Dr. Rejina Afrin

Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy

Faculty

Faculty of Sciences and Engineering

Address

A/2, Jahurul Islam Avenue
Jahurul Islam City, Aftabnagar
Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh

Office

Ext: Ext-152 || Room No# 733
drja@ewubd.edu

Academic Background

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata, Japan in 2017.
Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm) from University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) (Hon’s), from University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) from Rajshahi Government Women's College, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Dr. Rejina Afrin has been serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy of East West University (EWU) since January 31, 2023. She started her professional career at the Department of Pharmacy of East West University as an Assistant Professor on July 09, 2017. She teaches Human Physiology, Pharmacology, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics, Medicinal chemistry, and Pharmaceutical Analysis at the undergraduate level as well as Advanced Immunopharmacology at the graduate level.

Dr. Rejina received her B.Pharm and M.Pharm degree with first class in Pharmacy from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. After completing her M.Pharm degree she went to Japan in 2013 to pursue a doctoral degree and she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Department of Clinical Pharmacology of Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences (NUPALS), Niigata, Japan in March 2017. She has been awarded the most prestigious Japanese Government Scholarship, (Monbukagakusho) MEXT for pursuing research and Ph.D. Program (October 2013 to March 2017). Dr. Rejina was certified as an outstanding student with great achievement in research and was awarded her Ph.D. degree within three years instead of the regular four-year duration of NUPALS. She was awarded a “Gold medal” and a certificate for excellent results at the Bachelor level from Mannujan Hall, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh in 2012. Dr. Rejina was awarded prestigious scholarships throughout her academic career: Rajshahi University scholarship at the undergraduate level in 2005; higher secondary school level (2003); Government General Scholarship at the secondary (2000) and primary level (1997).

Her research areas focus on lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), metabolic disorders, and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Majorly, her research interest focuses on investigating the relationship between NASH and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under diabetic conditions and their molecular mechanisms. She has been investigating the treatment and prevention options for NASH-HCC under a diabetic background. For her experiment, she has been using an in-house developed animal model to test the efficacy of various natural as well as synthetic molecules. She is exploring to halt the progression of NASH to hepatocellular carcinoma, if it is possible it will be a paradigm shift in this core area. She demonstrated the molecular mechanisms of curcumin to protect the hepatic and renal damage in the experimental NASH model and published the findings in a peer-reviewed journal “International Immunopharmacology”.

In the area of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Dr. Rejina has explored the ultra-structural changes in the colon of chemical-induced animals. She investigated the effects of dietary supplements and natural compounds against IBD to protect the gastrointestinal lining and suppress the pro-inflammatory cytokines.

She has expertise in the preparation of several experimental animal models of various diseases such as Auto-Immune Myocarditis, Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), and Skin inflammation along with DM, NASH, and IBD. Then she identified different signaling pathways in these models and investigated prevention and treatment for these diseases from natural or synthetic sources.

Apart from these studies, she is also working on Bio-active Natural products targeting metabolic disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.

She published 34 articles in peer-reviewed international journals with a good impact factor (Total 84.36). She has participated in several International Conferences and presented her research works. She is conducting collaborative research work at home and abroad. Dr. Rejina has been awarded an extramural fund from the Center for Research and Training of East West University (CRTEWU) to conduct research as Principal Investigator (PI) in 2023 and as Co-PI-1 in 2019. She has reviewed several manuscripts in “Experimental Dermatology, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Phytomedicine, Heliyon, Ethnopharmacology and PeerJ” journals.

Professional Experience

I have started my professional career at East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh as Assistant Professor on July 09, 2017.

