Percorrer por autor "Simões, Sandra"
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- Further evidence of possible therapeutic uses of Sambucus nigra L. extracts by the assessment of the In Vitro and In Vivo anti-inflammatory properties of Its PLGA and PCL-Based NanoformulationsPublication . Mota, Ana Henriques; Duarte, Noélia; Serra, Ana Teresa; Ferreira, António; Bronze, Maria Rosário; Custódio, Luísa; Gaspar, Maria Manuela; Simões, Sandra; Rijo, Patrícia; Ascensão, Lia; Faísca, Pedro; Viana, Ana Silveira; Pinto, Rui; Kumar, Pradeep; Almeida, António José; Reis, Catarina PintoSambucus nigra L. is widely used in traditional medicine with different applications. However, confirmative studies are strongly required. This study aimed to assess the biological activities of the S. nigra flower’s extract encapsulated into two different types of nanoparticles for optimizing its properties and producing further evidence of its potential therapeutic uses. Different nanoparticles (poly(lactide-co-glycolide, PLGA) and poly-Ɛ-caprolactone (PCL), both with oleic acid, were prepared by emulsification/solvent diffusion and solvent-displacement methods, respectively. Oleic acid was used as a capping agent. After the nanoparticles’ preparation, they were characterized and the biological activities were studied in terms of collagenase, in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory, and in vitro cell viability. Rutin and naringenin were found to be the major phenolic compounds in the studied extract. The encapsulation efficiency was higher than 76% and revealed to have an impact on the release of the extract, mainly for the PLGA. Moreover, biochemical and histopathological analyses confirmed that the extract-loaded PLGA-based nanoparticles displayed the highest anti-inflammatory activity. In addition to supporting the previously reported evidence of potential therapeutic uses of S. nigra, these results could draw the pharmaceutical industry’s interest to the novelty of the nanoproducts.
- Inhalable locust bean gum microparticles co-associating isoniazid and rifabutin: therapeutic assessment in a murine model of tuberculosis infectionPublication . Grenha, Ana; Alves, Ana D.; Guerreiro, Filipa; Pinho, Jacinta; Simões, Sandra; Almeida, António José; Gaspar, Maria ManuelaTuberculosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Although the development of new antimycobacterial drugs is an obvious and necessary strategy to address the disease, improving the therapeutic performance of drugs already approved constitutes a valuable alternative approach. As the lung is the most affected organ, where M. tuberculosis is able to survive and proliferate, the direct pulmonary delivery of antitubercular drugs comprises a highly promising therapeutic strategy. In this work, spray-dried locust bean gum (LBG) microparticles were used to deliver a combination of two first line antitubercular drugs, isoniazid (INH) and rifabutin (RFB), to the alveolar zone, where macrophages hosting the bacteria reside. LBG is expected to mediate favoured macrophage uptake of microparticles, leading to enhanced therapeutic effect. The therapeutic effect of LBG/INH/RFB microparticles was evaluated in a murine model infected with M. tuberculosis, strain H37Rv and compared with oral co-therapy of INH and RFB in the free form. The pulmonary administration of LBG/INH/RFB microparticles 5 times per week was the only treatment schedule that provided negative growth index values in lung (-0.22), spleen (-0.14) and liver (-0.26) even using a lower therapeutic dose for both antibiotics. For the control group, the respective values were +1.95, +0.75 and +0.96.