The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effects of the COMT inhibitor entacapone on both the pharmacokinetic profile and clinical efficacy of controlled release levodopa in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Twelve PD patients experiencing "end-of-dose" type motor fluctuations were evaluated in this single-blind, randomized cross-over study. A single dose of either entacapone (200 mg) or placebo was co-administered with controlled release levodopa. Blood samples were taken every 30 minutes for 3 hours, and in 6 patients, sampling was continued for a further 3 hours. The clinical response to treatment was evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score. Addition of entacapone to levodopa treatment prolonged the "on" phase of the PD patients by 37% (p<0.05). This increased duration of 'on' time was concomitant with a significant increase in levodopa bioavailability (AUC). These data confirm the ability of entacapone to enhance the clinical efficacy of controlled release levodopa formulations, and provide further evidence that entacapone is of value in extending the benefits of levodopa in PD patients experiencing motor fluctuations.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00702-003-0092-9 | DOI Listing |
Prokinetic agents are drugs used to enhance gastrointestinal motility and treat disorders such as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and gastroparesis. pH-dependent release systems offer targeted drug delivery, allowing prokinetic agents to be released specifically in desired regions of the gastrointestinal tract. This optimizes drug efficacy and minimizes systemic side effects.
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February 2025
Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Hebei Key Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology, Hebei Key Laboratory of Heavy Metal Deep-Remediation in Water and Resource Reuse, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China.
Immunotherapy is a cornerstone in cancer treatment, celebrated for its precision, ability to eliminate residual cancer cells, and potential to avert tumor recurrence. Nonetheless, its effectiveness is frequently undermined by the immunosuppressive milieu created by tumors. This study presents a novel nanogel-based drug delivery system, DOX-4PI@CpG@Lipo@Gel (DPCLG), engineered to respond to Matrix Metallopeptidase-2 (MMP-2)-a protease abundant in the tumor microenvironment (TME).
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January 2025
Department of Polymer Engineering and Color Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, P.O. Box 15875-4413, Tehran, Iran.
Development of efficient drug delivery systems remains a critical challenge in pharmaceutical applications, necessitating novel approaches to improve drug loading and release profiles. In this study, a novel method is presented for fabricating crosslinked polydopamine particles (XPDPs) using a water/water Pickering emulsion system. The emulsion is composed of poly(ethylene glycol) and dextran, stabilized by polydopamine (PDA) particles.
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January 2025
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology Program, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a popular surface modifier in targeted cancer delivery due to its receptor-binding abilities. However, HA alone faces limitations in lipid solubility, biocompatibility, and cell internalization, making it less effective as a standalone delivery system. This comprehensive study aimed to explore a dynamic landscape of complexation in HA-based nanoparticles in cancer therapy, examining diverse aspects from influential modifiers to emerging trends in cancer diagnostics.
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June 2025
Department of Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, PR China.
As a recently discovered form of regulated cell death, ferroptosis has attracted much attention in the field cancer therapy. However, achieving considerably enhanced efficacy is often restricted by the overexpression of endogenous glutathione (GSH) in tumor microenvironment (TME). In this work, we report a ferroptosis-inducing strategy of GSH depletion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation based on a biodegradable copper-doped calcium phosphate (CaP) with L-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) loading (denoted as BSO@CuCaP-LOD, BCCL).
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