Research Interest

Clinical Pharmacology
Phytopharmacology
Public health

Selected Publications

International

Hiroshi Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rejina Afrin, Yasuhiro Matsubayashi, Hirohito Sone, “The Effect of Lactic Acid Fermented Sake Lees in a NASH-HCC Mouse Model” Diabetes, 2023;72(Supplement_1):1852-PUB. (IF: 9.337)
Khurram Aamir, Gautam Sethi, Mst Rejina Afrin, Chowdhury Faiz Hossain, Patricia Regina Jusuf, Satyajit D Sarker, Aditya Arya, “Arjunolic acid modulate pancreatic dysfunction by ameliorating pattern recognition receptor and canonical Wnt pathway activation in type 2 diabetic rats.” Life Sciences, 2023; 327:121856. (IF:6.78)
Iskandar Rahardjo Budianto, Kusmardi Kusmardi, Andi Muhammad Maulana, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rejina Afrin, Vivian Soetikno, "Paneth cells disruption and intestinal dysbiosis contribute to the development of Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis in a benzalkonium chloride-induced Hirschsprung’s disease rat model." bioRxiv, 2023, 2023.08. 19.553983. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.08.19.553983
Tahira Foyzun, Abdullah Al Mahmud, Md Ahammed, Md Manik, Imran Nur, Md Hasan, KM Islam, Simin Sobnom Lopa, Md Al-Amin, Kushal Biswas, Mst. Rejina Afrin, AHM Alam, Golam Sadik, "Polyphenolics with Strong Antioxidant Activity from Acacia nilotica Ameliorate Some Biochemical Signs of Arsenic-Induced Neurotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Mice". Molecules, 2022; 27(3): 1037.(IF: 4.927)
Khurram Aamir, Hidayat Ullah Khan, Chowdhury Faiz Hossain, Mst Rejina Afrin, Patricia Regina Jusuf, Imran Waheed, Gautam Sethi, Aditya Arya, “Arjunolic acid downregulates elevated blood sugar and pro-inflammatory cytokines in streptozotocin (STZ)-nicotinamide induced type 2 diabetic rats” Life Sciences, 2022; 289:120232. (Citation: 2), (IF: 6.78)
Hiroshi Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, Somasundaram Arumugam, Manoj Limbraj Yellurkar, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Hirohito Sone, "Meal Ingestion of Ceraceomyces tessulatus Strain BDM-X (Agaricomycetes) Protects against Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Mice". International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2022; 24(1): 41-52. (IF: 1.921)
Salim Ahammed, Rejina Afrin, Nasim Uddin, Yusuf Al-Amin, Kamrul Hasan, Uzzal Haque, K. M. Monirul Islam, A. H. M. K. Alam, Toshihisa Tanaka, Golam Sadik, "Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory and Antioxidant Activity of the Compounds Isolated from Vanda roxburghii". Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2021;2021:9 (Article ID 5569054).
Mst. Rejina Afrin*, Somasundaram Arumugam, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Rajarajan Amirthalingam Thandavarayan, Meilei Harima, Chowdhury Faiz Hossain, Kenji Suzuki, Hirohito Sone, Yasuhiro Matsubayashi, Kenichi Watanabe, “Le Carbone prevents liver damage in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model via AMPKα-SIRT1 signaling pathway activation.” Heliyon, 2021;7:e05888. (IF: 3.776)
Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan Amirthalingam Thandavarayan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Mst. Rejina Afrin, Remya Sreedhar, Meilei Harima, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenichi Watanabe, Satoru Kodama, Kazuya Fujihara, Hirohito Sone, “Brain adaptations of insulin signaling kinases, GLUT 3, p-BADser155 and nitrotyrosine expression in various hypoglycemic models of mice.” Neurochemistry International, 2020;137:104745. (IF: 4.297)
Kenichi Watanabe, Rejina Afrin, Remya Sreedhar, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Meilei Harima, Xavier Alexander, Ravichandiran Velayutham, Somasundaram Arumugam, “Pharmacological Investigation of Ceraceomyces tessulatus (Agaricomycetes) in Mice with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.” International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2020; 22(7):683 – 692.
Khurram Aamir, Hidayat Ullah Khan, Chowdhury Faiz Hossain, Mst. Rejina Afrin, Imam Shaik, Naguib Salleh, Nelli Giribabu, Aditya Arya, “Oral toxicity of arjunolic acid on hematological, biochemical and histopathological investigations in female Sprague Dawley rats.” Peer J, 2019; 7: e8045, DOI 10.7717/peerj.8045.
