Star poly(ε-caprolactone)-based electrospun fibers as biocompatible scaffold for doxorubicin with prolonged drug release activity.

In this work, a novel drug delivery system consisting of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) electrospun fibers containing an ad-hoc-synthesized star polymer made up of a poly(amido-amine) (PAMAM) core and PCL branches (PAMAM-PCL) was developed. The latter system which was synthesized via the ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone, starting from a hydroxyl-terminated PAMAM dendrimer and characterized by means of H NMR, IR and DSC, was found to be compatible with both the polymer matrix and a hydrophilic chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin (DOXO), the model drug used in this work. The preparation of the dendritic PCL star product with an average arm length of 2000g/mol was characterized using IR and H NMR measurements.

A Novel Electrostimulated Drug Delivery System Based on PLLA Composites Exploiting the Multiple Functions of Graphite Nanoplatelets.

A novel drug delivery system based on poly(l-lactide) (PLLA), graphite, and porphyrin was developed. In particular, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (THPP) was chosen because, besides its potential as codispersing agent of graphite, it is a pharmacologically active molecule. Graphite nanoplatelets, homogeneously dispersed in both the neat PLLA and the PLLA/porphyrin films, which were prepared by solution casting, turned out to improve the crystallinity of the polymer.

PLA/POSS nanofibers: a novel system for the immobilization of metal nanoparticles.

In this work, a novel catalytic system is developed, consisting of palladium nanoclusters homogenously dispersed on the surface of nanostructured polymer nanofibers based on poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS). Indeed, PLLA nanofibers containing amino-functionalized silsesquioxane molecules (POSS-NH2), potentially capable of interacting with the metal precursor, are prepared by means of electrospinning. Conversely to the polymer matrix, which does not show any tendency to retain the metal precursor, the submicrometric dispersion of POSS-NH2 in the PLLA nanofibers, as demonstrated by SEM-EDS analysis, turns out to promote the formation of metal nanoclusters.

Short-term estradiol administration in aging ovariectomized rats provides lasting benefits for memory and the hippocampus: a role for insulin-like growth factor-I.

We previously demonstrated that aged ovariectomized rats that had received prior estradiol treatment in middle age exhibited enhanced spatial memory and increased levels of estrogen receptor (ER)-α in the hippocampus long after estradiol treatment was terminated. The implication for cognition of increased levels of ERα resulting from prior estradiol exposure is unknown. In the absence of estrogens, growth factors, including IGF-I, can induce ERα-mediated transcription through ligand-independent mechanisms.