Validation of an Innovative Chromatographic Method for Hypericin Quantification in Nanostructured Lipid Carriers.

Background: Hypericin (HYP) is a natural compound widely used as a food supplement. The encapsulation of HYP into nanosystems, such as nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), is a promising strategy for delivering this lipophilic molecule and protecting it from degradation.

Objective: This study aims to develop and validate an analytical method to quantify the encapsulation efficiency of HYP in NLC.

In vivo study of hypericin-loaded poloxamer-based mucoadhesive in situ gelling liquid crystalline precursor system in a mice model of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

The present study reports the performance of the pigment hypericin (HYP)-loaded poloxamer-based mucoadhesive in situ gelling liquid crystalline precursor system (LCPS) for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in mice. LCPS composed of 40% of ethoxylated and propoxylated cetyl alcohol, 30% of oleic acid and cholesterol (7:1), 30% of a dispersion of 16% poloxamer 407 and 0.05% of HYP (HYP-LCPS) was prepared and characterized by polarized light microscopy (PLM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and ex vivo permeation and retention studies across vaginal porcine mucosa were performed.

A Review of Analytical Methods for the Determination of Hypericin in Foods, Herbal, Biological and Pharmaceutical Matrices.

Aims: A review of analytical methods for the determination of hypericin in foods, herbal, biological and pharmaceutical matrices.

Background: Hypericin (HYP) is a naturally-occurring pigment obtained from some plants of the genus Hypericum. Although HYP has been known for many years, it has recently attracted attention due to its varied biological properties, such as anti-inflammatory and antidepressant activity and it is also an efficient photosensitizer.

Mucoadhesive In Situ Gelling Liquid Crystalline Precursor System to Improve the Vaginal Administration of Drugs.

The vaginal mucosa is a very promising route for drug administration due to its high permeability and the possibility to bypass first pass metabolism; however, current vaginal dosage forms present low retention times due to their dilution in vaginal fluids, which hampers the efficacy of many pharmacological treatments. In order to overcome these problems, this study proposes to develop a mucoadhesive in situ gelling liquid crystalline precursor system composed of 30% of oleic acid and cholesterol (7:1), 40% of ethoxylated and propoxylated cetyl alcohol, and 30% of a dispersion of 16% Poloxamer 407. The effect of the dilution with simulated vaginal fluid (SVF) on this system was evaluated by polarized light microscopy (PLM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), rheological studies, texture profile analysis (TPA), mucoadhesion study, in vitro drug release test using hypericin (HYP) as drug model, and cytotoxicity assay.

Recent Advances in the Use of Metallic Nanoparticles with Antitumoral Action - Review.

The term cancer represents a set of more than 100 diseases that are caused due to an uncontrolled growth of cells; and their subsequent spread to the other tissues and organs of the body by a phenomenon, called 'metastasis'. According to the estimates provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is expected to account for about 10 million deaths per year by 2020 and 21 million cancer cases, which may lead to 13 million deaths by 2030, making cancer as the cause of highest mortality in contrast to other diseases. The search for potential therapeutics against cancer, which can reduce the side-effects that occur due to the difficulty of recognition between cancerous and normal cells, has ever been increased.

Characteristics, Biological Properties and Analytical Methods of Ursolic Acid: A Review.

Ursolic acid (UA) is a naturally occurring triterpenoid which is a promising candidate for the development of new therapeutic approaches and for the prevention and treatment of several diseases owing to its pharmacological importance. However, its low solubility in aqueous medium affects its therapeutic application. Several strategies have been used to overcome this obstacle.