is a plant widely cultivated for food and medicinal purposes. species have been reported as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anxiolytic, and antinephritic agents. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of the ethanolic extract (EE) from the aerial parts of and its most promising fraction in models of acute and chronic inflammation, including a psoriasis-like mouse model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColloids Surf B Biointerfaces
February 2025
This study aims to develop and characterize poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles decorated with chitosan (CS) for the encapsulation of dexamethasone (DEX) (NP-DEX-CS), targeting improved efficacy in the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) associated with COVID-19. The nanoparticles were systematically characterized for size, zeta potential (ZP), morphology, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug release. Incorporation of CS resulted in significant modifications in the nanoparticles' physical properties, notably an increase in size (from 207.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acquired resistance and adverse effects are some of the challenges faced by thousands of Luminal A breast cancer patients under tamoxifen (TMX) treatment. Some authors associate the overexpression of HOXB7 with TMX resistance in this molecular subtype, and the knockdown of this gene could be an effective strategy to regain TMX sensitivity. Therefore, we used calcium phosphate hybrid nanoparticles (HNP) for the delivery of short interfering RNA molecule (siRNA) complementary to the HOXB7 gene and evaluated the RNA interference (RNAi) effects associated with TMX treatment in breast cancer in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pharm Pharmacol
October 2024
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether the plant species Stachys byzantina produces bioactives with the potential to delay the skin ageing process and treat hyperpigmentation conditions.
Methods: The antioxidant action was assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazylradical scavenging, Griess reaction, oxygen radical absorption capacity, and β-carotene bleaching assays. Inhibitory activities for tyrosinase, hyaluronidase, and elastase enzymes were tested.
Background: Considering that antimicrobial resistance among oral pathogens is a significant concern in dental practice, with broader implications for overall health due to the oral microbiota serving as a reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), research into natural products is crucial for addressing this issue.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate tea tree oil (TTO) and chitosan (CH) performance against oral pathogens, including mixed-species biofilm, and its effects on bacteria growth, in addition to chemical characterization and cytotoxicity of TTO.
Methods: Tea Tree Oil and low molecular weight chitosan were used in this study.
J Ethnopharmacol
January 2025
Copaifera officinalis Oleoresin (COR) and Chitosan (CH) were combined to test the potential to inhibit oral bacteria. First, COR was analyzed by GC-MS to identify its main constituents and then Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assays and Minimum Microbiocidal Concentration (MMC) of the compounds alone against 17 pathogens were performed. Sixteen primary compounds were identified in COR, but the major constituent was β-Caryophyllene (40.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, largely due to the limited efficacy of anticancer drugs, which is primarily attributed to insufficient doses reaching the lungs. Additionally, patients undergoing treatment experience severe systemic adverse effects due to the distribution of anticancer drugs to non-targeted sites. In light of these challenges, there has been a growing interest in pulmonary administration of drugs for the treatment of lung cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem
November 2024
Unlabelled: Ferulic acid is a widely distributed phenolic substance with diverse bioactive properties, which has been widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. Wounds are complex skin lesions to treat and their treatment is long and costly. This encourages the search for alternative treatments, especially in the area of bioactive substances of natural origin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPereskia aculeata has been widely investigated due to its anti-inflammatory potential. Among the metabolites found in this species are the phytosterols beta-sitosterol (β-SIT) and stigmasterol (STIG). The objective of the study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and toxicity activities of the hexane partition of P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColloids Surf B Biointerfaces
June 2024
Vulvovaginal candidiasis, mostly caused by Candida albicans, remains a prevalent concern in women's health. Annona muricata L. (Annonaceae), a plant native from Brazil, is well-known for its therapeutic potential, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe evolution of respiratory diseases represents a considerable public health challenge, as they are among the leading causes of death worldwide. In this sense, in addition to the high prevalence of diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, and lung cancer, emerging respiratory diseases, particularly those caused by members of the coronavirus family, have contributed to a significant number of deaths on a global scale over the last two decades. Therefore, several studies have been conducted to optimize the efficacy of treatments against these diseases, focusing on pulmonary drug delivery