108 research outputs found
Drug delivery in overcoming the blood-brain barrier: role of nasal mucosal grafting
The blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays a fundamental role in protecting and maintaining the homeostasis of the brain. For this reason, drug delivery to the brain is much more difficult than that to other compartments of the body. In order to bypass or cross the BBB, many strategies have been developed: invasive techniques, such as temporary disruption of the BBB or direct intraventricular and intracerebral administration of the drug, as well as noninvasive techniques. Preliminary results, reported in the large number of studies on the potential strategies for brain delivery, are encouraging, but it is far too early to draw any conclusion about the actual use of these therapeutic approaches. Among the most recent, but still pioneering, approaches related to the nasal mucosa properties, the permeabilization of the BBB via nasal mucosal engrafting can offer new potential opportunities. It should be emphasized that this surgical procedure is quite invasive, but the implication for patient outcome needs to be compared to the gold standard of direct intracranial injection, and evaluated whilst keeping in mind that central nervous system diseases and lysosomal storage diseases are chronic and severely debilitating and that up to now no therapy seems to be completely successful
Development of bio-scaffolds for tendon regeneration
Introduction
Novel scaffold approach is a potential alternative for tendon regeneration. Natural healing capacity of tendons is limited. Several conventional approaches are available for tendon repair but all have their own limitations. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering aspire to develop functional substitutes by combining embryonic cells, degradable polymers and immune modulators for tendon tissue repair.
Materials & Methods
Nanoparticles will be prepared and characterizationed (Paolino et al., 2013). Bioscaffold will be synthesized and characterized co-loaded with nanoparticles and growth factors (He et al., 2005). Then Implanted in ovine preclinical rabbit model (Chen., et al, 2009) for veterinary clinical trials.
Future perspectives and discussion
Bioscaffolds exhibit several unique properties, such as biocompatibility, porosity and mechanical strength. We would like to synthesize and test biocompatible scaffolds integrated with nanoparticles for co-delivery of bioactive compounds for tendon tissue regeneration and then tested in ovine preclinical rabbit model.
Conclusion
Countless efforts have been made, treatment of tendon injuries still remains a challenge. An efficient strategy is the need of hour for tendon tissue engineering. We are working to synthesize biocompatible scaffolds integrated with nanoparticles and growth facors
Oleuropein-Laded Ufasomes Improve the Nutraceutical Efficacy
Ufasomes are unsaturated fatty acid liposomes made up of oleic and linoleic acids, natural
components required in various biological processes. This kind of nanocarrier is characterized
by a simple and dynamic structure and is able to improve the bioavailability of unsaturated fatty
acids. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate ufasomes as natural compound delivery systems
to deliver oleuropein and improve its antioxidant activity. Oleuropein is a phenolic compound
mainly present in olives and olive oil, with several biological properties, such as the antioxidant
activity. However, to improve their biological activity, antioxidant compounds should be able to
cross cell membranes and uniformly incorporate in cells. Because of the great similarity between
their constituents and cell membranes, ufasomes could be advantageous carriers for oleuropein
delivery. The physico-chemical characteristics of ufasomes were investigated. A regular shape was
shown by transmission electron microscopy studies, while the mean sizes were dependent on the
ufasomes composition. In vitro studies highlighted that empty ufasomes did not lead to cell mortality
at the tested concentrations and a good carrier internalization in CaCo-2 cells, further studies in vitro
studies demonstrated that oleuropein-loaded ufasomes were able to enhance the antioxidant activity
of the free active substance making this carrier a suitable one for nutraceutical application
Influence of drug/lipid interaction on the entrapment efficiency of isoniazid in liposomes for antitubercular therapy: a multi-faced investigation
Hypothesis. Isoniazid is one of the primary drugs used in tuberculosis
treatment. Isoniazid encapsulation in liposomal vesicles can improve drug
therapeutic index and minimize toxic and side effects. In this work, we
consider mixtures of hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylglycerol
(HSPC/DPPG) to get novel biocompatible liposomes for isoniazid pulmonary
delivery. Our goal is to understand if the entrapped drug affects bilayer
structure.
Experiments. HSPC-DPPG unilamellar liposomes are prepared and characterized
by dynamic light scattering, -potential, fluorescence anisotropy and
Transmission Electron Microscopy. Isoniazid encapsulation is determined by UV
and Laser Transmission Spectroscopy. Calorimetry, light scattering and Surface
Pressure measurements are used to get insight on adsorption and thermodynamic
properties of lipid bilayers in the presence of the drug.
Findings. We find that INH-lipid interaction can increase the entrapment
capability of the carrier due to isoniazid adsorption. The preferential
INH-HSPC dipole-dipole interaction promotes modification of lipid packing and
ordering and favors the condensation of a HSPC-richer phase in molar excess of
DPPG. Our findings highlight the importance of fundamental investigations of
drug-lipid interactions for the optimal design of liposomal nanocarriers.Comment: 28 pages (main manuscript + supplementary information
In Vitro Characterization and Real-Time Label-Free Assessment of the Interaction of Chitosan-Coated Niosomes with Intestinal Cellular Monolayers
In vitro cell-based characterization methods of nanoparticles are generally static and require the use of secondary analysis techniques and labeling agents. In this study, bare niosomes and chitosan-coated niosomes (chitosomes) and their interactions with intestinal cells are studied under dynamic conditions and without fluorescent probes, using surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based cell sensing. Niosomes and chitosomes were synthesized by using Tween 20 and cholesterol in a 15 mM:15 mM ratio and then characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS). DLS analysis demonstrated that bare niosomes had average sizes of ∼125 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) below 0.2, and a negative zeta (ζ)-potential of −35.6 mV. In turn, chitosomes had increased sizes up to ∼180 nm, with a PDI of 0.2–0.3 and a highly positive ζ-potential of +57.9 mV. The viability of HT29-MTX, Caco-2, and Caco-2/HT29-MTX cocultured cells showed that both niosomes and chitosomes are cytocompatible up to concentrations of 31.6 μg/mL for at least 240 min. SPR analysis demonstrated that chitosomes interact more efficiently with HT29-MTX, Caco-2, and Caco-2/HT29-MTX cocultures compared to bare niosomes. The resulting SPR measurements were further supported by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry studies, which demonstrated that this method is a useful complementary or even alternative tool to directly characterize the interactions between niosomes and in vitro cell models in label-free and real-time conditions
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