Publications by authors named "Melissa Guada"

Cumulative kidney toxicity associated with cisplatin is severe and there is no clear consensus on the therapeutic management of the same. The pathogenesis involves activation of inflammatory and apoptotic pathways; therefore, regulating these pathways offers protection. Given the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of urolithin A, a gut microbial metabolite of ellagic acid, our aim was to explore the potential use of urolithin A in the prevention of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in an experimental rat model.

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The success of receptor-mediated drug delivery primarily depends on the ability to optimize ligand-receptor stoichiometry. Conventional polyesters such as polylactide (PLA) or its copolymer, polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA), do not allow such optimization due to their terminal functionality. We herein report the synthesis of 12 variations of the PLA-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based precision-polyester (P2s) platform, permitting 5-12 periodically spaced carboxyl functional groups on the polymer backbone.

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Here we present a "thinking-outside-the-box", tunable nanoplatform for oral delivery of proteins using insulin as a model protein. These nanosystems offer noncompetitive active transport exploiting transferrin receptors present in the intestine and permit tailored release in vivo. Such delivery approaches have the potential to individualize insulin therapy to a regimen that is compatible with the patient's glucose profile.

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Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a well-known immunosuppressive agent used as rescue therapy in severe steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). However, toxicity issues associated with CsA when administered in its commercially available formulations have been reported in clinical practice. Since nanotechnology has been proposed as a promising strategy to improve safety and efficacy in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral administration of CsA-loaded lipid nanoparticles (LN) in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model using Sandimmune Neoral(®) as reference.

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The pharmacodynamic effect and the safety of cyclosporine A lipid nanoparticles (CsA LN) for oral administration were investigated using Sandimmune Neoral® as reference. First, the biocompatibility of the unloaded LN on Caco-2 cells was demonstrated. The pharmacodynamic response and blood levels of CsA were studied in Balb/c mice after 5 and 10 days of daily oral administration equivalent to 5 and 15 mg/kg of CsA in different formulations.

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Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a well-known immunosuppressive agent that gained considerable importance in transplant medicine in the late 1970s due to its selective and reversible inhibition of T-lymphocytes. While CsA has been widely used to prevent graft rejection in patients undergoing organ transplant it was also used to treat several systemic and local autoimmune disorders. Currently, the neuro- and cardio-protective effects of CsA (CiCloMulsion®; NeuroSTAT®) are being tested in phase II and III trials respectively and NeuroSTAT® received orphan drug status from US FDA and Europe in 2010.

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In the present work, the feasibility of cyclosporine A lipid nanoparticles (CsA LN) for oral administration was investigated. Three CsA LN formulations were developed using Precirol as lipid matrix, one stabilized with Tween(®) 80 (Tw) and the other two with mixtures of phosphatidylcholine or Pluronic(®) F127 with taurocholate (Lec:TC and PL:TC, respectively). The physical characteristics of the LN were studied under gastrointestinal pH and their integrity was found to be dependent on the stabilizers.

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Cyclosporine A (CsA) is an immunosuppressant commonly used in transplantation for prevention of organ rejection as well as in the treatment of several autoimmune disorders. Although commercial formulations are available, they have some stability, bioavailability, and toxicity related problems. Some of these issues are associated with the drug or excipients and others with the dosage forms.

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Nanotechnology is providing a new therapeutic paradigm by enhancing drug efficacy and preventing side-effects. Edelfosine is a synthetic ether lipid analogue of platelet activating factor with high antitumor activity. The encapsulation of this potent antitumor drug in lipid nanoparticles increases its oral bioavailability; moreover, it prevents the hemolytic and gastrointestinal side-effects of the free drug.

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Introduction: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and it is estimated that deaths from this disease will rise to over 11 million in 2030. Most cases of cancer can be cured with surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy if they are detected at an early stage. However, current cancer therapies are commonly associated with undesirable side effects, as most chemotherapy treatments are cytotoxic and present poor tumor targeting.

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