Modeling the interactions between light and crystallizing polymer during fast cooling
In this work, an experimental set-up able to quench thin polymer films whilst recording the sample thermal history as well as the overall and depolarized light intensities of a laser beam emerging from the sample is described. The interactions between the light beam and the crystallizing material have been modeled accounting for absorption and scattering phenomena. The proposed model was found to be able to reproduce the ex- perimentally observed behavior of light intensities and it was validated by comparison with conventional DSC analysis. On the basis of this model, a method to obtain crystallinity evo- lution is proposed and applied to some fast cooling runs. The method was applied to q…
PHEA-PLA biocompatible nanoparticles by technique of solvent evaporation from multiple emulsions
Nanocarriers of amphiphilic polymeric materials represent versatile delivery systems for poorly water soluble drugs. In this work the technique of solvent evaporation from multiple emulsions was applied to produce nanovectors based on new amphiphilic copolymer, the α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide-polylactic acid (PHEA-PLA), purposely synthesized to be used in the controlled release of active molecules poorly soluble in water. To this aim an amphiphilic derivative of PHEA, a hydrophilic polymer, was synthesized by derivatization of the polymeric backbone with hydrophobic grafts of polylactic acid (PLA). The achieved copolymer was thus used to produce nanoparticles loaded with α toc…
Engineering approaches in siRNA delivery.
siRNAs are very potent drug molecules, able to silence genes involved in pathologies development. siRNAs have virtually an unlimited therapeutic potential, particularly for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. However, their use in clinical practice is limited because of their unfavorable properties to interact and not to degrade in physiological environments. In particular they are large macromolecules, negatively charged, which undergo rapid degradation by plasmatic enzymes, are subject to fast renal clearance/hepatic sequestration, and can hardly cross cellular membranes. These aspects seriously impair siRNAs as therapeutics. As in all the other fields of science, siRNAs management ca…
Smart inulin-based polycationic nanodevices for siRNA delivery
The advances of short interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated therapy provide a powerful option for the treatment of many diseases by silencing the expression of targeted genes including cancer development and progression. Inulin is a very simple and biocompatible polysaccharide proposed by our groups to produce interesting delivery systems for Nucleic Acid Based Drugs (NABDs), such as siRNA, either as polycations able to give polyplexes and polymeric coatings for nanosystems having a metallic core. In this research field, different functionalizing groups were linked to the inulin backbone with specific aims including oligoamine such as Ethylendiammine (EDA), Diethylediamine (DETA), Spermine, (SPM…
Novel Lipid and Polymeric Materials as Delivery Systems for Nucleic Acid Based Drugs
Nucleic acid based drugs (NADBs) are short DNA/RNA molecules that include among others, antisense oligonucleotides, aptamers, small interfering RNAs and micro-interfering RNAs. Despite the different mechanisms of actions, NABDs have the ability to combat the effects of pathological gene expression in many experimental systems. Thus, nowadays, NABDs are considered to have a great therapeutic potential, possibly superior to that of available drugs. Unfortunately, however, the lack of effective delivery systems limits the practical use of NABDs. Due to their hydrophilic nature, NABDs cannot efficiently cross cellular membrane; in addition, they are subjected to fast degradation by cellular and…
Dielectric properties of pineapple as function of temperature and water content
Microwave assisted processing is a new and growing field of interest for food industry (Tang et al., 2002; Schubert & Regier, 2005). Many advantages (fast treatments, selective heating and so on) are obtainable by microwave heating due to its peculiar energy transfer that derives from a direct interaction between electromagnetic field and matter (Metaxas & Meredith, 1983). As foods are poor heat conductors, endogenous heat generation allows to overcome some difficulties that characterise conventional heating methods based on convective/conductive heat transfer phenomena (Barba, 2005; Botha et al., 2012). The key-role in design, modelling and management of microwave assisted processes is pla…
Lipid Delivery Systems for Nucleic-Acid-Based-Drugs: From Production to Clinical Applications
In the last years the rapid development of Nucleic Acid Based Drugs (NABDs) to be used in gene therapy has had a great impact in the medical field, holding enormous promise, becoming “the latest generation medicine” with the first ever siRNA-lipid based formulation approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use, and currently on the market under the trade name Onpattro™. The growth of such powerful biologic therapeutics has gone hand in hand with the progress in delivery systems technology, which is absolutely required to improve their safety and effectiveness. Lipid carrier systems, particularly liposomes, have been proven to be the most su…
Drug delivery of siRNA therapeutics
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a class of nucleic acid-based drugs (NABDs) able to block gene expression by interaction with mRNA before its translation [...]
Orientation and Crystallinity Measurements in Film Casting Products
Film casting experiments were carried out with iPP under processing conditions causing the crystallization process to occur under orienting flow. Draw ratio and cooling rates were changed by varying mass flow rates and die thickness. The effect of processing conditions on film crystallinity was investigated by combining WAXS and FT-IR transmission methods, while orientation of both phases was measured by IR dichroism (according to Fraser's method) and successfully compared to birefringence measurements on final films. Crystallinity appears to be almost insensitive to draw ratio and cooling rate. Moreover the crystallinity profile turned out to be also constant along the transverse film dire…
Advances in Nanoliposomes Production for Ferrous Sulfate Delivery
In this study, a continuous bench scale apparatus based on microfluidic fluid dynamic principles was used in the production of ferrous sulfate-nanoliposomes for pharmaceutical/nutraceutical applications, optimizing their formulation with respect to the products already present on the market. After an evaluation of its fluid dynamic nature, the simil-microfluidic (SMF) apparatus was first used to study the effects of the adopted process parameters on vesicles dimensional features by using ultrasonic energy to enhance liposomes homogenization. Subsequently, iron-nanoliposomes were produced at different weight ratios of ferrous sulfate to the total formulation components (0.06, 0.035, 0.02, an…
Improved experimental characterization of crystallization kinetics
Polymer solidification occurring in many processes, like for instance injection molding, compression molding and extrusion, is a complex phenomenon, strongly influenced by the thermo-mechanical history experienced by the material during processing. From this point of view, characterization of polymer crystallization in the range of processing con- ditions, i.e. including high cooling rate, is of great technological and academic interest. Quiescent, non-isothermal crys- tallization kinetics of two polypropylene resins were investigated using a new method, based on fast cooling of thin samples with air/water sprays and optical detection of the crystallization phenomenon. The range of cooling …