Orientador: Jose Barreto Campello Carvalheira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T01:08:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Souza_KellenKettyde_M.pdf: 1724833 bytes, checksum: 44f766e2043af515b2f3f9462dc5c5e3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: A resistência dos tumores aos quimioterápicos é um problema clínico comum. Recentemente, foi demonstrado que o bloqueio. da via de sinalização da PI3-quinase aumenta a apoptose induzida pelo SN-38, um metabólito ativo do irinotecano. Entretanto, os mecanismos moleculares destas mudanças ainda não são esclarecidos. Para investigar os eventos moleculares envolvidos no aumento da sinalização na via da PI3-quinase associada ao irinotecano, aspirina e rapamicina foram utilizadas para modular esta via de sinalização. Nós observamos que a aspirina é capaz de inibir a fosforilação do IRS-l, através de seus alvos JNK e IKK, e aumentar o crescimento dos tumores em camundongos Scid previamente injetados com linhagem de adenocarcinoma de cólon (HT29). Adicionalmente, demonstramos que o bloqueio da mTOR reduz a proliferação celular induzida pelo irinotecano. Assim, a ativação da via PI3-quinase/ Akt/mTOR pode contribuir para a quimiorresistência induzi da pelo irinoteco / Abstract: Resistance of tumors to chemotherapeutic agents is a common clinical problem in human cancer. Recently, the blocking of PI3-kinase signaling pathway was shown to enhance apoptosis induced by SN-38, an active form of irinotecan. To gain further insight into the molecular events of irinotecan-associated increase in PI3-kinase signaling pathway, aspirin and rapamycin were used to modulate this signaling pathway. We describe here that aspirin is able to further inhibit IRS-l serine phosphorylation induced by irinotecan through targeting JNK and IKK, thus agonist activation of IRS-l/PI3-kinase pathway blocked the growth-inhibitory effect of irinotecan in HT -29 colon cancer xenografts; our data also demonstrate a synergistic effect of mTOR inhibition and irinotecan on tumor growth. Activation of PI3-kinase/ Akt/mTOR pathway may thus contribute to refTactoriness to treatment with irinotecan / Mestrado / Ciencias Basicas / Mestre em Clinica Medica

No description available.

Camptotheca acuminata Decaisne (Nyssaceae) is endemic to China. The plant was brought to the United States only on a few occasions and thus can be considered rare in this country. A search of the plant kingdom for species that produced anticancer substances revealed that ethanolic extracts of Camptotheca acuminata had such a property. The active constituent was identified eventually. Further testing and possible marketing of the active principle, and alkaloid, (camptothecin) depended on a combination of factors: obtaining the plant from China, organization of a mass planting program in the United States or chemical synthesis of the drug. Due to the dissention between China and the United States during this period, (1950-1960’s) the first alternative was ruled out. Planting programs were organized but the plant needs a relatively long time to mature. Attempts to synthesize camptothecin were started but success was not immediate and there was no guarantee of ever achieving synthesis. As an alternative to these methods, the author of this research proposed an in vitro system of obtaining the drug. The plant would be grown in culture and the active principle extracted. The complete story of camptothecin, the rationale for in vitro culture in general and the methods and results of this project are given in the following chapters.

AR-67 is a lipophilic third generation camptothecin analogue, currently under early stage clinical trials. It acts by targeting Topoisomerase 1 (Top1), a nuclear enzyme essential for DNA replication and transcription and is present in two forms, the pharmacologically active lipophilic lactone and the charged carboxylate. In oncology patients participating in a phase I clinical trial, AR-67 lactone was the predominant species in plasma. Similarly to other camptothecins, the identified dose-limiting toxicities for AR-67 were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and fatigue. In addition, in vitro metabolism studies indicated AR-67 lactone as a substrate for CYP3A4/5 as well as the UGT1A7 and UGT1A8 enzymes localizing in the liver and the gut. Numerous studies have demonstrated the over-expression of transporters in certain tumor types. Here, the effect of interactions between AR-67 and efflux or uptake transporters on the antitumor efficacy of AR-67 in vitro was studied. We showed that BCRP and MDR1 overexpression confers resistance to AR-67. Moreover, we demonstrated the therapeutic superiority of protracted dosing over more intense dosing regimens of AR-67 using xenografts models. Our studies indicated the schedule-dependent expression of Top1 and the preferential partitioning