Exploring the antifungal potential of Annona muricata leaf extract-loaded hydrogel in treating vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis, mostly caused by Candida albicans, remains a prevalent concern in women's health. Annona muricata L. (Annonaceae), a plant native from Brazil, is well-known for its therapeutic potential, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.

Chitosan-based films filled with nanoencapsulated essential oil: Physical-chemical characterization and enhanced wound healing activity.

The economic burden of chronic wounds, the complexity of the process of tissue repair and the possibility of resistant bacterial infections, have triggered a significant research interest in the application of natural alternative therapies for wound healing. Biomolecules are intrinsically multi-active, as they affect multiple mechanisms involved in tissue repair phenomenon, including immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, cell proliferation, extra cellular matrix remodeling and angiogenesis. Chitosan features a unique combination of attributes, including intrinsic hemostatic, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties, that make it an exceptional candidate for wound management, in the development of wound dressings and scaffolds.

Development, characterization and evidence of anti-endometriotic activity of Phytocannabinoid-Rich nanoemulsions.

During the last decades, the cannabinoid research for therapeutic purposes has been rapidly advancing, with an ever-growing body of evidence of beneficial effects for a wide sort of conditions, including those related to mucosal and epithelial homeostasis, inflammatory processes, immune responses, nociception, and modulating cell differentiation. β-caryophyllene (BCP) is a lipophilic volatile sesquiterpene, known as non-cannabis-derived phytocannabinoid, with documented anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and analgesic effects in both in vitro and in vivo models. Copaiba oil (COPA) is an oil-resin, mainly composed of BCP and other lipophilic and volatile components.

Nanosystems for gene therapy targeting brain damage caused by viral infections.

Several human pathogens can cause long-lasting neurological damage. Despite the increasing clinical knowledge about these conditions, most still lack efficient therapeutic interventions. Gene therapy (GT) approaches comprise strategies to modify or adjust the expression or function of a gene, thus providing therapy for human diseases.

Advances in nanotechnology-based hair care products applied to hair shaft and hair scalp disorders.

Objective: Nanotechnology has been intensively applied to the development of novel cosmetic products for hair and scalp care during the last decades. Such a trend is corroborated by the fact that about 19% of the total nanocosmetics registered in the StatNano database are intended for hair and scalp care. Nanotechnology-enabled formulations based on nanoparticles, cyclodextrins, liposomes and nanoemulsions have emerged as novel approaches due to chemical stability and their controlled release.

Chitosan-based films containing nanoemulsions of methyl salicylate: Formulation development, physical-chemical and in vitro drug release characterization.

Transdermal patches for analgesic purposes are widely used, however, their occlusive characteristics can often cause allergic reactions, irritating contact dermatitis, and allergic contact dermatitis upon extended use. Chitosan is a natural positively charged bioadhesive polysaccharide with several biological properties, being promising templates for sustained and controlled topical or transdermal drug delivery. Methyl salicylate (MS) is a non-steroidal topical anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

Formulation characterization and in vitro drug release of hydrogel-thickened nanoemulsions for topical delivery of 8-methoxypsoralen.

Psoralens are lipophilic molecules used to treat skin diseases such as vitiligo and psoriasis, among them, 8-Methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) is the most used to topical skin application. Topical treatment with psoralens can be limited due to insufficient drug penetration into the skin layers. Nanoemulsions have attracted much attention due to their as dermal delivery systems for lipophilic drugs such as 8-MOP.

Dual alginate-lipid nanocarriers as oral delivery systems for amphotericin B.

Amphotericin B (AmB) is the first-choice drug to treat several fungal infections. However, due to its low solubility it can only be administrated intravenously. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) have the ability to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs in an aqueous matrix, making them interesting for use in alternative drug delivery systems for AmB.

Hydrogel-thickened nanoemulsions based on essential oils for topical delivery of psoralen: Permeation and stability studies.

Nanoemulsions (NE) have attracted much attention due to their as dermal delivery systems for lipophilic drugs such as psoralens. However, NE feature low viscosity which might be unsuitable for topical application. In this work, we produced hydrogel-thickened nanoemulsions (HTN) using chitosan as thickening polymer to overcome the low viscosity attributed to NE.

Polymer-based Drug Delivery Systems Applied to Insects Repellents Devices: A Review.

Insects-borne diseases constitute a public health concern. Since there is no vaccine or curative treatment for many of these diseases, individual protection is the main approach to prevent them. Nowadays, the search for replacing synthetic molecules for insect repellents from natural sources, such as essential oils, is increasing.

Development and characterization of micellar systems for application as insect repellents.

N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) is a widely used insect repellent due to its high efficacy. In this work, micellar systems based on poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer were developed and studied for the purpose of controlling the release and cutaneous permeation of DEET, using concentrated solutions of the copolymer Pluronic F127 to form thermoreversible gels. The formulations presented thermoreversible gelation above 5°C and altered rheological behavior at 15 and 25°C.