Functionalized Metal Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy.

Currently, there are many studies on the application of nanotechnology in therapy. Metallic nanoparticles are promising nanomaterials in cancer therapy; however, functionalization of these nanoparticles with biomolecules has become relevant as their effect on cancer cells is considerably increased by photothermal and photodynamic therapies, drug nanocarriers, and specificity by antibodies, resulting in new therapies that are more specific against different types of cancer. This review describes studies on the effect of functionalized palladium, gold, silver and platinum nanoparticles in the treatment of cancer, these nanoparticles themselves show an anticancer effect.

Functionalized Platinum Nanoparticles with Biomedical Applications.

Functionalized platinum nanoparticles have been of considerable interest in recent research due to their properties and applications, among which they stand out as therapeutic agents. The functionalization of the surfaces of nanoparticles can overcome the limits of medicine by increasing selectivity and thereby reducing the side effects of conventional drugs. With the constant development of nanotechnology in the biomedical field, functionalized platinum nanoparticles have been used to diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer and infections caused by pathogens.

Effect of treatment with resiniferatoxin in an experimental model of pulpal inflammatory in mice.

Aim: To evaluate whether treatment with resiniferatoxin (RTX) is capable of lowering the plasma levels of PGE and TNF-α, as well as histopathological parameters in inflammation of pulp tissue in a mouse experimental model.

Methodology: Ten groups of six BALB/c mice were formed as follows: healthy group (H ), healthy group treated with RTX (H ), two groups with pulp inflammation at 14 and 18 hours (PI /PI ), six groups with pulpal inflammation plus treatment with Ibuprofen (IBU /IBU ), dexamethasone (DEX /DEX ) and resiniferatoxin (RTX /RTX ) at 14 and 18 hours, respectively. Pulpal inflammation was induced through occlusal exposure of the pulp of the maxillary first molar.

Resiniferatoxin promotes adult worm expulsion in Trichinella spiralis-infected rats by Th2 immune response modulation.

Background: The immune response during T spiralis infection is characterized by an increase in eosinophils and mast cells, as well as Th2 cytokine production, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10 and IL-13, promoting T spiralis expulsion from the host. However, this response damages the host, favouring the parasite survival. In the search for new pharmacological strategies that protect against T spiralis infection, a recent study showed that treatment with resiniferatoxin (RTX) modulates the Th1 cytokines production, reducing muscle parasite burden.

Two-Step Triethylamine-Based Synthesis of MgO Nanoparticles and Their Antibacterial Effect against Pathogenic Bacteria.

Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) were obtained by the calcination of precursor microparticles (PM) synthesized by a novel triethylamine-based precipitation method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a mean size of 120 nm for the MgO NPs. The results of the characterizations for MgO NPs support the suggestion that our material has the capacity to attack, and have an antibacterial effect against, Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria strains.

Therapeutic Effects of Resiniferatoxin Related with Immunological Responses for Intestinal Inflammation in Trichinellosis.

The immune response against Trichinella spiralis at the intestinal level depends on the CD4+ T cells, which can both suppress or promote the inflammatory response through the synthesis of diverse cytokines. During the intestinal phase, the immune response is mixed (Th1/Th2) with the initial predominance of the Th1 response and the subsequent domination of Th2 response, which favor the development of intestinal pathology. In this context, the glucocorticoids (GC) are the pharmacotherapy for the intestinal inflammatory response in trichinellosis.

Dysregulation of the Th1/Th2 cytokine profile is associated with immunosuppression induced by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation in mice.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation-induced immunosuppression is associated with increased concentration of circulating corticosterone and impaired cellular immune responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic HPA axis activation on the cellular immune response, Th1/Th2 cytokine profile, and concentration of corticosterone. Mice were divided into two groups: a control group comprised of healthy, untreated mice that received no stress, and an HPA axis-activated group that received stress through electric shock (ES).