of AR-67 in the tumor tissue. We reason that these are factors that need to be taken into consideration when designing dosing schedules aiming to maximize efficacy. As most cytotoxic drugs, AR-67 has a narrow therapeutic window. Thus, it is essential to identify the variables influencing exposure to this camptothecin analogue. A thorough compartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was performed on the patient data obtained in a phase 1 clinical trial on AR-67. Moreover, sources of intersubject variability associated with obtaining pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were identified and a population covariate pharmacokinetic model was developed. In conclusion, the drug development of AR-67 is a work in process. Findings presented above provide an insight on the factors contributing to its efficacy and toxicity when given to cancer patients.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg 2015. / Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer. About 90% of ovarian cancers are epithelial (ovarian carcinomas), thought to arise from the ovarian surface epithelium. Diagnosed usually at clinically advanced stages, many patients show poor response to chemotherapy, with resistance and recurrent disease being prevalent. siRNA technology is currently being explored in clinical trials as a form of targeted therapeutic strategy in the disease. RBBP6 is a 250kD protein that enhances MDM2-mediated ubiquitination of p53 and also plays a role in cell cycle regulation and cell differentiation. It is upregulated in numerous cancers such as lung, oesophageal, colorectal and cervical cancer. RBBP6 suppresses p53 binding to DNA thereby inhibiting p53-dependent gene transcription. RBBP6 was knocked down using 30 nM siRNA in RMG-1 cells for 48 hours, after which the cells were treated with 50 nM paclitaxel and 0.5μM camptothecin for 24 hours. xCELLigence real time cell analysis was used to evaluate cell proliferation. qPCR and western blot were used to evaluate both gene expression and protein expressions respectively, of Bax, Bcl-2, MDM2, p53 and p21. Flow cytometry was used to determine the mode of cell death elicited apoptosis and also analyse changes in cell cycle progression. qPCR and Western blot analyses showed that RBBP6 expression reduced by approximately 57%. There was a significant upregulation of p53 and a significant downregulation of Bcl-2 in siRBBP6 transfected cells (p<0.05). Knockdown of RBBP6 resulted in a 37±5.8% cell death. There was a significant increase in cell death in paclitaxel and siRBBP6 co-treated cells (81.6±0.79%) as compared to cells treated with paclitaxel only (76.±1.14%). siRNA-mediated knock down of RBBP6 induces cell death in RMG-1 ovarian carcinoma cells. In addition, paclitaxel-induced cell death in RMG-1 cells is potentiated by RBBP6 siRNA transfection. A combination of chemotherapy with paclitaxel or camptothecin and RBBP6 siRNA could be a possible therapeutic strategy in combatting ovarian carcinomas.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo produzir 3,6-O, O&acute;-dimisritoilquitosana (QDM) com baixo grau m&eacute;dio de substitui&ccedil;&atilde;o ((GS) &#773; &#8804; 10%) a partir da rea&ccedil;&atilde;o de quitosana com cloreto de miristo&iacute;la, de maneira a conferir car&aacute;ter anfif&iacute;lico &agrave;s cadeias polim&eacute;ricas. Neste estudo foram empregadas diferentes quitosanas de partida, a saber, quitosana de origem comercial (QC), que apresenta baixo grau m&eacute;dio de acetila&ccedil;&atilde;o ((GA) &#773; = 5 %) e baixa massa molar m&eacute;dia viscosim&eacute;trica ((Mv) &#773; = 87,000 g/mol), e quitosana DAIUS (QD), produzida a partir da desacetila&ccedil;&atilde;o de beta-quitina assistida por irradia&ccedil;&atilde;o de ultrassom de alta intensidade, que apresenta( GA) &#773; = 15 % e (Mv) &#773; = 300,000 g/mol. Para obten&ccedil;&atilde;o dos derivados QDM, diferentes raz&otilde;es molares quitosana/cloreto de miristo&iacute;la (Q/CM) foram empregadas (1:0,075; 1:0,1; 1:0,2 e 1:0,5), e as rea&ccedil;&otilde;es foram executadas por 1 h a 25 &deg;C. As caracter&iacute;sticas estruturais e morfol&oacute;gicas das amostras geradas neste trabalho foram determinadas pelo emprego de espectroscopias de resson&acirc;ncia magn&eacute;tica nuclear e no infravermelho e difra&ccedil;&atilde;o de raios-X. A solubilidade das amostras foi investigada por espectroscopia UV/vis&iacute;vel e a estabilidade t&eacute;rmica foi estudada atrav&eacute;s de an&aacute;lise termogravim&eacute;trica. A partir da an&aacute;lise de espectroscopia no infravermelho, foi poss&iacute;vel evidenciar a ocorr&ecirc;ncia da rea&ccedil;&atilde;o de acila&ccedil;&atilde;o seletiva dos grupos OH das quitosanas, atrav&eacute;s da presen&ccedil;a da banda observada em 1740 cm-1, referente &agrave; deforma&ccedil;&atilde;o axial de carbonila de &eacute;ster, resultante