Il "De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari": un'analisi dal punto di vista della fisica elettrica e dei suoi sviluppi successivi

Luigi Galvani nasce il 9 Settembre 1737 a Bologna, città in cui trascorrerà tutta la vita e nella quale condurrà i suoi studi, la sua professione e le sue ricerche. In questo elaborato intendo analizzare la sua opera più famosa che lo ha collocato in maniera decisiva sul palcoscenico scientifico: il "De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari" pubblicato dall’Istituto delle Scienze di Bologna nel 1791. In questo trattato il medico bolognese esplicita il percorso sperimentale che l’ha portato a sostenere l’ipotesi dell’esistenza dell’”elettricità animale”, nozione che ha destato grande stupore all’epoca e che ha concorso alla nascita della moderna elettrofisiologia. Nonostante l’intento dell’opera sia prettamente medico, in essa sono presenti notevoli elementi di fisica elettrica che lo rendono un testo molto interessante dal punto di vista della storia della fisica. L’analisi che viene qui presentata metterà in risalto anche le anticipazioni che possono essere colte nel testo e che riguardano sviluppi successivi inerenti l’elettrodinamica e l’elettromagnetismo

Development and Characterization of Azithromycin-Loaded Microemulsions: A Promising Tool for the Treatment of Bacterial Skin Infections

In recent years, the treatment of bacterial skin infections has been considered a major healthcare issue due to the growing emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The incorporation of antibiotics in appropriate nanosystems could represent a promising strategy, able to overcome several drawbacks of the topical treatment of infections, including poor drug retention within the skin. The present work aims to develop microemulsions containing azithromycin (AZT), a broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotic. Firstly, AZT solubility in various oils, surfactants and co-surfactants was assessed to select the main components. Subsequently, microemulsions composed of vitamin E acetate, Labrasol (R) and Transcutol (R) P were prepared and characterized for their pH, viscosity, droplet size, zeta potential and ability to release the drug and to promote its retention inside porcine skin. Antimicrobial activity against S. aureus methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) and the biocompatibility of microemulsions were evaluated. Microemulsions showed an acceptable pH and were characterized by different droplet sizes and viscosities depending on their composition. Interestingly, they provided a prolonged release of AZT and promoted its accumulation inside the skin. Finally, microemulsions retained AZT efficacy on MRSA and were not cytotoxic. Hence, the developed AZT-loaded microemulsions could be considered as useful nanocarriers for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections of the skin

Crosslinked Poly(Methyl Vinyl Ether-Co-Maleic Anhydride) as Topical Vehicles for Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Drugs

Poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride) crosslinked with ethylene glycol (GZ-ET), 1,4-butanediol (GZ-BUT), 1,6-exandiol (GZ-EX), 1,8-octanediol (GZ-OCT), 1,10-decanediol (GZ-DEC) or 1,12-dodecanediol (GZ-DOD) was prepared and employed as a supporting material for aqueous topical gels containing pyridoxine hydrochloride (PYCL) chosen as a hydrophilic model molecule or for O/A emulsion containing beta-carotene chosen as a hydrophobic model molecule. We analyzed the effect of the nature of the crosslinker on the permeation of hydrophilic and lipophilic vitamins through porcine skin by in vitro permeation studies. The vehicles formed by crosslinked poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride) showed enhanced vitamins permeation with respect to the same vehicles formed by noncrosslinked poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride) (GZ). The decrease in the crosslinker acyl chain length provides vehicles accelerating the drug permeability through the skin

Poly(Vinylalcohol-Co-Vinyloleate) for the Preparation of Micelles Enhancing Retinyl Palmitate Transcutaneous Permeation

The amphiphilic properties of poly(vinylalcohol) substituted with oleic acid was evaluated to assess the possibility to prepare polymeric micelles in an aqueous phase containing a hydrophobic core able to host lipophilic drugs such as retinyl palmitate and thereby enhance its transcutaneous absorption in the stratum corneum. The effect of the increased drug absorption suggests the possibility of interaction between the substituted polymer and the components present in the intercorneocyte spaces. Correlations between the drug concentration in the preparative mixture, micelle size, and drug permeation were evaluated to establish the best functional properties of the micellar systems enhancing retinyl palmitate absorption. Transcutaneous absorption increased with decreasing micelle size, and micelle size decreased on decreasing the drug concentration in the preparative mixture

Drug delivery to the brain: In situ gelling formulation enhances carbamazepine diffusion through nasal mucosa models with mucin

The objective of this work was to optimize a thermosensitive in situ gelling formulation to improve intranasal and nose-to-brain delivery of the antiepileptic drug carbamazepine (CBZ). A preliminary procedure of vehicles obtained just mixing different fractions of poloxamer 407 (P407) and poloxamer 188 (P188) revealed preparations with phase transition temperatures, times to gelation and pH values suitable for nasal delivery. Subsequently, the mucoadhesive properties of the most promising formulations were tuned by adding hydroxypropylmethylcellulose types of different viscosity grades, and the effect of the adhesive polymers was evaluated by testing in vitro time and strength of mucoadhesion on specimens of sheep nasal mucosa. The formulation that showed the greatest mucoadhesive potential in vitro, with a time and force of mucoadhesion equal to 1746,75 s and 3.66 × 10-4 N, respectively, was that composed of 22% P407, 5% P188 and 0.8% HPMC low-viscous and it was further investigated for its ability to increase drug solubility and to control the release of the drug. Lastly, the capability of the candidate vehicle to ensure drug permeation across the biomimetic membrane Permeapad®, an artificial phospholipid-based barrier with a stratified architecture, and the same barrier enriched with a mucin layer was verified. The final formulation was characterized by a pH value of 6.0, underwent gelation at 32.33°C in 37.85 s, thus showing all the features required by in situ gelling thermosensitive preparations designed for nasal delivery and, more notably, it conserved the ability to favor drug permeation in the presence of mucin. These findings suggest that the optimized gelling system could be a promising and easy to realize strategy to improve CBZ delivery to the brain exploiting both a direct and indirect pathway

