latchooman N, Jonaitis J, Ayoub SS, Corcoran O, Casalotti SO. Naltrexone Reverses Ethanol Preference and Protein Kinase C Activation in Drosophila melanogaster. Front Physiol. 2018 Mar 14;9:175. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00175.
Sharma CV, Long JH, Shah S, Rahman J, Perrett D, Ayoub SS, Mehta V. First evidence of the conversion of paracetamol to AM404 in human cerebrospinal fluid. J Pain Res. 2017 Nov 28;10:2703-2709. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S143500.
Bolton C, Wood EG, Ayoub SS. N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor involvement in central nervous system prostaglandin production during the relapse phase of chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CR EAE). Fundam Clin Pharmacol. 2013 Oct;27(5):535-43. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-8206.2012.01050.x
Ayoub SS, Wood EG, Hassan SU, Bolton C. Cyclooxygenase expression and prostaglandin levels in central nervous system tissues during the course of chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Inflamm Res. 2011 Oct;60(10):919-28. doi: 10.1007/s00011-011-0352-3.
Ayoub SS, Pryce G, Seed MP, Bolton C, Flower RJ, Baker D. Paracetamol-induced hypothermia is independent of cannabinoids and transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 and is not mediated by AM404. Drug Metab Dispos. 2011 Sep;39(9):1689-95. doi: 10.1124/dmd.111.038638
Ayoub SS, Botting RM. Iloprost-induced nociception: determination of the site of anti-nociceptive action of cyclooxygenase inhibitors and the involvement of cyclooxygenase products in central mechanisms of nociception. Methods Mol Biol. 2010;644:207-15. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-364-6_18.
Moore AR, Ayoub SS, Seed MP. Cyclooxygenase enzymes and their products in the carrageenan-induced pleurisy in rats. Methods Mol Biol. 2010;644:201-5. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-364-6_17
Polenzani L, Ayoub SS. Prostanoid extraction and measurement. Methods Mol Biol. 2010;644:153-64. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-364-6_13.
Ayoub SS. In vitro cyclooxygenase activity assay in tissue homogenates. Methods Mol Biol. 2010;644:117-20. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59745-364-6_9
Yazid S, Ayoub SS, Solito E, McArthur S, Vo P, Dufton N, Flower RJ. Anti-allergic drugs and the Annexin-A1 system. Pharmacol Rep. 2010 May-Jun;62(3):511-7. doi: 10.1016/s1734-1140(10)70307-8.
Stables MJ, Newson J, Ayoub SS, Brown J, Hyams CJ, Gilroy DW. Priming innate immune responses to infection by cyclooxygenase inhibition kills antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant bacteria. Blood. 2010 Oct 21;116(16):2950-9. doi: 10.1182/blood-2010-05-284844.
Ayoub SS, Joshi A, Chol M, Gilroy DW, Seed MP. Inhibition of the diclofenac-induced cyclooxygenase-2 activity by paracetamol in cultured macrophages is not related to the intracellular lipid hydroperoxide tone. Fundam Clin Pharmacol. 2011 Apr; 25(2):186-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-8206.2010.00842.x.
Ayoub SS, Hunter JC, Simmons DL. Answering the burning question of how transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 channel antagonists cause unwanted hyperthermia. Pharmacol Rev. 2009 Sep;61(3):225-7. doi: 10.1124/pr.109.001875.
Ayoub SS, Botting RM, Joshi AN, Seed MP, Colville-Nash PR. Activation of macrophage peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma by diclofenac results in the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 protein and the synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Mol Cell Biochem. 2009 Jul;327(1-2):101-10. doi: 10.1007/s11010-009-0048-y.
Laufer S, Greim C, Luik S, Ayoub SS, Dehner F. Human whole blood assay for rapid and routine testing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on cyclo-oxygenase-2 activity. Inflammopharmacology. 2008 Aug;16(4):155-61. doi: 10.1007/s10787-008-8007-x.
Ayoub SS, Yazid S, Flower RJ. Increased susceptibility of annexin-A1 null mice to nociceptive pain is indicative of a spinal antinociceptive action of annexin-A1. Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Jul;154(5):1135-42. doi: 10.1038/bjp.2008.166.
Ayoub SS, Colville-Nash PR, Willoughby DA, Botting RM. The involvement of a cyclooxygenase 1 gene-derived protein in the antinociceptive action of paracetamol in mice. Eur J Pharmacol. 2006 May 24;538(1-3):57-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2006.03.061
Botting R, Ayoub SS. COX-3 and the mechanism of action of paracetamol/acetaminophen. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2005 Feb;72(2):85-7. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2004.10.005.
Ayoub SS, Botting RM, Goorha S, Colville-Nash PR, Willoughby DA, Ballou LR. Acetaminophen-induced hypothermia in mice is mediated by a prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 1 gene-derived protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Jul 27;101(30):11165-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0404185101.

FUNDING

Funding awarded	Total funding amount
QR funding by the University of East London to survey study on the perception of further education students on pharmacology. February 2019	£904.35
QR Fund by the University of East London. Mini-sabbatical (1 term) for teaching cover to spend time writing research papers. January 2018	£990
Funding for Bioscience Research Conference by ReDS, July 2013	£1729.25
Research and Knowledge Exchange Grant funded by School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, to fund research project aimed at further characterization of human macrophage cell line, February 2013	£7173.26
Research Development fund by ReDS, Further characterization of the diclofenac induced cyclooxygenase-2 protein, March 2012	£5000
Funding for PhD studentship by School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, "An investigation into the role of novel cyclooxygenase variant proteins in inflammation", January 2012,	£63,912
Funding by School of Health, Sport and Bioscience to present at the European Workshop on Lipid Mediators, Paris, 27-28 Sept 2012	£600
Cyclooxygenase variants in temperature regulation. Early Career Fellowship. The Leverhulme Trust. Oct 06-Oct 08 *This award was announced in the Times Newspaper (Friday 15 September 2006, page 66)	£38,961

TEACHING

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Pharmacology at the University of East London

Studying pharmacology at the University of East London alongside our prize-winning, internationally recognised lecturers gives you access to excellent research and work opportunities so you leave ready to make an impact and #BeTheChange through your career.

MODULES

Level 4: Professional Practice in Science
Level 5: Fundamental & Experimental Pharmacology (module leader)
Level 5: Drug Discovery, Development and Regulations (module leader)
Level 5: Research and Career Development
Level 6: Neuropsychopharmacology and Emerging Therapeutics (module Leader)
Level 6: Immunopharmacology and Chemotherapeutics (module Leader)
Level 6: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Pharmacology
Level 6: Toxicology
Level 6: Research Project and Career Enhancement Portfolio
Level 7: Advanced Techniques in Bioscience
Level 7: MSc Research Project

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