Mst. Rejina Afrin,Somasundaram Arumugam, Md. Azizur Rahman, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Shizuka Miyashita, Kenji Suzuki, Kazuyuki Ueno, Hiroyuki Yoneyama, Kenichi Watanabe, "Curcumin reduces the risk of chronic kidney damage in mice with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by modulating endoplasmic reticulum stress and MAPK signaling." International Immunopharmacology, 2017; 49:161-167.
Mst. Rejina Afrin, Somasundaram Arumugam, Md. Azizur Rahman, Mir Imam Ibne Wahed, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Shizuka Miyashita, Kenji Suzuki, Hiroyuki Yoneyama, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Curcumin ameliorates liver damage and progression of NASH in NASH-HCC mouse model possibly by modulating HMGB1-NF-κB translocation." International Immunopharmacology, 2017; 44:174-182.
Rejina Afrin, Somasundaram Arumugam, Md. Azizur Rahman, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Remya Sreedhar, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Takashi Nakamura, Shizuka Miyashita, Kenji Suzuki, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Le Carbone, a charcoal supplement, modulates DSS-induced acute colitis in mice through activation of AMPKα and downregulation of STAT3 and caspase 3 dependent apoptotic pathways." International Immunopharmacology, 2017; 43:70-78.
Rejina Afrin, Somasundaram Arumugam, Mir Imam Ibne Wahed, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Remya Sreedhar, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Shizuka Miyashita, Takashi Nakamura, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Attenuation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Liver Damage by Mulberry Leaf Diet in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats." The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, January 2016; 44(1):87-101.
Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Rejina Afrin, Remya Sreedhar, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Shizuka Miyashita, Takashi Nakamura, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Fasting time duration modulates the onset of insulin-induced hypoglycemic seizures in mice." Epilepsy Research, September 2016; 125:47-51.
Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Remya Sreedhar, Vijayasree V Giridharan, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Miyashita Suzuki, Hara M, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Curcumin alleviates renal dysfunction and suppresses inflammation by shifting from M1 to M2 macrophage polarization in daunorubicin induced nephrotoxicity in rats" Cytokine, August 2016; 84: 1-9.
Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Rejina Afrin, Remya Sreedhar, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Shizuka Miyashita, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Hypothalamic glucagon signaling in fasting hypoglycemia." Life Sciences, May 2016; 153:118-23.
Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan Amirthalingam Thandavarayan, Remya Sreedhar, Vijayasree V. Giridharan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Prasanna Krishnamurthy, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, “Naringenin ameliorates skin inflammation and accelerates phenotypic reprogramming from M1 to M2 macrophage polarization in atopic dermatitis NC/Nga mouse model.” Experimental Dermatology, 2016; 25:386-412.
Rejina Afrin, Somasundaram Arumugam, Vivian Soetikno, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Remya Sreedhar, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Shizuka Miyashita, Mayumi Nomoto, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Curcumin ameliorates streptozotocin-induced liver damage through modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis in diabetic rats." Free Radical Research 2015; 49(3):279-89.
Nasim Uddin, Rejina Afrin, Md. Josim Uddin, Md. Jalal Uddin, A. H. M. K. Alam, Aziz Abdur Rahman, Golam Sadik, "Vanda roxburghii chloroform extract as a potential source of polyphenols with antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities” Identification of a strong phenolic antioxidant." BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2015; 15(1):195.
Remya Sreedhar, Somasundaram Arumugam, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vijayasree V Giridharan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Takashi Nakamura, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Jumihaidokuto effectively inhibits colon inflammation and apoptosis in mice with acute colitis." International Immunopharmacology 2015; 29(2):957-63.
