Biography

Dr. Naglaa Saadeldin joined Dubai Medical University as an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, specializing in Natural Product Chemistry. She earned her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Ain Shams University, Egypt. Prior to her current role, she held academic and research positions at leading institutions and contributed to collaborative research across the UAE and internationally.

Dr. Ashmawy’s research focuses on drug discovery from natural sources, with particular expertise in the extraction, isolation, and structural elucidation of secondary metabolites. She is proficient in advanced metabolomic profiling techniques including HPLC, GC/MS, and LC/MS, and applies multivariate analysis in understanding disease mechanisms and identifying novel therapeutic leads. Dr. Ashmawy has published in international peer-reviewed journals, presented her findings at international conferences.

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Education

• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacognosy), Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, 2019.

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Research Interests

• Drug discovery from natural sources through bioassay-guided isolation and structure elucidation of compounds.
• Metabolomic studies for disease understanding.
• Application of chemometric/multivariate analysis in disease research.

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Research Publications

• El-Nashar, H. A. S., Al-Qaaneh, A. M., Al-Azzawi, M. A., Elhawary, E. A., & Ashmawy, N. S. (2026). UPLC-ESI/MS-MS-based phytochemical analysis of Schinopsis balansae leaf extract and anti-skin ageing properties supported with in silico molecular docking experiments. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 15219.
• Payne, B. D., Gafar, M. A., Govender, T., Ashmawy, N. S., & Lall, N. (2026). The anti-ageing potential of Persicaria senegalensis (Meisn.) Sojak & its Bifidobacterium bifidum 11863 fermented counterpart. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 355, 120512.
• Amawi, R. M., & Ashmawy, N. S. (2026). GC-MS-based metabolic profiling of essential oils from Citrus paradisi, Lawsonia inermis, and Ruta graveolens and assessment of their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential. Frontiers in Chemistry, 13, 1761973.
• Shakartalla, S. B., Bouzid, A., Altaie, A. M., Husseiny, M. I., & Soliman, S. S. M. (2025). Hypoxanthine activates PI3K/AKT pathway and lipid metabolism, hallmarks in breast cancer metastasis. Medical Oncology, 42(7), 263.
• Salim, A., Arasteh, A. A., Sahrish, R., Gad, H. A., & Ashmawy, N. S. (2025). Comparative metabolic profiling and biological evaluation of essential oils from Conocarpus species: Antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial potential. Plants, 14(3), 464.
• Laaboudi, W., Ashmawy, N. S., El Hachlafi, N., Al-Maaqar, S. M., & Naceiri Mrabti, H. (2025). Impact of olive tree extract on hyperlipidemia in rats: HPLC analysis of bioactive constituents. CYTA – Journal of Food, 23(1), 2463491.
• Al-Mijalli, S. H. S., Naceiri Mrabti, H., Elbouzidi, A., Mohamed, A., & El Hachlafi, N. (2025). Thymus serpyllum L. essential oil: Phytochemistry and in vitro and in silico screening of its antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 94(1), 209–227.
• El-Nashar, H. A. S., Negmeldin, A. T., Baz, A. E., Lall, N., & Ashmawy, N. S. (2025). GC-MS analysis and tyrosinase inhibitory potential of Pimenta dioica flower essential oil. Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 94(10), 3269–3281.
• Ashmawy, N. S., Nilofar, Zengin, G., & Eldahshan, O. A. (2024). Metabolic profiling and enzyme inhibitory activity of the essential oil of Citrus aurantium fruit peel. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 24(1), 262.
• Shakartalla, S. B., Ashmawy, N. S., Semreen, M. H., Hamdy, R., & Soliman, S. S. M. (2024). $^1\text{H-NMR}$ metabolomics analysis identifies hypoxanthine as a novel metastasis-associated metabolite in breast cancer. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 253.
• Abd Algaffar, S. O., Satyal, P., Ashmawy, N. S., van de Sande, W. W. J., & Khalid, S. A. (2024). In vitro and in vivo wide-spectrum dual antimycetomal activity of eight essential oils coupled with chemical composition and metabolomic profiling. Microbiology Research, 15(3), 1280–1297.
• Baz, A. E., Naceiri Mrabti, H., Ashmawy, N. S., Ifadotunnikmah, F., & Hmimid, F. (2024). Phytochemical characterization, antimicrobial properties and in silico modeling perspectives of Anacyclus pyrethrum essential oil. Heliyon, 10(16), e35079.
• Amawi, R. M., Al-Hussaeni, K., Keeriath, J. J., & Ashmawy, N. S. (2024). A machine learning approach to evaluating the impact of natural oils on Alzheimer’s disease progression. Applied Sciences, 14(15), 6395.
• Ashmawy, N. S., Gad, H. A., & El-Nashar, H. A. S. (2023). Comparative study of essential oils from different organs of Syzygium cumini (Pamposia) based on GC/MS chemical profiling and in vitro antiaging activity. Molecules, 28(23), 7861.
• Abuhijjleh, R. K., Al-Saeedy, D. Y. M., Ashmawy, N. S., Elhady, S. S., & Al-Abd, A. M. (2023). Chemomodulatory effect of the marine-derived metabolite “Terrein” on the anticancer properties of gemcitabine in colorectal cancer cells. Marine Drugs, 21(5), 271.
• Ashmawy, N. S., Zaky, A. A., Badr, N. H., Korin, A., & Farag, M. A. (2026). Foodborne carcinogens: Formation pathways, health risks, and cutting-edge physical and chemical prevention strategies. eFood, 7(3), e70147.
• Al-Madhagy, S. A., Ashmawy, N. S., Mamdouh, A., Eldahshan, O. A., & Farag, M. A. (2023). A comprehensive review of the health benefits of flaxseed oil in relation to its chemical composition and comparison with other omega-3-rich oils. European Journal of Medical Research, 28(1), 240.
• Ashmawy, N. S., Mady, M. M., Arasteh, A. A., Negmeldin, A. T., & EL-Shazly, M. (2026). In silico screening of phytochemicals against epilepsy and other neural disorders. In Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation (Part F1498, pp. 137–153).
• Hamdy, R., Altaie, A. M., El-Labbad, E. M., Husseiny, M. I., & Soliman, S. S. M. (2023). Artificial intelligence and discovery of microbial natural products. In Drug Discovery and Design Using Natural Products (pp. 37–78).
• Peter, P., Amawi, R. M., Al-Hussaeni, K., & Ashmawy, N. S. (2025). An empirical approach toward understanding the impact of essential oils on Alzheimer’s disease progression. In IEEE International Conference on Data Mining Workshops (ICDMW) (pp. 3244–3249).

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External Profiles

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