Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a common psychiatric condition characterized by persistent and excessive worry, often accompanied by dysautonomic symptoms that significantly impact patients' well-being. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound derived from cannabis, has shown potential as an anxiolytic through its partial agonism of the 5HT-1A receptor and its negative allosteric modulation of CB1 receptors, which may help mitigate the anxiogenic effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This study evaluates the impact of CBD on individuals diagnosed with various anxiety disorders, comparing its effects to placebo and conventional pharmaceutical treatments through a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work describes an innovative catalytic process for aqueous trimethoprim degradation, using a fixed-bed continuous flow reactor packed with a manganese(III) -substituted porphyrin covalently immobilized functionalized aminopropyl silica gel as the catalyst and HO as a green oxidant. It exhibits remarkable activity and stability, maintaining its performance over extended periods (up to 8 hours) and achieving significant reductions in total organic carbon (TOC = 80%). Importantly, microbiological assays confirmed that this degradation process effectively converts trimethoprim into non-resistance-inducing products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of light as abundant, renewable, and clean energy source to boost lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) reactions represents an exciting and yet under-explored opportunity. Herein we demonstrated that photosensitizers, commonly used in photodynamic therapy, which act through the photocatalytic Type I mechanism can drive the oxidation of PASC by LPMOs, whereas Type II photosensitizers are not capable of promoting the LPMO activity. We analyzed Type I and Type II photosensitizers (methylene blue and tetraiodide salt of meso-tetrakis-(4-N-methylpyridyl) porphyrin, respectively) and demonstrated that, even without an addition of external reductant, Type I was capable of boosting Thermothelomyces thermophila MtLPMO9A activity in the presence of light.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Jacq. is traditionally applied in folk medicine in Brazil and in several Latin American countries. The leaves are used in tea form, especially in the treatment of respiratory disorders, acting as an expectorant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo reduce the speed of selection of populations resistant to chemical insecticides, photodynamic inactivation (PDI) against Aedes aegypti is a hot-topic and promising alternative technique to vector control. Temperature is an important factor in the survival of Ae. aegypti larvae and mosquitoes as it influences physiology, behavior, and ecology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial photodynamic treatment (aPDT) is a photooxidative process based on the excitation of a photosensitizer (PS) in the presence of molecular oxygen, under specific wavelengths of light. It is a promising method for advanced treatment of water and wastewater, particularly targeting disinfection challenges, such as antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Research in improved aPDT has been exploring new PS materials, and additives in general.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExposure to pesticides is inevitable in modern times, and their environmental presence is strongly associated to the development of various malignancies. This challenge has prompted an increased interest in finding more sustainable ways of degrading pesticides. Advanced oxidation processes in particular appear as highly advantageous, due to their ability of selectively removing chemical entities form wastewaters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to investigate the application of biopolymeric materials (chitosan, gelatin, and pomegranate peel extract as photosensitizer) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) on the physicochemical and microbial safety of strawberries. The photosensitizer potential of the materials was confirmed by a light-dose-dependent photobleaching profile. The application of light (525 nm; 50 J cm) decreased by >2 log CFU mL the survival of Staphylococcus aureus on the surface of the photoactive-biopolymeric films.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: The design and synthesis of safe and highly active sulfonylurea herbicides is still a challenge. Therefore, following some principles of structure-activity relationship (SAR) of sulfonylurea herbicides, this work focuses on evaluating two sulfonylurea derivatives bearing electron-withdrawing substituents, namely, -(CO)OCH and -NO on the aryl group, on herbicidal activity. To understand the effects caused by the substituent groups, the molecular and electronic structures of the sulfonylureas were evaluated by density functional theory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhotodiagnosis Photodyn Ther
September 2023
Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is an alternative tool to commercial antibiotics for the inactivation of pathogenic bacteria (e.g., S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been studied as an alternative to combat bacterial resistance to the commonly used antibiotics. aPDT requires the use of a photosensitizer and curcumin is one of the more promising, though the usage of natural curcumin can be inconsistent in certain biomedical uses due to differences in soil condition and turmeric age, besides a large quantity of the plant is necessary to obtain useful amounts of the actual molecule. As such, a synthetic analogue is preferred as it is pure, and its components are better characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein we describe the design of natural curcumin ester and ether derivatives and their application as potential bioplasticizers, to prepare photosensitive phthalate-free PVC-based materials. The preparation of PVC-based films incorporating several loadings of newly synthesized curcumin derivatives along with their standard solid-state characterization is also described. Remarkably, the plasticizing effect of the curcumin derivatives in the PVC material was found to be similar to that observed in previous PVC-phthalate materials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedical-device-related infections are considered a worldwide public health problem. In particular, urinary catheters are responsible for 75% of cases of hospital urinary infections (a mortality rate of 2.3%) and present a high cost for public and private health systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are one of the most active classes for cardiovascular diseases and hypertension treatment. In this regard, developing active and non-toxic ACE inhibitors is still a continuous challenge. Furthermore, the literature survey shows that oxidative stress plays a significant role in the development of hypertension.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe combination of photodynamic therapy with antibiotics or antimicrobial peptides for inactivation of bacteria is an area of growing interest due to the synergistic effect already observed by many authors. It has been shown that the efficiency of this dual antimicrobial therapy is highly dependent on the structure of the photosensitizer, being tetrapyrrolic macrocycles the ones with most promising results. There are a few review articles in the recent literature describing the main microbiological results concerning this dual inactivation of bacteria, but none of them focus on the synthetic processes of these photosensitizers and their remarkable chemical versatility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe world population's life expectancy is growing, and neurodegenerative disorders common in old age require more efficient therapies. In this context, neural stem cells (NSCs) are imperative for the development and maintenance of the functioning of the nervous system and have broad therapeutic applicability for neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, knowing all the mechanisms that govern the self-renewal, differentiation, and cell signaling of NSC is necessary.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActive pharmaceutical ingredients are formulated as the salt form, aiming to modulate their physicochemical properties. In this regard, the optimization and choice of the salt former have a strong influence on toxicity, therapeutic efficiency, and bioavailability. Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) salts with Na, Cl, and Br counterions influence in the supramolecular arrangement as well as in their thermodynamic and kinetic parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhotodiagnosis Photodyn Ther
September 2022
The development of technologies and therapeutic strategies is needed to combat skin infections and pathogenic microorganisms present on material surfaces that are still responsible for serious public health problems. In this study, detergents loaded with curcumin were prepared by a simple approach and characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Their antibacterial photodynamic effects were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus in planktonic medium and in vivo (skin infection model), and showed a reduction up to 8 logs and 2 logs, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergence of new microorganisms with resistance to current antimicrobials is one of the key issues of modern healthcare that must be urgently addressed with the development of new molecules and therapies. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) in combination with antibiotics has been recently regarded as a promising wide-spectrum therapy for the treatment of localized topical infections. However, further studies are required regarding the selection of the best photosensitizer structures and protocol optimization, in order to maximize the efficiency of this synergic interaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever are arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito. In this regard, a number of techniques have emerged aiming to combat its proliferation. Elimination of Aedes aegypti larvae by photodynamic action has been reported as an efficient approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhotodiagnosis Photodyn Ther
June 2021
Cancer remains a main public health issue and the second cause of mortality worldwide. Photodynamic therapy is a clinically approved therapeutic option. Effective photodynamic therapy induces cancer damage and death through a multifactorial manner including reactive oxygen species-mediated damage and killing, vasculature damage, and immune defense activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChlorophylls, which are chlorin-type photosensitizers, are known as the key building blocks of nature and are fundamental for solar energy metabolism during the photosynthesis process. In this regard, the utilization of bioinspired chlorin analogs as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy constitutes an evolutionary topic of research. Moreover, carbon nanomaterials have been widely applied in photodynamic therapy protocols due to their optical characteristics, good biocompatibility, and tunable systematic toxicity.
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