Remya Sreedhar, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vijayasree V Giridharan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Takashi Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Toki-shakuyaku-san, a Japanese kampo medicine, reduces colon inflammation in a mouse model of acute colitis." International Immunopharmacology 2015; 29(2):869-75.
Remya Sreedhar, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vijayasree V Giridharan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenji Suzuki, Narasimman Gurusamy, Prasanna Krishnamurthy, Kenichi Watanabe, "Depletion of cardiac 14-3-3η protein adversely influences pathologic cardiac remodeling during myocardial infarction after coronary artery ligation in mice." International Journal of Cardiology 2015; 202:146-53.
Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Naringenin ameliorates daunorubicin induced nephrotoxicity by mitigating AT1R, ERK1/2-NFκB p65 mediated inflammation." International Immunopharmacology 2015; 28(1):154-9.
Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Mayumi Nomoto, Shizuka Miyashita, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kazuyuki Ueno, Kenichi Watanabe, "Tannic acid modulates NF-κB signaling pathway and skin inflammation in NC/Nga mice through PPARγ expression." Cytokine 2015; 76(2): 206-13.
Kenichi Watanabe, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Kenji Suzuki, Takashi Nakamura, Mayumi Nomoto, Shizuka Miyashita, Kyoko Fukumoto, Kazuyuki Ueno, "Purni cortex ameliorates skin inflammation possibly through HMGB1-NFκB pathway in house dust mite-induced atopic dermatitis NC/Nga transgenic mice." Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition 2015; 5(3):186-94.
Meilei Harima, Somasundaram Arumugam, Juan Wen, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Shizuka Miyashita, Mayumi Nomoto, Kazuyuki Ueno, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenichi Watanabe, "Effect of carvedilol against myocardial injury due to ischemia-reperfusion of the brain in rats." Experimental and Molecular Pathology 2015; 98(3):558-62.
Somasundaram Arumugam, Remya Sreedhar, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vijayasree V Giridharan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Rejina Afrin, Shizuka Miyashita, Mayumi Nomoto, Meilei Harima, Takashi Nakamura, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Telmisartan treatment targets inflammatory cytokines to suppress the pathogenesis of acute colitis induced by dextran sulphate sodium." Cytokine 2015; 74(2):305-12.
Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Mayumi Nomoto, Shizuka Miyashita, Kenji Suzuki, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenichi Watanabe, "Modulation of HMGB1 translocation and RAGE/NFκB cascade by quercetin treatment mitigates atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga transgenic mice." Experimental Dermatology 2015; 24(6):418-23.
Remya Sreedhar, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vijayasree V Giridharan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Rejina Afrin, Shizuka Miyashita, Mayumi Nomoto, Meilei Harima, Narasimman Gurusamy, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Myocardial 14-3-3η protein protects against mitochondria-mediated apoptosis." Cellular Signalling 2015; 27(4):770-6.
Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Mayumi Nomoto, Shizuka Miyashita, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Resveratrol attenuates HMGB1 signaling and inflammation in house dust mite-induced atopic dermatitis in mice." International Immunopharmacology 2014; 23(2): 617-623.
Somasundaram Arumugam, Remya Sreedhar, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vijayasree V. Giridharan, Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Comparative evaluation of torasemide and furosemide on rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy." Experimental and Molecular Pathology 2014; 97(1):137-143.
Vigneshwaran Pitchaimani, Somasundaram Arumugam, Rajarajan A Thandavarayan, Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Remya Sreedhar, Rejina Afrin, Meilei Harima, Hiroshi Suzuki, Shizuka Miyashita, Mayumi Nomoto, Hirohito Sone, Kenji Suzuki, Kenichi Watanabe, "Fasting mediated increase in p-BAD (ser155) and p-AKT (ser473) in the prefrontal cortex of mice." Neuroscience Letters 2014; 579:134-139.