da rea&ccedil;&atilde;o de O-acila&ccedil;&atilde;o. A banda em 1577 cm-1 referente a N-acila&ccedil;&atilde;o n&atilde;o foi evidenciada. Na segunda etapa deste estudo as amostras QCM1 ((DS) &#773; = 6,6%) e QCM4 ((DS) &#773; = 11 %), que apresentaram concentra&ccedil;&otilde;es cr&iacute;ticas de agrega&ccedil;&atilde;o (CAC) 8,9 &times; 10-3 mg/ mL e 13,2 &times; 10-3 mg/ mL, respectivamente, foram empregadas nos estudos de encapsula&ccedil;&atilde;o e libera&ccedil;&atilde;o de paclitaxel e camptotecina, f&aacute;rmacos hidrof&oacute;bicos anti-c&acirc;ncer insol&uacute;veis em &aacute;gua. A an&aacute;lise de microscopia eletr&ocirc;nica de transmiss&atilde;o (MET) mostrou que as micelas de QCM apresentaram formas aproximadamente esf&eacute;ricas, enquanto que o espalhamento din&acirc;mico de luz (DLS) permitiu a determina&ccedil;&atilde;o do di&acirc;metro m&eacute;dio das micelas carregadas e vazias, que variou no intervalo 280 nm - 481 nm, enquanto o potencial zeta foi &#8805; +30 mV. As micelas de QCM foram capazes de encapsular o paclitaxel e a camptotecina com elevada efici&ecirc;ncia de encapsula&ccedil;&atilde;o (EE > 60 %), como confirmado por an&aacute;lises de HPLC e UV-vis. Os estudos sobre a citotoxicidade das micelas em rela&ccedil;&atilde;o &agrave;s c&eacute;lulas Caco-2 e HT29-MTX mostraram que estas n&atilde;o apresentaram citotoxicidade e que a encapsula&ccedil;&atilde;o diminuiu a toxicidade de paclitaxel e camptotecina. Os estudos de permea&ccedil;&atilde;o de paclitaxel e a camptotecina encapsulados em micelas de DMQ atrav&eacute;s da monocultura de Caco-2 e do modelo de co-cultura Caco-2 / HT29-MTX confirmaram o potencial das micelas na melhoria da absor&ccedil;&atilde;o intestinal dos f&aacute;rmacos. Os estudos de libera&ccedil;&atilde;o com ambos f&aacute;rmacos mostraram perfis de libera&ccedil;&atilde;o sustentada. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que as micelas de QCM podem ser carreadoras promissoras para encapsular paclitaxel e camptotecina. / The aim of this work was to produce 3,6-O,O\'-dimyristoyl chitosan (DMC) with low average degree of substitution ((DS) &#773; &#8804; 10%) from the reaction of chitosan with myristoyl chloride, in order to confer amphiphilic characteristics to the polymer chains. In this study, different chitosans were used, namely commercial chitosan (QC), which possesses low average degree of acetylation ((GA) &#773; = 5%) and a low viscosity average molecular weight ((Mv) &#773; = 87,000 g/mol), and chitosan QD, produced from the ultrasound assisted deacetylation of beta-chitin, which presents (GA) &#773; = 15% and (Mv) &#773; = 300,000 g/mol. Different molar ratios chitosan / myristoyl chloride (Q/CM) were used (1: 0.075, 1: 0.1, 1: 0.2 and 1: 0.5) to obtain the DMCh derivatives, and the reactions were carried out at 25 0C for 1 h. The structural and morphological characteristics of the samples produced in this work were determined by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The solubility of the samples was investigated by UV/visible spectroscopy and the thermal stability was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. From the infrared spectroscopy analysis, it was possible to observe a band at 1740 cm-1, which refers to the axial deformation of the carbonyl moiety of carboxylic ester, showing the occurrence of O-acylation. The band at 1577 cm-1, which refers to N-acylation, was not evidenced. Then, the samples DMC1 ((DS) &#773; =6,6% ) and DMC4 ((DS) &#773; =11% ), which presented critical aggregation concentrations of 8.9&times;10-3 mg/mL and 13.2&times;10-3 mg/mL, respectively, were employed in the studies of encapsulation and release of the water-insoluble anti-cancer hydrophobic drugs, paclitaxel and camptothecin. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses showed that DMC micelles presented roughly spherical shapes, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) allowed the determination of the mean diameter of charged and empty micelles, which varied between 280 nm and 481 nm, while the zeta potential, was &#8805; +30 mV. DMC micelles were able to encapsulate paclitaxel and camptothecin with high encapsulation efficiency (EE> 60%), as confirmed by HPLC and UV-vis analyses. Furthermore, the micelles did not exhibit cytotoxicity toward Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cells, and the encapsulation decreased the toxicity of paclitaxel and camptothecin. Permeability studies of paclitaxel and camptothecin encapsulated into DMC micelles through Caco-2 monoculture and Caco-2 / HT29-MTX co-culture models confirmed the potential of micelles on the improvement of intestinal absorption of hydrophobic drugs. The release studies with both drugs showed sustained release profiles. Hence, the results suggest that the DMC micelles may be promising carriers for encapsulating paclitaxel and camptothecin.

