Publications by authors named "Simone Gasparin Verza"
Article Synopsis
- Depression is a common mental health issue, and this research investigates the use of nanotechnology to enhance the delivery and effectiveness of paroxetine hydrochloride, an antidepressant.
- The study developed liposomes and nanocapsules to carry the drug, with findings showing that the particle size ranged from 121.81 to 310.73 nm and drug release was slower with liposomes compared to nanocapsules.
- Experimental tests on mice indicated that both nanostructures effectively reduced signs of depression and anxiety, suggesting they could be useful for improving paroxetine's therapeutic effects at lower doses.
Vortioxetine liposomes as a novel alternative to improve drug stability under stress conditions: toxicity studies and evaluation of antidepressant-like effect.
Pharmacol Rep
October 2022
Background: Vortioxetine hydrobromide (VXT), a new therapeutic option in the treatment of major depressive disorder, is a poorly soluble drug, and instability under stress conditions has been reported. The aim of the present study was to prepare VXT liposomes (VXT-Ls) with an antidepressant-like effect, to improve drug stability and reduce toxicity of the free drug.
Methods: Liposomes were prepared using the thin lipid film hydration method and properly characterized.
Evaluation of dried blood spots as an alternative matrix for therapeutic drug monitoring of abiraterone and delta(4)-abiraterone in prostate cancer patients.
J Pharm Biomed Anal
February 2021
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) approaches may benefit patients treated with abiraterone acetate (AA) as drug efficacy is imprecise and important pharmacokinetic variability is known. Current methods based on the analysis of plasma present the disadvantage of the fast degradation of the analytes in the liquid sample. Dried blood spots (DBS) consist of a minimally invasive and unexplored sampling strategy to monitor the levels of abiraterone (ABI) and delta(4)-abiraterone (D4A) in patients.
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- Abiraterone acetate's effectiveness in treating prostate cancer varies among patients based on their levels of the drug and its metabolites, highlighting the need for therapeutic drug monitoring.
- The study introduces a rapid UPLC-MS/MS method that quantifies abiraterone and its active metabolite D4A in plasma in just 4 minutes, validated to meet FDA standards.
- Analysis of clinical samples showed substantial variability in the conversion of abiraterone to D4A among patients, emphasizing the method's potential to enhance treatment personalization.
Molina represents the main source of saponins for industrial applications. triterpenoids have been studied for more than four decades and their relevance is due to their biological activities, especially as a vaccine adjuvant and immunostimulant, which have led to important research in the field of vaccine development. These saponins, alone or incorporated into immunostimulating complexes (ISCOMs), are able to modulate immunity by increasing antigen uptake, stimulating cytotoxic T lymphocyte production (Th1) and cytokines (Th2) in response to different antigens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Irinotecan (IRI) is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug, mostly used for first-line treatment of colorectal and pancreatic cancer. IRI doses are usually established based on patient's body surface area, an approach associated with large inter-individual variability in drug exposure and high incidence of severe toxicity. Toxic and therapeutic effects of IRI are also due to its active metabolite SN-38, reported to be up to 100 times more cytotoxic than IRI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetermination of topiramate in dried blood spots using single-quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after flash methylation with trimethylanilinium hydroxide.
J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci
March 2017
Dried blood spots (DBS) sampling obtained from fingerpricks is a promising and patient friendly alternative for obtaining samples for drug quantification, that could be of interest for topiramate (TOP) therapeutic drug monitoring. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a simple and fast GC-MS assay for TOP measurement in dried blood spots (DBS). The method uses a liquid extraction of one 8mm DBS, followed by a flash methylation with TMAH, and separation in a DB-5ms capillary column.
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- The study investigates the antitumor effects of Uncaria tomentosa, focusing on the influence of different alkaloid forms from its bark on bladder cancer cell lines T24 and RT4.
- Extracts were prepared and subjected to isomerization by heating, and analysis showed no significant differences in cytotoxicity between the original and isomerized alkaloid samples at various heating times.
- Specific alkaloids like mitraphylline and speciophylline were found to be more prone to isomerization, indicating that the conditions of the extraction and incubation play a crucial role in determining the alkaloid profile and their corresponding effects against cancer cells.
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hilaire (mate) has traditionally been used in several South American countries to prepare tea-like beverages having stimulant effects on the CNS and appetite.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUncaria tomentosa (Willd.) is a medicinal plant largely used in folk medicine due to its wide range of biological activities, many of which are usually ascribed to the two main classes of secondary metabolites, namely, alkaloids and quinovic acid glycosides. In this work, a reversed phase HPLC-PDA method was developed and validated for the assay of quinovic acid glycosides in crude and dried extracts of Uncaria tomentosa (Cat's claw) bark.
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