Sustainable Valorization of Tomato By-Products to Obtain Bioactive Compounds: Their Potential in Inflammation and Cancer Management.

Tomato producing and processing industries present undoubted potential for industrial discarded products valorization whether due to the overproduction of fresh tomatoes or to the loss during processing. Although tomato by-products are not yet considered a raw material, several studies have suggested innovative and profitable applications. It is often referred to as "tomato pomace" and is quite rich in a variety of bioactive compounds.

Design of a Nasal Spray Based on Extract Loaded in Phospholipid Vesicles Enriched with Gelatin or Chondroitin Sulfate.

The extract of L. () obtained from flower, leaf and vine was loaded into modified phospholipid vesicles aiming at obtaining sprayable, biocompatible and effective nasal spray formulations for the treatment of nasopharyngeal diseases. Penetration enhancer-containing vesicles (PEVs) and hyalurosomes were formulated, and stabilized by adding a commercial gelatin from fish (20 mg/mL) or chondroitin sulfate from catshark cartilages ( 20 mg/mL).

Novel Antiretroviral Therapeutic Strategies for HIV.

When the first cases of HIV infection appeared in the 1980s, AIDS was a deadly disease without any therapeutic alternatives. Currently, there is still no cure for most cases mainly due to the multiple tissues that act as a reservoir for this virus besides the high viral mutagenesis that leads to an antiretroviral drug resistance. Throughout the years, multiple drugs with specific mechanisms of action on distinct targets have been approved.

Are green roofs the path to clean air and low carbon cities?

Green roofs, as part of urban green structures, have been pointed out as the solution to pursuit the goal of healthy cities. This study aims to investigate the direct, focused on meteorological changes, and indirect, related to both meteorological and emissions changes, impacts of green roofs on air quality (PM10, NO and O). For that, the numerical modelling system composed by the WRF-SLUCM-CHIMERE models was applied to a 1-year period (2017), having as case study the Porto urban area.

Assessing air pollution in European cities to support a citizen centered approach to air quality management.

European cities have made significant progress over the last decades towards clean air. Despite this progress, several cities are still facing acute air pollution episodes, with various urban areas frequently exceeding air quality levels allowed by the European legal standards and WHO guidelines. In this paper, six European cities/ regions (Bristol, UK; Amsterdam, NL; Sosnowiec, PL; Ljubljana, SI; Aveiro, PT; Liguria, IT) are studied in terms of air quality, namely particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.

Novel and Modified Neutrophil Elastase Inhibitor Loaded in Topical Formulations for Psoriasis Management.

Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) is a serine protease that degrades matrix proteins. An excess of HNE may trigger several pathological conditions, such as psoriasis. In this work, we aimed to synthesize, characterize and formulate new HNE inhibitors with a 4-oxo-β-lactam scaffold with less toxicity, as well as therapeutic index in a psoriasis context.

The Brain-Skin Connection and the Pathogenesis of Psoriasis: A Review with a Focus on the Serotonergic System.

Psoriasis is a common non-communicable chronic immune-mediated skin disease, affecting approximately 125 million people in the world. Its pathogenesis results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The pathogenesis of psoriasis seems to be driven by the interaction between innate immune cells, adaptive immune cells and keratinocytes, in a process mediated by cytokines (including interleukins (IL)-6, IL-17 and IL-22, interferon and tumor necrosis factor) and other signaling molecules.

Therapeutic advances in wound healing.

Wound healing is a complex physiological process that occurs in the human body involving the sequential activation of multiple cell types and signaling pathways in a coordinated manner. Chronic wounds and burns clearly decrease quality of life of the patients since they are associated with an increase in physical pain and socio-economical complications. Furthermore, incidence and prevalence of chronic wounds (unlike burns) have been increasing mainly due to population aging resulting in increased costs for national health systems.

Taxonomic revision of the Erythrolamprus reginae species group, with description of a new species from Guiana Shield (Serpentes: Xenodontinae).

We perform a review of the Erythrolamprus reginae species group and putative related taxa (E. dorsocorallinus, E. zweifeli, and E.

Cytotoxic effect of the serotonergic drug 1-(1-Naphthyl)piperazine against melanoma cells.

1-(1-Naphthyl)piperazine (1-NPZ) is a serotonergic derivative of quipazine acting both as antagonist and agonist of different serotonin receptors, with promising results for the management of skin cancer. In this work, we studied the effect of 1-NPZ on human MNT-1 melanoma cells by evaluating its effects on cell viability, ability to form colonies, cell cycle dynamics, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis. Treatment of MNT-1 cells with 1-NPZ for 24h decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner.

Evaluation of critical parameters for in vitro skin permeation and penetration studies using animal skin models.

In vitro skin permeation/penetration studies may be affected by many sources of variation. Herein, we aimed to investigate the major critical procedures of in vitro skin delivery studies. These experiments were performed with model drugs according to official guidelines.

Development and characterization of new and scalable topical formulations containing N-acetyl-d-glucosamine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles.

N-Acetyl-d-glucosamine (NAG) has been recently considered for topical treatment of hyperpigmentation disorders due to its inhibitory effect on thyrosinase enzymes in melanocytes. NAG is a precursor of hyaluronic acid, increasing its amount in skin, and consequently, preserving the skin hydration and elasticity. It may also act as an emulsion stabilizer.

Ethosomes for enhanced skin delivery of griseofulvin.

