Publications by authors named "Leticia Cruz"

This study evaluated the effects of topically applied hydrogels (HG) containing nanoencapsulated indol-3-carbinol (I3C) and its free form in a rat model of skin wounds. Formulations were topically applied twice a day for five days to the wounds. On days 1, 3, and 6, the wound area was measured to verify the % of regression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ketoprofen (KET), commonly used for inflammation in clinical settings, leads to systemic adverse effects with prolonged use, mitigated by topical administration. Nanotechnology-based cutaneous forms, like films, may enhance KET efficacy. Therefore, this study aimed to prepare and characterize films containing KET nanoemulsions (F-NK) regarding mechanical properties, chemical composition and interactions, occlusive potential, bioadhesion, drug permeation in human skin, and safety.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Therapies for the treatment of pain and inflammation continue to pose a global challenge, emphasizing the significant impact of pain on patients' quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of 4-(Phenylselanyl)-2H-chromen-2-one (4-PSCO) on pain-associated proteins through computational molecular docking tests. A new pharmaceutical formulation based on polymeric nanocapsules was developed and characterized.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dexamethasone has a high anti-inflammatory efficacy in treating skin inflammation. However, its use is related to the rebound effect, rosacea, purple, and increased blood glucose levels. Nanotechnology approaches have emerged as strategies for drug delivery due to their advantages in improving therapeutic effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted infection that poses significant complications for women. Challenges in treatment include adverse effects and resistance to standard antimicrobial agents. Given this context, a sesame seed oil nanoemulsion (SONE) was developed and showed anti-Trichomonas vaginalis activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to incorporate nanocapsules containing 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) with antitumor activity into a bilayer film of karaya and gellan gums for use in topical melanoma therapy. Nanocarriers and films were prepared by interfacial deposition of the preformed polymer and solvent casting methods, respectively. Incorporating DIM into nanocapsules increased its antitumor potential against human melanoma cells (A-375) (IC > 24.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In previous studies, we developed a hydrogel formulation containing silibinin-loaded pomegranate oil nanocapsules (HG-NCSB) that had improved in vivo anti-inflammatory action in comparison to non-encapsulated silibinin. To determine skin safety and whether the nanoencapsulation influences silibinin skin permeation, NCSB skin cytotoxicity, HG-NCSB permeation in human skin, and a biometric study with healthy volunteers were conducted. The formulation of nanocapsules was prepared by the preformed polymer method while the HG-NCSB was obtained by thickening the suspension of nanocarriers with gellan gum.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Myofascial pain syndrome is a painful condition characterized by trigger points in muscles that can be treated effectively with acupuncture. While cross-fiber palpation can help localize trigger points, needle accuracy may be limited and accidental puncture of delicate structures, such as the lung, is a risk, as evidenced by reports of pneumothorax after acupuncture. Ultrasound imaging can help in reducing the risk of iatrogenic pneumothorax from needling, but there is a paucity of papers describing the use of ultrasound imaging during acupuncture.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nifedipine (NIFE) is a calcium channel blocker drug used to treat cardiovascular diseases, angina, and hypertension. However, NIFE is photolabile, has a short biological half-life, low aqueous solubility, and undergoes an intense first-pass effect, compromising its oral bioavailability. Thus, this study aimed to develop NIFE-loaded nanocapsules for sublingual administration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Glans penis morphology has been used as a powerful tool in mammal taxonomy to differentiate cryptic species. Neotropical rodent species and are cryptic, and interspecific hybrids are like their parental species. We investigated non-metric and metric phallic characters aiming to differentiate from .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Irritant contact dermatitis is usually treated with corticosteroids, which cause expressive adverse effects. Sesamol is a phenolic compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study was designed to evaluate a hydrogel containing sesamol-loaded ethylcellulose nanocapsules for the treatment of irritant contact dermatitis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Depression is a major psychiatric disorder in Brazil and worldwide. ) leaves are cultivation by-products with high bioactive compound levels. Here, a hydroalcoholic extract of leaves (HEV) was associated with Eudragit RS100-based nanoparticles (NPHEV) to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and in vivo antidepressant-like effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Several studies reported that rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) leaves present promising biological properties. To the best of our knowledge, no study investigated the possible application of their hydroalcoholic extract for treating mood disorders. Herein, we evaluated if the hydroalcoholic extract of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) leaves (HEV) promotes an antidepressant-like effect in rodents using chronic experimental approaches.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A new bilayer film made from gellan gum and pullulan was developed to deliver silibinin for treating atopic dermatitis.