National

Delivered speech as keynote speaker entitled “Discovery of drug leads for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)”- International Conference on Technological Innovations in Agriculture, Life Sciences and Food & Nutrition (ICALF) 2023, 27-28 February 2023, Swami Vivekananda University, Kolkata, India.
Presented oral session entitled “Evaluation of pharmacological activities of ethyl acetate fraction of Ceraceomyces tessulatus”- ISESFE 2023, 24-26 February 2023, Imphal, India.
Delivered speech as invited speaker entitled “Investigation of molecular mechanism for Hepato-protective effects of curcumin in NASH-HCC mice model”- “Contribution of Physics and Chemistry towards Medical Sciences and the Global Health Care”- online meeting of Young Scientists, 19-20 January 2023, UNESCO TWAS CASAREP, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, India.
Participated as moderator, STEMCON 2022, 6^th Scientific Conference of Bangladesh Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Society, 22 December 2022, Bangladesh academy of Science, National Science & Technology Complex, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Presented poster session entitled “Evaluation of hypoglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of crude methanol extract and its ethyl acetate fraction of Terminalia bellirica fruits in fructose-induced Type 2 diabetes Mice”. 5^th Young Scientist Congress, Young Scientists for Health and Environment, 25-27 November 2022, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
M. R. Afrin, S. Arumugam, R. Sreedhar, V. Karuppagounder, M. Harima, C. F. Hossain, K. Watanabe, “Hepatoprotective effect of Basidiomycetes-X against non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in experimental NASH-HCC mice model”. Book of Abstract of PSE-NPS 2020 SUMMIT on Natural Products for Healthy Living, OP (129), 71-72. Khulna-9208, Bangladesh, 16-18 January 2020.
M. R. Afrin, A. Arya, K. Aamir, H. U. Khan, I. Shaik, N. Salleh, N. Giribabu, F. K. Sristy, C. F. Hossain, “Isolation and purification of arjunolic acid from Terminalia arjuna and evaluation of its toxicological effects in Sprague Dawley rats”. Book of Abstract of PSE-NPS 2020 SUMMIT, on Natural Products for Healthy Living, OP (128), P.71. Khulna-9208, Bangladesh, 16-18 January, 2020.
M.R. Afrin, S. Arumugam, H. Suzuki, K. Watanabe, “Curcumin attenuates hepatic and renal damage against non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in NASH-HCC mice model”. Book of Abstract of 1^st Multidisciplinary International Conference on the Social and Life Sciences, P.99. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 27-29 February, 2020.
F. K. Sristy, M. R Afrin, S. Sultana, S. Khondokar, A. Arya, C. F. Hossain, “Isolation of FKS1 from the barks of Terminalia arjuna and evaluation of anti-diabetic activity”. Book of Abstract of 1^st Multidisciplinary International Conference on the Social and Life Sciences, P.12. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 27-29 February, 2020.
R.A. Laboni, R. Islam, C. F. Hossain, M.R. Afrin*, “Phytochemical screening and evaluation of the analgesic activity of cyclo-hexane fraction of Terminalia bellirica in acetic acid-induced Swiss albino mice”. Book of Abstract of 1^st Multidisciplinary International Conference on the Social and Life Sciences, P.114. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 27-29 February, 2020.
S. Mahbub, M. R Afrin, A. Sifat, S. Islam, A.M.H. Rizvi, C. F. Hossain, “Comparative evaluation of analgesic and anti-diabetic activities among different extracts and fractions of Gynura procumbens on experimental mice”. Book of Abstract of 1^st Multidisciplinary International Conference on the Social and Life Sciences, P.117. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 27-29 February, 2020.
M.R. Afrin, S. Arumugam, V. Karuppagounder, M. Harima, K. Watanabe, “Hepatoprotective effects of Le Carbone, a dietary supplement in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model through modulation of lipogenesis and oxidative stress.” Book of Abstract of 4^th Young Scientist Congress 2019, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 13-15 December, 2019.