using nanomedicine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo evaluate the effect of a new Fe-cyclam complex on pathogenic bacterial species, including multidrug-resistant clinical specimens. The complex [Fe(cyclam)ox]PF (D2) was tested in cytotoxicity and MIC tests. Clinical and reference strains of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast cancer is the type of cancer with the highest incidence in women around the world. Noteworthy, the triple-negative subtype affects 20% of the patients while presenting the highest death rate among subtypes. This is due to its aggressive phenotype and the capability of invading other tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Nanotechnology has been intensively applied to the development of novel cosmetic products for hair and scalp care during the last decades. Such a trend is corroborated by the fact that about 19% of the total nanocosmetics registered in the StatNano database are intended for hair and scalp care. Nanotechnology-enabled formulations based on nanoparticles, cyclodextrins, liposomes and nanoemulsions have emerged as novel approaches due to chemical stability and their controlled release.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe main function of the skin is to protect the body from the external environment. However, the skin can undergo inflammatory processes, due to genetic, hormonal, or environmental factors. When the defense system is overloaded, there is an increase in pro-inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results in skin disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ethnopharmacol
November 2021
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Among all native Brazilian plant species, Plinia cauliflora (DC.) Kausel (Jaboticaba), is well known for producing "superfruits", due to their high phenolic content and antioxidant property. The fruit has astringent characteristics, and it is popularly known for the treatment of diarrhea, rash, and intestinal inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomed Pharmacother
October 2020
Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is characterized by inflammatory changes in the vaginal mucosa caused by abnormal colonization of Candida species. Traditional topical therapies using reference antifungal drugs usually present several issues and limitations for VVC treatment. Thus, the interest in new vaginal formulations, mainly those based on compounds from natural origin, has been growing over the last years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColloids Surf B Biointerfaces
December 2020
The purpose of this study was to develop tea tree oil (TTO)-loaded chitosan-poly(ε-caprolactone) core-shell nanocapsules (NC-TTO-Ch) aiming the topical acne treatment. TTO was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and nanocapsules were characterized regarding mean particle size (Z-average), polydispersity index (PdI), zeta potential (ZP), pH, entrapment efficiency (EE), morphology by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and anti-Cutibacterium acnes activity. The main constituents of TTO were terpinen-4-ol (37.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the feasibility of polysaccharide-coated poly(n-butyl cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) nanoparticles for oral delivery of acyclovir (ACV). PBCA nanoparticles were obtained by the emulsion polymerization method. Chitosan was chemically modified to obtain N,N,N-trimethylchitosan (TMC), which was used to coat the nanoparticles (PBCA-TMC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis one the most relevant biofilm-forming fungal species increasingly associated with invasive mucosal candidiasis worldwide. The amplified antifungal resistance supports the necessity for more effective and less toxic treatment, including the use of plant-derived natural products. Scopoletin, a natural coumarin, has shown antifungal properties against plant yeast pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMost treatments of leishmaniasis require hospitalization and present side effects or parasite resistance; innovations in drug formulation/reposition can overcome these barriers and must be pursued to increase therapeutic alternatives. Therefore, we tested polymyxin B (polB) potential to kill Leishmania amazonensis, adsorbed or not in PBCA nanoparticles (PBCAnp), which could augment polB internalization in infected macrophages. PBCAnps were fabricated by anionic polymerization and analyzed by Dynamic Light Scattering (size, ζ potential), Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (size/concentration), vertical diffusion cell (release rate), drug incorporation (indirect method, protein determination) and in vitro cell viability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant products are an important source of bioactive agents against parasitic diseases, including leishmaniasis. Among these products, vegetable oils have gained ground in the pharmaceutical field. Here we report the development of nanoemulsions as a delivery system for copaiba and andiroba oils (nanocopa and nanoandi) in order to test their effects on Leishmania infantum and L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecently, several approaches have been reported to improve the dissolution rate and bioavailability of furosemide, a class IV drug. However, to the best of our knowledge, none of them proposed nanocrystals. In the last decade, nanocrystals successfully addressed solubility issues by increasing surface area and saturation solubility, both leading to an increase in the dissolution rate of poor water soluble drugs.
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