Search results for "DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS"
showing 10 items of 304 documents
Nanocapsules generated out of a polymeric dexamethasone shell suppress the inflammatory response of liver macrophages.
2012
Abstract Dexamethasone (DXM) is a synthetic glucocorticoid with anti-inflammatory properties. Targeted delivery of dexamethasone to inflammatory cells, e.g. macrophages and Kupffer cells represents a promising approach to minimize side effects. The aim of the present study was to induce a targeted transport of novel DXM-based biodegradable nanocapsules to phagocytic cells. Nanocapsules (NCs) consisting of a hydroxyethylated glucose polymer (hydroxyethyl starch, HES) shell with encapsulated DXM and NCs synthesized exclusively in inverse miniemulsion out of DXM were investigated. Non-parenchymal murine liver cells served as target cells. HES-DXM NCs were predominantly incorporated by Kupffer …
Topical therapies for oral lichen planus management and their efficacy: a narrative review.
2012
Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory condition implicating T cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and involving oral mucosal surfaces. Several therapeutic regimens have been evaluated to treat OLP and pain related, but often without high level of evidence. Topical formulations are the favourite for the majority of cases; bioadhesive formulations have been considered very useful and practical for local drug delivery in oral mucosa, due to the increased residence time on the oral mucosa of the dosage forms and better therapeutic efficacy. In this narrative review, authors try to illustrate the current topical managements for OLP from the accessible literature on this topic. Steroids are …
Co-culture systems for vascularization — Learning from nature
2011
The endothelial cell (EC) is practically ubiquitous in the human body and forms the inner cellular lining of the entire cardiovascular system. Following tissue injury, the microcirculation becomes the stage for both the inflammatory response and the subsequent healing reaction to restore physiological function to the damaged tissue. The advent of the multidisciplinary field of Regenerative Medicine (RegMed), of which Tissue Engineering (TE) and drug delivery using modern stimuli-responsive or interactive biomaterials are important components, has opened up new approaches to the acceleration of the healing response. A central and rate-limiting role in the latter is played by the process of v…
Novel cytokine-targeted therapies and intestinal inflammation
2009
Several cytokines have been identified as critical mediators of chronic inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and biological therapies that target these molecules have been developed during recent years. Thereby, anti-TNF agents have noticeably improved the treatment of patients with IBD in comparison to conventional therapy. Furthermore, initial clinical trials showed promising results with anti-IL-6 and anti-IL-12/IL-23 agents. In addition to these well-known mediators of IBD, various novel cytokines have been described as critical during the pathogenesis of IBD in recent experimental studies and therapeutic targeting of these cytokines could provide new strategies for human di…
A hyaluronic acid/cyclodextrin based injectable hydrogel for local doxorubicin delivery to solid tumors
2020
Localized delivery of anticancer drugs is often the most useful therapeutic approach for the treatment of solid tumors. The use of injectable polymeric systems that maximize drug concentration in the proximal area of the tumor represents an extremely advantageous therapeutic strategy. Here, the development of an injectable in situ forming hydrogel was accomplished by exploiting the azo-type Michael reaction between an amine derivative of hyaluronic and vinylsulfone functionalized -cyclodextrins complexing doxorubicin. This injectable system can be easily prepared and administered with timelines compatible with normal operating room procedures, as demonstrated by rheological tests. In vitro…
Rational Chemical Multifunctionalization of Graphene Interface Enhances Targeted Cancer Therapy
2020
The synthesis of a drug delivery platform based on graphene was achieved through a step‐by‐step strategy of selective amine deprotection and functionalization. The multifunctional graphene platform, functionalized with indocyanine green, folic acid, and doxorubicin showed an enhanced anticancer activity. The remarkable targeting capacity for cancer cells in combination with the synergistic effect of drug release and photothermal properties prove the great advantage of a combined chemo‐ and phototherapy based on graphene against cancer, opening the doors to future therapeutic applications of this type of material.
Biocompatible Lipid Nanoparticles as Carriers to Improve Curcumin Efficacy in Ovarian Cancer Treatment
2017
Curcumin is a natural molecule with proved anticancer efficacy on several human cancer cell lines. However, its clinical application has been limited due to its poor bioavailability. Nanocarrier-based drug delivery approaches could make curcumin dispersible in aqueous media, thus overtaking the limits of its low solubility. The aim of this study was to increase the bioavailability and the antitumoral activity of curcumin, by entrapping it into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). For this purpose here we describe the preparation and characterization of three kinds of curcumin-loaded NLCs. The nanosystems allowed the achievement of a controlled release of curcumin, the amounts of curcumin r…
Hyaluronan Graft Copolymers Bearing Fatty-Acid Residues as Self-Assembling Nanoparticles for Olanzapine Delivery
2019
In order to evaluate the potential of a technology platform based on hyaluronan copolymers grafted with propargylated ferulate fluorophores (HA-FA-Pg) in the development of drug delivery systems, the propargyl groups of HA-FA-Pg derivatives were employed with oleic acid (OA) or stearic acid (SA) residues across a biocompatible hexa(ethylene glycol) (HEG) spacer. The designed materials (i.e., HA-FA-HEG-OA or HA-FA-HEG-SA) showed clear-cut aggregation features in an aqueous environment, as confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), generating nanoaggregate systems. In fact, HA-FA-HEG-OA and HA-FA-HEG-SA derivatives showed the property to create sel…
Improvements in Rational Design Strategies of Inulin Derivative Polycation for siRNA Delivery.
2016
The advances of short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated therapy provide a powerful option for the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, by silencing the expression of targeted genes involved in the progression of the pathology. On this regard, a new pH-responsive polycation derived from inulin, Inulin-g-imidazole-g-diethylenetriamine (INU-IMI-DETA), was designed and employed to produce INU-IMI-DETA/siRNA "Inulin COmplex Nanoaggregates" (ICONs). The experimental results showed that INU-IMI-DETA exhibited strong cationic characteristics and high solubility in the pH range 3-5 and self-aggregation triggered by pH increase and physiological salt concentration. INU-IMI-DETA showed as well…
Targeting the mevalonate pathway for improved anticancer therapy.
2009
The mevalonate pathway is important for the generation of isoprene moieties thereby providing the basis for the biosynthesis of molecules required for maintaining membrane integrity, steroid production and cell respiration. Additionally, isoprene precursors are indispensable for the prenylation of regulatory proteins such as Ras and Ras-homologous (Rho) GTPases. These low molecular GTP-binding proteins play key roles in numerous signal transduction pathways stimulated upon activation of cell surface receptors by ligand binding. Thus, Ras/Rho proteins eventually regulate cell proliferation, tumor progression and cell death induced by anticancer therapeutics. Lipid modification of Ras/Rho pro…