Biocomposite for Prolonged Release of Water-Soluble Drugs.

This study aimed to develop a prolonged-release system based on palygorskite and chitosan, which are natural ingredients widely available, affordable, and accessible. The chosen model drug was ethambutol (ETB), a tuberculostatic drug with high aqueous solubility and hygroscopicity, which is incompatible with other drugs used in tuberculosis therapy. The composites loaded with ETB were obtained using different proportions of palygorskite and chitosan through the spray drying technique.

The nephroprotective action of Passiflora edulis in streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Passiflora edulis fruit peel aqueous (AFA) extract as an adjuvant to insulin to confer nephroprotection against streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups based on treatment received for 60 days: diabetic (DB), control (CTL), insulin (INS), and insulin + AFA extract (INS + AFA). mRNA and protein expression levels of podocyte (nephrin, podocin, and WT1) and tubular (megalin) proteins were measured in kidney tissue specimens and urine.

Annatto Oil Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers: A Potential New Treatment for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

Annatto ( L.) is extensively used as food pigment worldwide. Recently, several studies have found it to have healing and antioxidant properties, as well as effective action against leishmaniasis.

Nanocomposite gels of poloxamine and Laponite for β-Lapachone release in anticancer therapy.

Nano-hybrid systems have been shown to be an attractive platform for drug delivery. Laponite® RD (LAP), a biocompatible synthetic clay, has been exploited for its ability to establish of strong secondary interactions with guest compounds and hybridization with polymers or small molecules that improves, for instance, cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation or facilitates drug attachment to their surfaces through charge interaction. In this work, LAP was combined with Tetronics, X-shaped amphiphilic PPO-PEO (poly (propylene oxide)-poly (ethylene oxide) block copolymers.

Chloroquine as a promising adjuvant therapy for type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine, are promising anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus (DM) to prevent associated complications. Therefore, this study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of CQ-free and CQ-incorporated polylactic acid nanoparticles (NPs) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM). In total, 25 normoglycemic individuals and 25 patients with T1DM aged 10-16 years were selected and glycemic controls evaluated.

Chemical composition and evaluation of the antibacterial and Cytotoxic activities of the essential oil from the leaves of Myracrodruon urundeuva.

Background: This study evaluated the in vitro activity of essential oil extracted from the leaves of Myracrodruon urundeuva.

Methods: The oil was obtained by hydro-distillation and characterized by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The antibacterial activity was evaluated by the broth microdilution technique and the MIF was determined by using growth indicator CTT (2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium) and CBM in BHI agar.

Chloroquine interferes with dengue-2 virus replication in U937 cells.

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of chloroquine (CLQ) as an antiviral agent against dengue. Chloroquine, an amine acidotropic drug known to affect intracellular exocytic pathways by increasing endosomal pH, was used in the in vitro treatment of U937 cells infected with dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2). Viral replication was assessed by quantification of virus produced through detection of copy numbers of DENV-2 RNA, plaque assay and indirect immunofluorescence.