R. Afrin, K. Watanabe, S. Arumugam, H. Suzuki, “Le Carbone modulates liver damage in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model through activation of AMPKα-SIRT1 signaling” Book of Abstract of APASL Single Topic Conference 2018 on “HCC: Strategy in the New Era”, Yokohama, Japan, 11-13 May, 2018.
M. R. Afrin, K. Biswas, K. Watanabe, S. Arumugam, H. Suzuki, M.I.I. Wahed, “Liver injury attenuation by quercetin in a novel NASH-HCC mouse model”. Book of Abstract of APASL Single Topic Conference 2018 on “HCC: Strategy in the New Era”, Yokohama, Japan, 11-13 May, 2018.
M. R. Afrin, S. Arumugam, M. I. I. Wahed_, V. Pitchaimani, V. Karuppagounder,R. Sreedhar, M. Harima, H. Suzuki, S. Miyashita, T. Nakamura, K. Suzuki, M. Nakamura, K. Ueno, K. Watanabe, “Curcumin Effectively Inhibits CXCL10 Associated Pathogenesis in the Liver of NASH-HCC Mice Model”. Book of Abstract of 25^th Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver, OP (260) Tokyo, Japan, 20-24, February, 2016.
M.R. Afrin, S. Arumugam, A. Rahman, V. Karuppagounder, M. Harima, H. Suzuki, S. Miyashita, K. Suzuki, H. Yoneyama, K. Ueno, R. Sreedhar, K. Watanabe, “Modulation of HMGB1-NF-κB translocation by curcumin treatment ameliorates liver injury in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model”. Book of Abstract of the conference of AASLD The Liver Meeting 2016, P-1535, Boston, MA, USA, 2016.
M. R Afrin, S. Arumugam, M. I. I. Wahed, M. A. Rahman, V. Pitchaimani, V. Karuppagounder, R. Sreedhar, M. Harima, H. Suzuki, S. Miyashita, K. Suzuki, H. Yoneyama, K. Ueno and K. Watanabe, “Curcumin Ameliorates Progression of Liver Tumors and Damage through Inhibition of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Fibrosis in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Mouse Model”. Book of Abstract of American Diabetes Association, 76^th scientific sessions, New Orleans, LA, USA, 10-14 June, 2016.
M.R. Afrin, S. Arumugam, V. Soetikno, V. Pitchaimani, V. Karuppagounder, R. Sreedhar, M. Harima, H. Suzuki, S. Miyashita, M. Nomoto, K. Suzuki, K. Watanabe, “Curcumin Ameliorates Liver Injury by Attenuation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Mediated Apoptosis in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats”. Book of Abstract of 3^rd ayuns International Ayurvedic & Traditional Medicine Conference, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 29 November, 2014.
M.R. Afrin, S. Arumugam, V. Pitchaimani, V. Karuppagounder, R. Sreedhar, M. Harima, H. Suzuki, S. Miyashita, M. Nomoto, K. Suzuki, K. Watanabe, “Curcumin Ameliorates Liver Injury by Attenuation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Mediated Apoptosis in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats”. Book of Abstract of International Conference on Food for Health in Niigata, Niigata, Japan, 30-31 October, 2014.
V. Karuppagounder, S. Arumugam, R.A. Thandavarayan, V. Pitchaimani, R. Sreedhar, R. Afrin, M. Harima, H. Suzuki, M. Nomoto, S. Miyashita, K. Suzuki, K. Watanabe, “Modulation of HMGB1 release and RAGE/NF-κB cascade by quercetin treatment mitigates skin inflammation in house dust mite-induced atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga transgenic mice”. Book of Abstract of International Conference on Food for Health in Niigata, Niigata, Japan, 30-31 October, 2014.
R. Sreedhar,S. Arumugam, R.A. Thandavarayan, V. Pitchaimani, V. Karuppagounder, R. Afrin, M. Harima, H. Suzuki, M. Nomoto, S. Miyashita, K. Suzuki, K. Watanabe, “Prevention of DSS induced acute colitis by maitake extract fraction in mice”. Book of Abstract of International Conference on Food for Health in Niigata, Niigata, Japan, 30-31 October, 2014.
M.R. Afrin, T. Foyzun, M.A. Kader, M.A.A. Rahman, G. Sadik, “Isolation of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and antioxidant from Vanda roxburghii relevant to treatment of Alzheimer’s disease”. Book of Abstract of Bangladesh Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, 25-26 February, 2012.
T. Foyzun, M. R. Afrin, M.A. Kader, M.A.A. Rahman, S. Zaman, G. Sadik, “Isolation of potent antioxidant from Acacia nilotica pods relevant to treatment of Alzheimer’s disease”. Book of Abstract of the International Symposium on Science for Society, P.68, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2012.