Griseofulvin (GRF) is an important antifungal drug with low bioavailability and, for this reason, a topical formulation with a targeted action and minimal systemic effects, appears to be a preferable solution. GRF poor solubility has limited the development of topical formulations and their release to the market. The aim of this work was to prepare a new GRF formulation for topical application using lipid-based nanosystems; to study its permeation and penetration, cell viability and to evaluate its therapeutic action.

Development and characterization of novel 1-(1-Naphthyl)piperazine-loaded lipid vesicles for prevention of UV-induced skin inflammation.

1-(1-Naphthyl)piperazine (1-NPZ) has shown promising effects by inhibiting UV radiation-induced immunosuppression. Ultradeformable vesicles are recent advantageous systems capable of improving the (trans)dermal drug delivery. The aim of this study was to investigate 1-NPZ-loaded transethosomes (NPZ-TE) and 1-NPZ-loaded vesicles containing dimethyl sulfoxide (NPZ-DM) as novel delivery nanosystems, and to uncover their chemopreventive effect against UV-induced acute inflammation.

Pickering emulsions: challenges and opportunities in topical delivery.

Introduction: Topical drug delivery is a challenging area with many advantages such as avoidance of first passage effect, stabilization of blood concentrations and attainment of local therapeutic effect with fewer side effects. Despite all these advantages, topical drug delivery remains limited to few molecules, since skin acts as a barrier to the delivery of many therapeutic molecules. To overcome this obstacle, a favored strategy relies on selecting suitable vehicles for dermatologic therapy, such as emulsions, gels and, more recently, nanoparticulate systems.

Melatonin-based pickering emulsion for skin's photoprotection.

Context: Based on its antioxidant activity, melatonin was recently found to have a protection effect against photocarcinogenesis.

Objective: This work aimed to develop an innovative sunscreen formulation based on the Pickering emulsions concept, stabilized by physical UV filters, modified starch and natural oils associated to melatonin as a key strategy for prevention against UV-induced skin damage.

Materials And Methods: For this purpose, melatonin was incorporated in Pickering emulsions that were characterized using physicochemical, in vitro and in vivo testing.

The Effect of Lycopene Preexposure on UV-B-Irradiated Human Keratinocytes.

Unlabelled: Lycopene has been reported as the antioxidant most quickly depleted in skin upon UV irradiation, and thus it might play a protective role. Our goal was to investigate the effects of preexposure to lycopene on UV-B-irradiated skin cells. Cells were exposed for 24 h to 10 M lycopene, and subsequently irradiated and left to recover for another 24 h period.

Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, but not sedentary behavior, are associated with carotid intima-media thickness in obese adolescents.

Unlabelled: This study aimed to analyze the associations between sedentary behavior, physical activity (PA), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), a marker of atherosclerosis already present at an early stage among obese adolescents. The associations between anthropometric measures, sedentary time, PA, CRF, and cIMT of 54 Caucasian obese adolescents were analyzed using partial correlations (controlling for age and sex) and multiple linear regressions. Differences between participants with and without a healthy CRF were also analyzed using independent sample t test.

Development, characterization, and skin delivery studies of related ultradeformable vesicles: transfersomes, ethosomes, and transethosomes.

Ultradeformable vesicles (UDV) have recently become a promising tool for the development of improved and innovative dermal and transdermal therapies. The aim of this work was to study three related UDV: transfersomes, ethosomes, and transethosomes for the incorporation of actives of distinct polarities, namely, vitamin E and caffeine, and to evaluate the effect of the carrier on skin permeation and penetration. These actives were incorporated in UDV formulations further characterized for vesicles imaging by transmission electron microscopy; mean vesicle size and polydispersity index by photon correlation spectroscopy; zeta potential by laser-Doppler anemometry; deformability by pressure-driven transport; and incorporation efficiency (IE) after actives quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Prevention of Photocarcinogenesis by Agonists of 5-HT1A and Antagonists of 5-HT2A Receptors.

Exposure to UV radiation is the principal cause of nonmelanoma skin cancer, a process in which serotonin (5-HT) is intimately involved. This review focuses on the potential of serotonin receptors, namely 5-HT1/2A, as therapeutic targets for prevention of photocarcinogenesis. UV-induced immunosuppression is triggered by a cascade of events initiated when cis-urocanic acid, a UV photoreceptor present in the skin, binds to the serotonin receptor.

Chemoprevention of photocarcinogenesis by lycopene.

This review focuses on the photoprotection conferred by lycopene, one of the most potent anti-oxidants. Lycopene has been recently proposed to play a critical role on anticarcinogenic action at different levels. The photoprotective properties of lycopene remain contradictory.

In vitro and in vivo topical delivery studies of tretinoin-loaded ultradeformable vesicles.

Introduction: Ultradeformable vesicles are highly promising tools to enhance the percutaneous transport of different drugs such as tretinoin across the skin barrier and also to increase the formulation stability at absorption site and reduce the drug induced irritation.

Methods: Topical delivery of tretinoin-loaded ultradeformable vesicles (tretinoin-UDV) was evaluated concerning different studies, such as: the release and permeation profiles (tape stripping); skin penetration (fluorescence analysis); induced electrical changes in skin barrier properties; cytotoxicity (Trypan Blue assay) and skin irritation in in vivo conditions (Draize test). The novel formulation performance was also compared to a commercial tretinoin formulation regarding in vivo studies.