La famille des GTPases Rho, comprenant 20 membres, contrôle la dynamique du cytosquelette d'actine et différents processus cellulaires comme la migration. En plus de leurs rôles bien établis, certaines GTPases Rho, notamment RhoB et Rac1, ont émergé en tant que gènes de réponse précoce aux dommages à l'ADN. En effet, RhoB est induite en réponse à divers stress génotoxiques, y compris la camptothécine (CPT), les UV et le cisplatine, et protège principalement les cellules de l'apoptose. Le rôle des autres GTPases Rho en réponse précoce aux génotoxiques reste largement méconnu. Dans ce projet, nous avons utilisé la camptothécine, un inhibiteur de la topoisomérase I (TOP1), qui stabilise sélectivement les complexes de clivage TOP1-ADN (TOP1cc) sur la chromatine, afin de cribler les GTPases Rho induites de façon précoce par les dommages à l'ADN. En plus de RhoB, nous avons identifié RND1 comme un gène rapidement induit par la CPT. L'induction de RND1 est réversible et étroitement corrélée à la présence de TOP1cc induit par la CPT. En accord avec ces observations, les rayons UV et le péroxyde d'hydrogène, qui stabilisent indirectement les TOP1cc, induisent également RND1. La CPT augmente la transcription de RND1 indépendamment de l'activité de son promoteur minimal. De plus, la CPT augmente l'activité de la poly ADP-ribose polymérase (PARP1), dont l'inhibition prévient la transcription de RND1. La surexpression de RND1 augmente également l'expression de PARP1, suggérant une régulation positive entre PARP1 et RND1 en réponse aux TOP1cc. Ainsi, nous proposons qu'en réponse à la CPT, les TOP1cc activent PARP1, qui à son tour favorise la transcription de RND1, initiant ainsi une boucle de rétrocontrôle positive. Enfin, nous avons montré que RND1 protège les cellules contre l'apoptose induite par la CPT et entraîne leur résistance à la CPT. L'ensemble de ces résultats ont permis d'identifier RND1 comme nouvelle GTPase Rho impliquée dans la réponse au stress et proposent un nouveau mécanisme de régulation de la transcription des gènes en réponse aux TOP1cc via l'activation de PARP1. Ces résultats suggèrent par ailleurs qu'inhiber la signalisation de RND1 pourrait sensibiliser les cellules tumorales aux dérivés cliniques de la CPT. / Rho GTPase family comprises 20 members that regulate key cellular functions such as actin cytoskeleton organization and migration. Beside their canonical functions, certain Rho GTPases, including RhoB and Rac1, emerged as early DNA damage-inducible genes. Indeed, RhoB is readily induced in response to various genotoxic stress, including camptothecin (CPT), UV and cisplatin, and primarily protect cells against apoptotic cell death. Whether other Rho GTPases also respond early to genotoxics is largely unknown. In this project, we used camptothecin, a topoisomerase I (TOP1) inhibitor that selectively stabilized TOP1-DNA cleavage complexes (TOP1cc) onto chromatin, to screen for early DNA damage-inducible Rho GTPases. Besides RhoB, we identified RND1 as a gene rapidly induced by CPT. RND1 induction is reversible and closely associated with the presence of TOP1cc induced by CPT. Consistently, UV light and hydrogen peroxide, which indirectly stabilized TOP1cc, induce RND1 as well. CPT increases minimal promoter-independent RND1 transcription. Additionally, CPT increases poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP1) activity, whose inhibition prevents RND1 transcription. Overexpression of RND1 also increases PARP1 expression, suggesting a positive regulation between PARP1 and RND1 in response to TOP1cc. Thus, we propose that in response to CPT, TOP1cc activate PARP1, which in turn promotes RND1 transcription resulting in a positive feedback loop. Finally, we found that RND1 protects cells against CPT-induced apoptosis and leads to resistance to CPT. Together, these results highlight RND1 as a new Rho GTPase involved in the response to stress and propose a new mechanism for TOP1cc-induced gene transcription through PARP1 activation. These findings further suggest that inhibiting RND1 signaling could sensitize tumor cells to CPT derivatives.