Isolation and identification of bio-active secondary metabolites from the leaves of Corchorus olitorius (Jute plant) for the treatment of pain and inflammation- from Ministry of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2023, (Role: Principal investigator (PI)).
Comparative pharmacological study of the oleanane triterpenoids from Terminalia arjuna in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis- from East West University Center for Research and Training, 2022, (Role: PI)
.Analysis of gut microbiome, Paneth cell function, and secretory IgA in relation to the prevention of Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis – from HIBAH (grant) PUTI 2022 of University of Indonesia, 2022, (Role: Foreign collaborator).
Large Scale Isolation, Purification & Characterization of the Natural Products from Terminalia arjuna & T. chebula, and Evaluation of their Role in Metabolic Disorders – from East West University Center for Research and Training, 2019, (Role: Co-PI).

Awards & Achievements

Awarded research grant from Ministry of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2023 as Principal investigator (PI).
Invited as a keynote speaker at the International Conference on Technological Innovations in Agriculture, Life Sciences and Food & Nutrition (ICALF) 2023 organized by Swami Vivekananda University, Kolkata, India, 27-28 February 2023.
Nominated by Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS) as a young scientist and invited by UNESCO TWAS CASAREP to deliver a lecture on the topic “Contribution of Physics and Chemistry towards Medical Sciences and the Global Health Care”- an online meeting of Young Scientists, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, India, 19-20 January 2023.
Awarded the best poster award at the 5^th Young Scientist Congress on 25-27 November 2022 organized by Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, National Science & Technology Congress, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Awarded research grant from Center for Research and Training (CRT), EWU, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2022 as PI.
Awarded research grant from HIBAH (grant) PUTI 2022 of the University of Indonesia as a foreign collaborator in 2022.
Awarded a certificate as an Eminent Speaker on the 71^st International Virtual Learning series organized by Arulmigu Kalasalingam College of Pharmacy, Krishnakoil-626126, Tamil Nadu, India, August 28, 2020.
Awarded research grant from Center for Research and Training (CRT), EWU, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2019 as Co-PI.
Awarded Japanese government (MEXT) scholarship for research and Ph.D. Program (October 2013 to March 2017).
Awarded gold medal and certificate for the excellent result at Bachelor level in 2012.
Awarded Rajshahi University scholarship at the undergraduate level in 2005.
Awarded Government General Scholarship at Higher Secondary School Level & Secondary School Level, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Bangladesh in 2003 & 2000.
Awarded Government General Scholarship at Primary School Level, Directorate of Primary Education, Bangladesh in 1997.
Won in the debate competition at the college level, in 2003.

Awarded certificate in essay writing competition, 2001.

Teaching Materials

no content

Affiliation Professional Membership

Member of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL)
Member of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Member of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology, Europe.
Member of the Society for Ethnopharmacology of India.

Dr. Rejina Afrin

Faculty

Address

Office

Academic Background

Short Biography

Professional Experience

Research Interest

Selected Publications

International

National

Awards & Achievements

Teaching Materials

Affiliation Professional Membership

Photo Gallery

Your Bright Future is Our Mission

Student

University

Quick Links

Location Map