Drug-in-cyclodextrin-in-polymeric nanoparticles: A promising strategy for rifampicin administration

The aim of this work was to develop novel chitosan (CH) based nanoparticles (NPs) for rifampicin (RIF) delivery. RIF, a lipophilic molecule, was incorporated inside NPs as a complex with an anionic cyclodextrin, sulphobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD). NPs were then prepared through the ionic gelation method by exploiting the interaction between CH and SBE-β-CD-RIF complex (CH/SBE-β-CD-RIF NPs), possibly in the presence of other crosslinkers, like carboxymethylcellulose (CH/SBE-β-CD-RIF/CMC NPs) and pentasodium tripolyphosphate (CH/SBE-β-CD-RIF/TPP NPs). NPs were then characterized for their size, ζ-potential, morphology, yield, drug loading, stability, mucoadhesion, in vitro drug release and antimicrobial activity. Results demonstrated that the functional properties of loaded NPs, like their size, ζ-potential, and stability, varied on the basis of the CH/crosslinker weight ratio. Interestingly, all the developed NPs had a round shape and were characterized by high yield values and mucoadhesive properties. Among them, NPs based on CH/SBE-β-CD-RIF and CH/SBE-β-CD-RIF/CMC have gained high drug loading, provided a sustained release of RIF and showed the best antimicrobial activity. Thus, both types of NPs may be considered as promising nanocarriers for the release of RIF

"Cyrano nose" associated with hepatic hemangiomas successfully treated with propranolol

n/

Design and Characterization of an Ethosomal Gel Encapsulating Rosehip Extract

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Rising environmental awareness drives green consumers to purchase sustainable cosmetics based on natural bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to deliver Rosa canina L. extract as a botanical ingredient in an anti-aging gel using an eco-friendly approach. Rosehip extract was first characterized in terms of its antioxidant activity through a DPPH assay and ROS reduction test and then encapsulated in ethosomal vesicles with different percentages of ethanol. All formulations were characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency. Release and skin penetration/permeation data were obtained through in vitro studies, and cell viability was assessed using an MTT assay on WS1 fibroblasts. Finally, ethosomes were incorporated in hyaluronic gels (1% or 2% w/v) to facilitate skin application, and rheological properties were studied. Rosehip extract (1 mg/mL) revealed a high antioxidant activity and was successfully encapsulated in ethosomes containing 30% ethanol, having small sizes (225.4 ± 7.0 nm), low polydispersity (0.26 ± 0.02), and good entrapment efficiency (93.41 ± 5.30%). This formulation incorporated in a hyaluronic gel 1% w/v showed an optimal pH for skin application (5.6 ± 0.2), good spreadability, and stability over 60 days at 4 °C. Considering sustainable ingredients and eco-friendly manufacturing technology, the ethosomal gel of rosehip extract could be an innovative and green anti-aging skincare product.The authors are thankful to Sofia Melo Rocha for her contribution to the work. The authors thank the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (UIDB/04138/2020 and UIDP/04138/2020 for iMed.ULisboa, CEECINST/00145/2018 for J. Marto, and CEEC-IND/03143/2017 for L. M. Gonçalves).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Design and Characterization of an Ethosomal Gel Encapsulating Rosehip Extract

: Rising environmental awareness drives green consumers to purchase sustainable cosmetics based on natural bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to deliver Rosa canina L. extract as a botanical ingredient in an anti-aging gel using an eco-friendly approach. Rosehip extract was first characterized in terms of its antioxidant activity through a DPPH assay and ROS reduction test and then encapsulated in ethosomal vesicles with different percentages of ethanol. All formulations were characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency. Release and skin penetration/permeation data were obtained through in vitro studies, and cell viability was assessed using an MTT assay on WS1 fibroblasts. Finally, ethosomes were incorporated in hyaluronic gels (1% or 2% w/v) to facilitate skin application, and rheological properties were studied. Rosehip extract (1 mg/mL) revealed a high antioxidant activity and was successfully encapsulated in ethosomes containing 30% ethanol, having small sizes (225.4 ± 7.0 nm), low polydispersity (0.26 ± 0.02), and good entrapment efficiency (93.41 ± 5.30%). This formulation incorporated in a hyaluronic gel 1% w/v showed an optimal pH for skin application (5.6 ± 0.2), good spreadability, and stability over 60 days at 4 °C. Considering sustainable ingredients and eco-friendly manufacturing technology, the ethosomal gel of rosehip extract could be an innovative and green anti-aging skincare product