Syntheses of biodegradable PLLA homopolymers and PLLA-mPEG diblock copolymers for the formation of thermo-sensitive gels were performed. The sol-gel transition temperature of the matrix was adjusted by altering the length of each PEG and LA component. PLLA-mPEG biocompatible copolymers, having appropriate length of each block component, showed sols at around 42-45 oC, suitable for the injection, then a gel with subsequent rapid cooling to body temperature. Topotecan and camptothecin were selected as anti-cancer drugs. Both drugs can easily hydrolyze at physiological conditions (pH=7.4). This causes the loss of its activity, and it turns into inactive toxic carboxylate form from active lactone state. To keep those anti cancer drugs in the lactone form, they were efficiently loaded into PLLA-mPEG gels in different loading ratios. Their stability in gel was fully examined with HPLC and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that both drugs were highly stable and in active form in the prepared gels (&gt / 95 %). Then, both release profile of drugs at different loading ratios showed prolonged release over weeks. Mechanistic studies on the stabilization of CPT anti cancer drug with PLLA-mPEG gels were carried out using ATR-FTIR, confocal and optic microscopes. The cytotoxic efficacy of TPT in the PLLA-mPEG platform (PLLA-mPEG-TPT) was evaluated on LLC-1 and 4T1 cancer cell lines by MTT assay. In vivo, the administration of PLLA-mPEG-TPT to the mice bearing breast tumours established with 4T1 cells resulted in a significant reduction in tumour size and better survival percentages. Additionally, stabilization of CPT and TPT with gels may find another application on solid tumors in brain via local injection. A novel conducting polymer was successfully synthesized via electropolymerization of 1-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrole. The electrochemical and electro-optical properties of the corresponding polymer, which was the first example of polymer containing 1,1&rsquo / -bipyrrole units, were elaborated using electroanalytical and spectroscopic techniques. Cyclic voltammograms and electrooptical studies showed that the polymer has a stable and well-defined reversible redox process as well as electrochromic behavior. The processable polymer film also possessed a yellowish orange light emitter property.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo produzir 3,6-O, O&acute;-dimisritoilquitosana (QDM) com baixo grau m&eacute;dio de substitui&ccedil;&atilde;o ((GS) &#773; &#8804; 10%) a partir da rea&ccedil;&atilde;o de quitosana com cloreto de miristo&iacute;la, de maneira a conferir car&aacute;ter anfif&iacute;lico &agrave;s cadeias polim&eacute;ricas. Neste estudo foram empregadas diferentes quitosanas de partida, a saber, quitosana de origem comercial (QC), que apresenta baixo grau m&eacute;dio de acetila&ccedil;&atilde;o ((GA) &#773; = 5 %) e baixa massa molar m&eacute;dia viscosim&eacute;trica ((Mv) &#773; = 87,000 g/mol), e quitosana DAIUS (QD), produzida a partir da desacetila&ccedil;&atilde;o de beta-quitina assistida por irradia&ccedil;&atilde;o de ultrassom de alta intensidade, que apresenta( GA) &#773; = 15 % e (Mv) &#773; = 300,000 g/mol. Para obten&ccedil;&atilde;o dos derivados QDM, diferentes raz&otilde;es molares quitosana/cloreto de miristo&iacute;la (Q/CM) foram empregadas (1:0,075; 1:0,1; 1:0,2 e 1:0,5), e as rea&ccedil;&otilde;es foram executadas por 1 h a 25 &deg;C. As caracter&iacute;sticas estruturais e morfol&oacute;gicas das amostras geradas neste trabalho foram determinadas pelo emprego de espectroscopias de resson&acirc;ncia magn&eacute;tica nuclear e no infravermelho e difra&ccedil;&atilde;o de raios-X. A solubilidade das amostras foi investigada por espectroscopia UV/vis&iacute;vel e a estabilidade t&eacute;rmica foi estudada atrav&eacute;s de an&aacute;lise termogravim&eacute;trica. A partir da an&aacute;lise de espectroscopia no infravermelho, foi poss&iacute;vel evidenciar a ocorr&ecirc;ncia da rea&ccedil;&atilde;o de acila&ccedil;&atilde;o seletiva dos grupos OH das quitosanas, atrav&eacute;s da presen&ccedil;a da banda observada em 1740 cm-1, referente &agrave; deforma&ccedil;&atilde;o axial de carbonila de &eacute;ster, resultante da rea&ccedil;&atilde;o de O-acila&ccedil;&atilde;o. A banda em 1577 cm-1 referente a N-acila&ccedil;&atilde;o n&atilde;o foi evidenciada. Na segunda etapa deste estudo as amostras QCM1 ((DS) &#773; = 6,6%) e QCM4 ((DS) &#773; = 11 %), que apresentaram concentra&ccedil;&otilde;es cr&iacute;ticas de agrega&ccedil;&atilde;o (CAC) 8,9 &times; 10-3 mg/ mL e 13,2 &times; 10-3 mg/ mL, respectivamente, foram empregadas nos estudos de encapsula&ccedil;&atilde;o e libera&ccedil;&atilde;o de paclitaxel e camptotecina, f&aacute;rmacos hidrof&oacute;bicos anti-c&acirc;ncer insol&uacute;veis em &aacute;gua. A an&aacute;lise de microscopia eletr&ocirc;nica de transmiss&atilde;o (MET) mostrou que as micelas de QCM apresentaram formas aproximadamente esf&eacute;ricas, enquanto que o espalhamento din&acirc;mico de luz (DLS) permitiu a determina&ccedil;&atilde;o do di&acirc;metro m&eacute;dio das micelas carregadas e vazias, que variou no intervalo 280 nm - 481 nm, enquanto o potencial zeta foi &#8805; +30 mV. As micelas de QCM foram capazes de encapsular o paclitaxel e a camptotecina com elevada efici&ecirc;ncia de encapsula&ccedil;&atilde;o (EE > 60 %), como confirmado por an&aacute;lises de HPLC e UV-vis. Os estudos sobre a citotoxicidade das micelas em rela&ccedil;&atilde;o &agrave;s c&eacute;lulas Caco-2 e HT29-MTX mostraram que estas n&atilde;o apresentaram citotoxicidade e que a encapsula&ccedil;&atilde;o diminuiu a toxicidade de paclitaxel e camptotecina. Os estudos de permea&ccedil;&atilde;o de paclitaxel e a camptotecina encapsulados em micelas de DMQ atrav&eacute;s da monocultura de Caco-2 e do modelo de co-cultura Caco-2 / HT29-MTX confirmaram o potencial das micelas na melhoria da absor&ccedil;&atilde;o intestinal dos f&aacute;rmacos. Os estudos de libera&ccedil;&atilde;o com ambos f&aacute;rmacos mostraram perfis de libera&ccedil;&atilde;o sustentada. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que as micelas de QCM podem ser carreadoras promissoras para encapsular paclitaxel e camptotecina. / The aim of this work was to produce 3,6-O,O\'-dimyristoyl chitosan (DMC) with low average degree of substitution ((DS) &#773; &#8804; 10%) from the reaction of chitosan with myristoyl chloride, in order to confer amphiphilic characteristics to the polymer chains. In this study, different chitosans were used, namely commercial chitosan (QC), which possesses low average degree of acetylation ((GA) &#773; = 5%) and a low viscosity average molecular weight ((Mv) &#773; = 87,000 g/mol), and chitosan QD, produced from the ultrasound assisted deacetylation of beta-chitin, which presents (GA) &#773; = 15% and (Mv) &#773; = 300,000 g/mol. Different molar ratios chitosan / myristoyl chloride (Q/CM) were used (1: 0.075, 1: 0.1, 1: 0.2 and 1: 0.5) to obtain the DMCh derivatives, and the reactions were carried out at 25 0C for 1 h. The structural and morphological characteristics of the samples produced in this work were determined by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The solubility of the samples was investigated by UV/visible spectroscopy and the thermal stability was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. From the infrared spectroscopy analysis, it was possible to observe a band at 1740 cm-1, which refers to the axial deformation of the carbonyl moiety of carboxylic ester, showing the occurrence of O-acylation. The band at 1577 cm-1, which refers to N-acylation, was not evidenced. Then, the samples DMC1 ((DS) &#773; =6,6% ) and DMC4 ((DS) &#773; =11% ), which presented critical aggregation concentrations of 8.9&times;10-3 mg/mL and 13.2&times;10-3 mg/mL, respectively, were employed in the studies of encapsulation and release of the water-insoluble anti-cancer hydrophobic drugs, paclitaxel and camptothecin. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses showed that DMC micelles presented roughly spherical shapes, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) allowed the determination of the mean diameter of charged and empty micelles, which varied between 280 nm and 481 nm, while the zeta potential, was &#8805; +30 mV. DMC micelles were able to encapsulate paclitaxel and camptothecin with high encapsulation efficiency (EE> 60%), as confirmed by HPLC and UV-vis analyses. Furthermore, the micelles did not exhibit cytotoxicity toward Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cells, and the encapsulation decreased the toxicity of paclitaxel and camptothecin. Permeability studies of paclitaxel and camptothecin encapsulated into DMC micelles through Caco-2 monoculture and Caco-2 / HT29-MTX co-culture models confirmed the potential of micelles on the improvement of intestinal absorption of hydrophobic drugs. The release studies with both drugs showed sustained release profiles. Hence, the results suggest that the DMC micelles may be promising carriers for encapsulating paclitaxel and camptothecin.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / O cÃncer colorretal (CCR) Ã uma das neoplasias mais prevalentes em todo o mundo, sendo uma das principais causas de Ãbito por cÃncer. Dentre as drogas utilizadas como primeira linha no tratamento do CCR e do CCR metastÃtico hepÃtico, o irinotecano apresenta destaque pelo impacto sobre o aumento da sobrevida dos pacientes. Contudo, o surgimento de efeitos colaterais associados ao irinotecano (IRI), como a mucosite intestinal (MI), tem impactado negativamente no curso terapÃutico do paciente, observando-se atrasos nos ciclos subsequentes de quimioterapia, reduÃÃo de doses e, por vezes, interrupÃÃo do tratamento. A MI e a diarrÃia grave sÃo efeitos colaterais frequentes que pode atingir de 15-25% dos pacientes em quimioterapia. Objetivos: Estudar os parÃmetros funcionais da barreira intestinal e os mecanismos envolvidos na mucosite intestinal induzida pelo Irinotecano e seu metabÃlito ativo, SN-38. MÃtodos: Camundongos C57BL/6 machos (WT), 20-25g, foram divididos em grupos (n=6-8), administrados por 4 dias com salina (5 mL/Kg, i.p) ou com irinotecano (IRI, 75 mg/Kg, i.p). Os animais foram analisados no 5Â dia [D5] ou 7Â dia [D7] quanto ao peso corpÃreo, escores de diarreia, contagem de leucÃcitos. ApÃs sacrifÃcio, uma amostra de intestino foi coletada para dosagem de mieloperoxidase, anÃlise histopatolÃgica, morfomÃtrica, e imunohistoquÃmica para TLR4. Adicionalmente, realizou-se o teste de permeabilidade e perfusÃo intestinal in vivo. Avaliou-se tambÃm a bacteremia e a translocaÃÃo bacteriana em linfonodo mesentÃrico e fÃgado. Em adiÃÃo, a participaÃÃo de receptores Toll-like 2 (TLR2), 4 (TLR4) e 9 (TLR9) da proteÃna adaptadora MyD88 e NOD1 na mucosite intestinal foi verificada pelo uso de camundongos knockout com deleÃÃo gÃnica especÃfica para aqueles receptores e seus respectivos camundongos selvagens (WT). Adicionalmente, realizou-se a avaliaÃÃo dos efeitos in vivo e in vitro do SN-38. Os dados foram analisados com ANOVA/teste de Bonferroni ou Kruskal Wallis/teste de Dunn. P<0,05 foi aceito. (Protocolo CEPA 99/10). Resultados: A injeÃÃo de IRI causou uma significativa (P<0,05) perda ponderal, leucopenia e diarreia, associada a um aumento da infiltraÃÃo de neutrÃfilos no jejuno, Ãleo e pulmÃo, com alteraÃÃes morfomÃtricas e uma intensa destruiÃÃo da arquitetura dos vilos e criptas, apoptose celular em camundongos WT versus animais injetados com salina. AlÃm disso, o IRI induz uma alteraÃÃo da barreira intestinal evidenciada pela diminuiÃÃo da excreÃÃo de lactulose, aliado a um aumento significativo (P<0,05) da secreÃÃo intestinal de sÃdio, potÃssio e cloreto. Os camundongos injetados com Irinotecano apresentaram bacteremia e translocaÃÃo bacteriana (P<0,05) no linfonodo mesentÃrico e fÃgado, quando comparados ao grupo salina. A identificaÃÃo bioquÃmica das bactÃrias translocadas evidenciou a presenÃa de Escherichia coli (75%), Citrobacter sp. (17,2%), BactÃrias Gram-Negativas NÃo-Fermentadoras e Pseudomona aeruginosa (18%) no grupo injetado com Irinotecano, aliado a um significativo aumento (P<0,05) da imunomarcaÃÃo para TLR4 no intestino de animais injetados com IRI D5 (4[3-4]) e D7 (4[3-4]) versus o grupo salina (1,5[1-4]). Observamos que a deleÃÃo gÃnica para o receptor TLR2 e a proteÃna adaptadora MyD88, mas nÃo para TLR4 ou TLR9, preveniram a perda ponderal e o dano funcional, relacionado aos eventos de diarreia, bem como as alteraÃÃes morfomÃtricas, histopatolÃgicas, infiltraÃÃo de neutrÃfilos e bacteremia induzida pelo Irinotecano versus o grupo WT injetado com IRI (P<0,05). Entretanto, a deficiÃncia genÃtica de NOD1 conferiu uma reduzida diarreia, sem reverter o dano prÃ-inflamatÃrio induzido pelo IRI. Adicionalmente, o SN-38 causou um aumento da atividade de mieloperoxidase (P<0,05), sem alterar a secreÃÃo intestinal na alÃa isolada de camundongos (P>0.05) versus o grupo injetado com salina. O SN38 foi capaz de induzir alteraÃÃes morfolÃgicas nas cÃlulas intestinais de ratos (IEC-6). ConclusÃo: O IRI induziu alteraÃÃo dos parÃmetros funcionais, detectadas pelo teste de permeabilidade e de perfusÃo intestinal. O IRI induziu uma bacteremia e translocaÃÃo bacteriana para ÃrgÃos perifÃricos. AlÃm disso, a deficiÃncia do receptor Toll-like do tipo 2, e da proteÃna MyD88 previniu o dano intestinal e a diarreia induzida pelo IRI. Contudo, a deficiÃncia de receptores NOD1 somente melhorou a diarreia. Adicionalmente, o SN38 foi associado a um aumento da infiltraÃÃo de neutrÃfilo, sem alteraÃÃo da secreÃÃo intestinal no modelo de alÃa isolada. / The Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent neoplastic diseases in the world and is one leading cause of death. Irinotecan is a drug used as first line treatment for CRC and its liver metastases and has markedly improved the overall survival of patients. However, irinotecan-related side-effects, which include intestinal mucositis (IM), have impacted negatively on therapeutic outcome, leading to delayed chemotherapy cycles, dose reductions and treatment interruption. IM and life-threatening diarrhea may affect up to 15-25% of patients under irinotecan-based cancer chemotherapy regimens. Aims: To study the intestinal barrier function and the mechanisms involved in the IM induced by irinotecan and its active metabolite, SN-38. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice (WT, n=6-8) were divided into groups and injected with saline (5 mL/kg, i.p.) or irinotecan (IRI, 75 mg/kg, i.p.) for 4 days. Body weight, diarrhea and blood leukocyte count were assessed on days 5 [D5] and 7 [D7]. Following euthanasia, intestinal samples were collected for histopathology, morphometry, mieloperoxidase and imunohistochemistry assays. In addition, in vivo intestinal permeability and perfusion tests were performed. Bacteremia and bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph node and liver were further carried out. Additionally, the participation of toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2), 4 (TLR4) and 9 (TLR9), the adaptor protein MyD88 and NOD1 receptor in the pathogenesis of IM were investigated by the use of WT mice and knockout with target gene disruptions. Furthermore, the in vivo and in vitro effects of SN-38 were studied. Data analysis was performed with ANOVA/Bonferroniâs test or Kruskal Wallis/Dunnâs test. P<0,05 was accepted. (CEPA 99/10). Results. IRI-injected WT mice presented a marked (P<0.05) weight loss, leukopenia, diarrhea, increased neutrophil infiltration in lung, jejunum, ileum associated with villi and crypt morphologic alteration and apoptotic cell death versus saline-administered mice. Besides, reduced lactulose renal excretion, gut secretion of sodium, potassium and chloride evidenced intestinal barrier dysfunction in IRI-injected WT mice versus saline-administered control mice (P<0.05). Bacterermia and bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph node and liver were also observed in the IRI group. Biochemical identification of translocating bacteria revealed the presence of Escherichia coli (75%), Citrobacter sp. (17.2%), non-fermenting gram-negative bactÃria and Pseudomona aeruginosa (18%) in blood samples of IRI-injected mice. In addition, an increased TLR4 imunoexpression was detected in that group (IRI D5: 4[3-4] and D7: 4[3-4]) when compared with saline control (1.5[1-4]). Gene deletion to TLR2 and MyD88, but not to TLR4 or TLR9, prevented weight loss, diarrhea, intestinal morphometric alterations, neutrophil infiltration in the gut and bacteremia development versus the IRI-injeted WT group (P<0.05). However, NOD1 deletion was protective only against IRI-induced diarrhea without affecting the inflammatory infiltration. Furthermore, SN-38 promoted a marked neutrophil infiltration in ileum loops (P<0.05) but did not induce intestinal secretion of liquids (P>0.05) versus saline injected mice. Besides, cultured intestinal cells (IEC-6) incubated with SN-38 presented morphological changes in comparison to DMEN-cultured cells. Conclusions: IRI induced functional alterations in the gut and also bacteremia and bacterial translocation to peripheral organs. TLR2 and MyD88 deficiency prevented IRI-related intestinal damage and the diarrhea. However, NOD1 deficiency was protective only against diarrhea development. In addition, SN-38 might be responsible for the intestinal inflammatory reaction without affecting gut secretion of liquids.