  • This film showed improved adhesion, a more effective release of silibinin, and better protective properties for the skin compared to traditional treatments.
  • The study found that the nano-based film significantly reduced inflammation and oxidative damage in mice, suggesting it may be a promising alternative for managing atopic dermatitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trichomoniasis is the most common nonviral sexually transmitted infection in the world, but its available therapies present low efficacy and high toxicity. Diphenyl diselenide (PhSe) is a pharmacologically active organic selenium compound; however, its clinical use is hindered by its lipophilicity and toxicity. Nanocarriers are an interesting approach to overcome the limitations associated with this compound.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Glioblastomas are tumors that present a high mortality rate. Artemether (ART) is a lactone with antitumor properties, demonstrating low bioavailability and water solubility. In the present study, we developed lipid-core nanocapsules (LNC) containing pequi oil ( Cambess) as the oily core for ART-loaded LNCs (LNC) and evaluated their effect on human glioblastoma cells (U-87 MG).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Natural gums are a source of biopolymeric materials with a wide range of applications for multiple purposes. These polysaccharides are extensively explored due to their low toxicity, gelling and thickening properties, and bioadhesive potential, which have sparked interest in researchers given their use in producing pharmaceutic dosage forms compared to synthetic agents. Hence, gums can be used as gelling and film-forming agents, which are suitable platforms for topical drug administration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The organoselenium compounds belong to a class of synthetic molecules that displays a remarkable spectrum of promising pharmacological properties. Despite the huge amount of preclinical data that supports a bright outlook for organoselenium compounds, some toxicity issues and physicochemical limitations delay the development of more advanced studies. Currently, several scientific reports demonstrated that the association of nanotechnology has emerged as an alternative to improve solubility and safety issues of these molecules as well as enhance pharmacological properties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pullulan (PUL) films containing pomegranate seed oil and Eudragit RS100 nanocapsules loaded with clotrimazole (CTZ-NC-PUL) were developed to treat vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Our findings showed that the nanocapsule average diameter was around 163 ± 4 nm, with polydispersity index values of up to 0.1 ± 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Methotrexate (MTX) is a common drug used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment; however, a series of adverse effects associated with its oral or subcutaneous administration is reported. Transdermal delivery of MTX is an alternative to abate these issues, and the use of drug delivery systems (DDS) based on polymeric films presents an impressive potential for this finality. Based on this, in this study, we report the preparation of films made by cationic starch (CSt), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and chondroitin sulfate (ChS) to incorporate and release MTX, as well as the in vivo evaluation in model of rheumatoid arthritis in mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to prepare pullulan films containing pomegranate seeds oil (PSO) based nanocapsules, and evaluate the formulation efficacy in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD)-like lesions induced by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). The Eudragit RS 100® nanocapsules (PSONC) were prepared by the interfacial precipitation of preformed polymer, whereas the films were produced by the solvent casting method. Pomegranate seed oil nanoemulsions (PSONE) were prepared by the spontaneous emulsification method for comparative reasons.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal action of a diphenyl diselenide-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) nanocapsules suspension (NC-1) and incorporate it into a gellan gum hydrogel formulation in order to assess its in vivo efficacy in an animal model of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Nanocapsules suspensions containing the compound (NC-1 ∼ 5 mg/mL) or not (NC-B) were prepared by the interfacial deposition of preformed polymer method. To estimate in vitro antifungal effect, the broth microdilution test was applied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hovenia dulcis is a plant commonly used as a pharmaceutical supplement, having displayed important pharmacological properties such antigiardic, antineoplastic and hepatoprotective. The purpose of this work was investigate the cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic potential from fractions of Hovenia dulcis ethanolic extract on Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains FF18733 (wild type) and CD138 (ogg1). Ethanolic extract from Hovenia dulcis leaves was fractioned using organic solvents according to increasing polarity: Hexane (1:1), dichlorometane (1:1), ethyl acetate (1:1) and butanol (1:1).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules with potential application for the treatment of microorganism infections. We, herein, describe the structure, activity, and mechanism of action of RQ18, an α-helical AMP that displays antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and yeasts from the Candida genus.

Methods: A physicochemical-guided design assisted by computer tools was used to obtain our lead peptide candidate, named RQ18.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The instrumental role of CK2 in the SARS-CoV-2 infection has pointed out this protein kinase as promising therapeutic target in COVID-19. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity has been reported by CK2 inhibitors ; however, no anti-CK2 clinical approach has been investigated in COVID-19. This trial aimed to explore the safety and putative clinical benefit of CIGB-325, an anti-CK2 peptide previously assessed in cancer patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF