The use of dense CO2 in polymer processing can provide a response to the need for more environmentally-friendly industrial processes. Products with high-purity, sterility, and porosity can be achieved using dense gas technology (DGT). Currently, DGT has been used in different aspects of polymer processing including polymerization, micronization, and impregnation. Due to its solubility in polymers, CO2 can penetrate and plasticize polymers, while impregnating them with low-molecular weight CO2 -soluble compounds. Biodegradable polymers and other medical-grade polymers have benefited from the application of DGT. Dense CO2 processing properties of inertness, non-toxicity, and affinity for various therapeutic compounds are specifically advantageous to the medical and biomedical industries. In this work, the different applications of DGT in polymer processing are revised, then implemented. The polymerization of polycarbonate (PC) and polycaprolactone (PCL) in dense CO2 are presented. The syntheses of both polymers were successful and were aided by the use of dense CO2 . A multi-stage approach using dense CO2 as a sweep fluid to extract the PC polymerization by-product phenol is reported. Polycaprolactone was synthesized with varying temperatures and dense CO pressures, then impregnated with a CO2 -soluble therapeutic agent. The impregnated PCL acted as a drug reservoir with a drug-loading of 27wt% and a sustained drug release profile was observed for all samples over several days. Polymer blends of PC/PCL have potential industrial and biomedical applications both in vivo and in vitro. The applicability of PCL can be extended by enhancing its mechanical properties by creating a bio-blend with a stronger polymer such as PC. In this work, PC/PCL nonporous and porous blends were produced. Three novel dense CO2 blending techniques were used. The macroporous PC/PCL blend was impregnated with a therapeutic agent using CO2 as the carrier. A drug loading of 20wt% was achieved and sustained drug release was observed over 3 days. The applicability of dense CO2 in polymer processing was further demonstrated by sterilizing macroporous PC/PCL blends and soft hydrogels with dense CO2 . The PC/PCL blends and hydrogels were inoculated with vegetative bacteria and bacterial endospores. Industrial standard sterilization levels were achieved.

Η θεραπεία του καρκίνου αποτελεί στις μέρες μας μία από τις μεγαλύτερες προκλήσεις της επιστημονικής κοινότητας παγκοσμίως. Τα συμβατικά φάρμακα που κυκλοφορούν εδώ και χρόνια προσβάλλουν τόσο τα καρκινικά όσο και τα υγιή κύτταρα. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι η πρόκληση σοβαρών παρενεργειών, οι οποίες δεν επιτρέπουν τη χορήγηση θεραπευτικών δόσεων. Η ανάπτυξη της νανοτεχνολογίας έχει βοηθήσει κατά πολύ το επιστημονικό πεδίο όσον αφορά τη διάγνωση και τη θεραπεία του καρκίνου. Τα νανοσωματίδια παρέχουν ένα νέο τρόπο χορήγησης των αντικαρκινικών φαρμάκων, λειτουργώντας ως φορείς που εξαγγειώνονται στην περιοχή του όγκου, επιτρέποντας με αυτόν τον τρόπο άμεση πρόσβαση στα καρκινικά κύτταρα. Τα συγκεκριμένα σωματίδια μπορούν να τροποποιηθούν κατάλληλα, ώστε να αποκτήσουν τη δυνατότητα να δεσμευθούν στις μεμβράνες των καρκινικών κυττάρων, στο μικροπεριβάλλον τους ή σε κυτταροπλασματικούς ή πυρηνικούς υποδοχείς. Κατά συνέπεια, μεταφέρονται στοχευμένα υψηλές συγκεντρώσεις του φαρμάκου στα καρκινικά κύτταρα και μειώνεται η τοξικότητα στους φυσιολογικούς ιστούς. Η ανάπτυξη τροποποιημένων νανοφορέων για τη χορήγηση των αντικαρκινικών φαρμάκων μπορεί να περιορίσει τα προβλήματα που συνδέονται με τα συμβατικά συστήματα χορήγησης, όπως έλλειψη εκλεκτικότητας και τοξικότητα. Οι νανοφορείς που έχουν μελετηθεί μέχρι σήμερα, εμφανίζουν σημαντικά προβλήματα, όπως δομική αστάθεια, δομική ετερογένεια και ελλειπή έλεγχο μεγέθους και σχήματος. Υπάρχει, συνεπώς, μια αυξανόμενη ανάγκη για ανάπτυξη προηγμένων συστημάτων μεταφοράς αντικαρκινικών φαρμάκων, στα οποία το σχήμα, το μέγεθος και η ικανότητα φόρτωσης να μπορούν να ρυθμιστούν κατάλληλα, προκειμένου να μεγιστοποιηθεί η αποτελεσματικότητα και να ελαχιστοποιηθεί η τοξικότητα των φαρμάκων. Τα φουλλερένια (C60) ανήκουν στην κατηγορία των νανοφορέων που μελετούνται εκτενώς για τη χορήγηση αντικαρκινικών παραγόντων. Η δυνατότητα των φουλλερενίων για την εκπλήρωση των παραπάνω προδιαγραφών έγκειται στη μεγάλη δυνατότητα τροποποίησης της βασικής τους δομής και την παρασκευή πληθώρας παραγώγων με επιθυμητές ιδιότητες. Το μεγαλύτερο μειονέκτημα αυτών των μορίων είναι η ελάχιστη διαλυτότητά τους στο νερό. Το πρόβλημα αυτό μπορεί να αντιμετωπιστεί με την πρόσδεση σε αυτά υδρόφιλων πολυμερών, όπως είναι η πολυαιθυλενογλυκόλη (PEG). Στην παρούσα εργασία, παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα της σύνθεσης ενός συζεύγματος πεγκυλιωμένου μορίου φουλλερενίου (C60) με το αντικαρκινικό φάρμακο δοξορουμπικίνη, καθώς και η in vitro αξιολόγηση του τελικού προϊόντος. Στόχος είναι η αύξηση της αποτελεσματικότητας και η μείωση της τοξικότητας του φαρμάκου, μέσω στοχευμένης μεταφοράς στον καρκινικό όγκο. Ένα πεγκυλιωμένο σύζευγμα φουλλερενίου (C60) με δοξορουμπικίνη (FULL-PEG-DOX) συντέθηκε επιτυχώς σε έξι στάδια με συνολική απόδοση 25,7% και χαρακτηρίστηκε με 1H-NMR, IR και UV. Η δραστικότητα του τελικού προϊόντος, καθώς επίσης και δύο ενδιάμεσων προϊόντων (FULL-PEG και FULL-DOX) αλλά και του υδροχλωρικού άλατος της δοξορουμπικίνης ενάντια στον καρκίνο ελέγχθηκε in vitro σε καρκινικές σειρές κυττάρων MCF-7. Το τελικό προϊόν εμφάνισε ικανοποιητική αντικαρκινική δράση, κυρίως μέσω αναστολής του πολλαπλασιασμού των καρκινικών κυττάρων. Τα αποτελέσματα της μελέτης μπορούν να θεωρηθούν ιδιαίτερα ενθαρρυντικά και δικαιολογούν τη συνέχιση της ερευνητικής προσπάθειας για στοχευμένη χορήγηση δοξορουμπικίνης σε καρκινικά κύτταρα μέσω της πρόσδεσής της σε τροποποιημένα μόρια φουλλερενίου. / Cancer’s treatment is nowadays one of the most important challenges that the scientific community worldwide has to face. Conventional anticancer drugs, which are in the market many years, affect both cancer and normal cells. Hence, they cause serious side effects, which make the administration of therapeutic drug doses impossible. The development of nanotechnology has changed the scientific landscape in terms of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanoparticulate drug carriers provide a new mode of cancer drug delivery. They can extravasate at tumor site, allowing direct drug access to cancer cells. These particles allow exquisite modification for binding to cancer cell membranes, the microenvironment or to cytoplasmic or nuclear receptor sites. This results to the delivery of high drug concentrations to the targeted cancer cells with reduced toxicity to normal (healthy) tissue. The application of engineered nanocarriers for the delivery of anticancer drugs may alleviate the problems associated with conventional anticancer drug delivery systems, such as lack of selectivity and toxicity. Drug nanocarriers explored to date suffer from inherent limitations, including instability, structural heterogeneity and poor control over size and shape. There is an increasing need for advanced delivery agents for the anticancer drugs where shape, size, functionalization and loading capacity can be precisely tuned in order to maximize efficacy and minimize drug toxicity. Among the nanocarriers which are currently studied as drug delivery systems for anticancer agents are fullerenes (C60). The potential of fullerenes to address the above specifications lies in the immense scope for chemical derivatization to the basic structure. Except for their high toxicity to normal cells, the main drawback of these carbon molecules is their poor solubility to water. This problem can be overcome by attaching on fullerene particles hydrophilic polymers, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). In the present work, the results of synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation of a pegylated fullerene conjugate with the potent anticancer drug Doxorubicin are represented. The main goal is to increase efficacy and reduce toxicity of doxorubicin, through targeted delivery to tumors, by conjugating the drug to pegylated fullerenes. A pegylated fullerene-doxorubicin conjugate has been successfully synthesized in 6 steps with a 25.7 % overall yield and was characterized by 1H-NMR, IR and UV. The final product, two intermediate products and doxorubicin hydrochloride were evaluated in vitro against MCF-7 cancer cells lines. The final product exhibited satisfactory anticancer activity mainly by inhibiting proliferation. The results of this study justify further investigation of the potential of pegylated fullerenes as targeted nanocarriers of doxorubicin.

For decades the care of disabled population in Brazil has been neglected by the government and was provided largely by the charitable institutions. It was as only recently, as in the year 2011 that Brazilian government created the national plan for the rights of the disabled people. The plan articulates policies regarding social inclusion, access to education, accessibility and health care. The last section of the plan includes the provision of wheelchairs free of cost to the Brazilians citizens, who are in need of a wheelchair. It is common knowledge that a wrong wheelchair specification can lead to physical damage for the user and the carer; the abandonment of device, and wastage of time and resources involved in the wheelchair provision. The World Health Organization has propounded several good practices and training material with reference to wheelchair services towards enabling of right wheelchair fit to the user characteristics. Though, there is no evidence that the service provided in Brazil adheres to these guidelines or any other wheelchair service good practice. This research reviews the wheelchair service provision in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil with the aim to understand the functionality of these services in order to provide context-specific interventions and recommendations to improve the design of current services. Herein, three main studies were conducted using a mix of methods: A first exploratory study was conducted to assess the Belo Horizonte assistive technology services and identify a research focus. A second study was conducted to develop an in-depth insight on the understanding of the wheelchair service provided and to collect the necessary information towards creating a context-based and collaborative designed intervention. A third study was conducted to evaluate and improve the proposed interventions. A total of sixty-six interviews were conducted (n=66) with service stakeholders and two hundred and fifty user care observed (n=250) from which ninety-five (n=95) tested the proposed interventions.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:16:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JulianaFC_DISSERT.pdf: 2465662 bytes, checksum: 2528260c5aedc6b5fb63748e3692e16a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-26 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The drug targeting has been the subject of extensive studies in order to develop site-specific treatments that minimize side effects and become more effective anticancer therapy. Despite considerable interest in this class, drugs like antibiotics also have limitations, and have been neglected. Using new pharmaceutical technologies, the use of magnetic vectors appear as promising candidate for drug delivery systems in several studies. Small magnetic particles bound to the drug of interest can be modulated according to the orientation of a magnet outside the body, locating and holding in a specific site. In this work, we propose the use of High Energy Milling (HEM) for synthesis of a magnetic vector with characteristics suitable for biomedical applications by intravenous administration, and for the formation of an oxacillin-carrier complex to obtain a system for treating infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. The results of the variation of milling time showed that the size and structural properties of the formed material change with increasing milling time, and in 60 hours we found the sample closest to the ideal conditions of the material. The vector-drug system was studied in terms of structural stability and antimicrobial activity after the milling process, which revealed the integrity of the oxacillin molecule and its bactericidal action on cultures of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC / A vetoriza??o de f?rmaco tem sido alvo de exaustivos trabalhos no intuito de desenvolver tratamentos s?tio-espec?ficos que minimizem efeitos adversos e torne mais efetiva a terapia antineopl?sica. Apesar do grande interesse nessa classe, f?rmacos como os antibi?ticos tamb?m apresentam limita??es, e t?m sido negligenciados. Utilizando novas tecnologias farmac?uticas, o emprego de vetores magn?ticos aparece como candidato promissor para sistemas de entrega de f?rmaco em in?meros estudos. As pequenas part?culas magn?ticas ligadas ao f?rmaco de interesse podem ser moduladas de acordo com a orienta??o de um ?m? externo ao corpo, localizado e retendo o ativo no local de interesse. Nesse trabalho n?s propomos a utiliza??o de Moagem de Alta Energia (MAE) para s?ntese do vetor magn?tico com caracter?sticas apropriadas para aplica??es biom?dicas por via de administra??o intravenosa, e para complexa??o do carreador ? Oxacilina para obten??o de um sistema para tratamento de infec??es por Staphylococcus aures. Os resultados da varia??o do tempo de moagem demonstraram que as propriedades estruturais e de tamanho do material formado se alteram com o aumento do tempo de moagem, e dentre os per?odos estudados, 60 horas foi escolhido como o mais pr?ximo das propriedades ideais do material. A complexa??o vetor-f?rmaco foi estudada em termos de estabilidade estrutural e de atividade antimicrobiana ap?s o processo de moagem, que revelaram a integridade da mol?cula de Oxacilina e de sua a??o bactericida sobre culturas de Staphylococcus aures ATCC

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-09-08T13:48:31Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) TESE_DANILO FONTES_PPGCF_UFPE.pdf: 6750693 bytes, checksum: ec0d551dfa4fb27855a7caf940d95aab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-08T13:48:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) TESE_DANILO FONTES_PPGCF_UFPE.pdf: 6750693 bytes, checksum: ec0d551dfa4fb27855a7caf940d95aab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-18 / FACEPE / Os hidróxidos duplos lamelares (HDL), também conhecidos como compostos tipo hidrotalcita, são materiais capazes de incorporar espécies biologicamente ativas, negativamente carregadas, na sua região interlamelar, de modo a neutralizar as cargas po-sitivas das lamelas, através do mecanismo de troca iônica. Além deste mecanismo, os HDL possuem alta capacidade de adsorção de materiais não iônicos e carregados positivamente, através de interações eletrostáticas e ligações de hidrogênio na sua vasta área superficial. Os HDL possuem ocorrência natural e também podem ser sintetizados em laboratório por rotas simples e de baixo custo, que permitem o isolamento de sólidos de alta pureza. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo a síntese e caracterização de HDL (CaAl-HDL e MgAl-Cl-HDL), e sua aplicação junto aos fármacos antiretrovirais Efavirenz (EFZ) e Zidovudina (AZT), e do anti-chagásico Benznidazol (BNZ). Os materiais obtidos foram caracterizados pelas técnicas de difração de raios-X (DRX), termogravimetria (TG), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), análise térmica diferencial (DTA), espectroscopia no infravermelho (IV), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), microscopia de luz polarizada e análise elementar de metais e de carbono, hidrogênio e nitrogênio (CHN). Foi possível observar que em sistemas com HDL de cálcio e alumínio (CaAl-HDL), obtido pelo método de evaporação do solvente, contendo até 30% de EFZ e até 20% do BNZ, o fármaco tornou-se uma molécula com características amorfas, perdendo seu caráter cristalino. Este fenômeno pôde ser comprovado através da ausência de planos cristalinos do fármaco no DRX, e também do seu ponto de fusão no DSC. Nos testes de liberação, estes sistemas obtiveram destaque no incremento de solubilidade, sendo a proporção HDL-EFZ 30% a mais promissora, com aumento de 558% do EFZ solúvel em relação ao fármaco isolado; e o sistema HDL-BNZ 20%, proporcionando 702% de aumento na solubilidade do fármaco. Desta maneira comprovou-se que associação entre o CaAl-HDL e o BNZ e EFZ (fármacos de baixa solubilidade) confere incremento de solubilidade, promovendo uma maior taxa de dissolução nos estudos in vitro. A solubilidade aquosa de um fármaco constitui requisito prévio à absorção e obtenção de resposta clínica, para a maioria dos medicamentos administrados por via oral. No sistema contendo MgAl-Cl-HDL e AZT, obtido pelo método de síntese por co-precipitação a pH constante, foi possível notar que, o fármaco tornou-se amorfo através da interação com a superfície do HDL, como evidenciado através do DRX, TG, IV e MEV. No estudo de liberação, foi possível obter um perfil de liberação prolongada do AZT, de 90% de fármaco em 24 horas de estudo. Os sistemas CaAL-HDL:EFZ e MgAl-Cl-HDL:AZT tornaram-se menos tóxicos quando comparados a seus respectivos fármacos isolados, enquanto o sistema CaAL-HDL:BNZ, não alterou a toxicidade do BNZ, quando testados em linhagem de macrófagos humanos. / Layered double hydroxides (LDH), also known as hydrotalcite compounds, are materials able to incorporate biologically active species, negatively charged, into the interlayer region, to neutralize the positive charges of the lamellae through the ion exchange mechanism. Besides this mechanism, LDH have a high adsorption capacity for positively charged non-ionic materials, through electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds on its vast surface area. LDH are found in nature and can also be synthesized by simple and low-cost routes, that allow for the isolation of high purity solids. This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of the LDH (CaAl-LDH e MgAl-Cl-LDH), its applications with the antiretroviral drugs efavirenz and zidovudine, and the anti-chagas drug Benznidazol. The materials were characterized by the techniques of x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), differential thermal analysis (DTA), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized light microscopy, and elemental analysis of metals and carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen (CHN). It was observed that in systems with CaAl-HDL, obtained by the solvent evaporation method, containing up to 30% of EFZ and 20% of BNZ, the drug became a molecule with amorphous characteristics, losing its crystalline character. This phenomenon could be demonstrated by the absence of the drug crystal planes in the XRD analysis, and also by its melting point in the DSC analysis. In the release experiments, these systems stood out because they promoted an increase in solubility, with LDH-EFZ 30% being the most promising, with an increase in the EFV solubility of 558% compared to the drug itself; and the LDH-BNZ 20% system providing a 702% increase in solubility. Thus, the association between CaAl-LDH and BNZ and EFZ (low solubility drugs) was proven to increase the solubility of these drugs, promoting a higher dissolution rate in in vitro studies. The aqueous solubility of a drug is a prerequisite for obtaining absorption and clinical response for most drugs administered orally. In the system containing MgAl-Cl-LDH and AZT, obtained by the method of co-precipitation at constant pH, it was noticeable that, after the synthesis, the drug became amorphous due to the interaction with the surface of the LDH, as evidenced by the XRD, TG, SEM, and IR analyses. In the release study, it was possible to obtain a profile of the prolonged release of AZT, 90% of the drug in a 24-hour experiment. The cell viability experiment showed that the CaAl-LDH:EFZ and MgAl-Cl-HDL:AZT systems became less toxic than the isolated drugs and the CaAl-HDL:BNZ system did not alter the toxicity of the drug itself, when tested in human macrophage lineage.

O mecanismo de interferência por RNA (RNAi) é um evento de silenciamento gênico através da degradação do RNA mensageiro. Desta forma, a administração de siRNA (molécula efetora do RNAi) é uma terapia promissora para o tratamento de diversas doenças como o câncer. Porém, para a sua efetiva aplicação terapêutica é necessário o desenvolvimento de sistemas de liberação capazes de liberar o siRNA nas células alvo, promover a sua internalização celular e evitar a sua degradação. Dentre os sistemas de liberação, os de liberação localizada, como os sistemas de geleificação in situ, apresentam vantagens sobre administração sistêmica. Formulações fluidas precursoras (FFP) que formam sistemas líquido cristalinos viscosos in situ podem ser obtidas a partir de lipídeos anfifílicos que absorvem água do meio e se rearranjam. Neste contexto, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar o gel formado in situ a partir da FFP (G-FFP), composta por monoglicerídeos (MO), polietilenoimina (PEI), propilenoglicol (PG) e tampão tris, como sistema de liberação localizada de siRNA na terapia do câncer de pele. Os resultados mostraram que o G-FFP é uma mistura de fase cúbica e fase hexagonal. O G-FFP liberou o siRNA de maneira sustentada e complexado ao PEI. A FFP pode ser esterilizada por filtração em membrana e foi capaz de complexar altas concentrações de siRNA (15 mM) e de proteger o siRNA da degradação. A citotoxicidade foi dependente da concentração de FFP e esta quando complexada com siRNA teve a toxicidade diminuída. O siRNA liberado do G-FFP foi internalizado pelas células A431, FaDu, HeLa, A549, WM35/DLC2-GFP e MCF-7/DLC2-GFP. Além disto, siRNAs específicos liberados pelo G-FFP foram capazes de reduzir a expressão da proteína Firefly luciferase em células HeLa e FaDu, pórem não foram capazes de reduzir a expressão do receptor do fator de crescimento epidérmico (EGFR) nas células A431, HeLa, A549 e FaDu. A redução da expressão de EGFR em células A549 foi observado quando a terapia com siRNA foi combinada com internalização fotoquímica. Destes resultados, pode-se inferir que a transfecção celular do siRNA e o silenciamento gênico promovido por ele foi dependente tanto do tipo de linhagem celular como do alvo desejado. Os estudos in vivo mostraram que ocorre a formação de gel intratumoral e após 3 dias da administração intratumoral da FFP contendo siRNA específico para EGFR houve redução de 30% no tamanho dos tumores comparados aos tumores tratados com FFP sem siRNA. Diante destes resultados, pode-se concluir que o sistema desenvolvido tem potencial como sistema de liberação localizada de siRNA quando aplicado subcutaneamente ou intratumoral, uma vez que complexa o siRNA, promove a sua internalização celular e o siRNA liberado no citoplasma das células pode reduzir a expressão de proteínas de interesse. / RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism in which small interfering RNA molecules (siRNA) inhibit gene expression, by causing the messenger RNA degradation. Thus, siRNA is a promising therapy for the treatment of several diseases such as cancer. However, the development of delivery systems able to protect the siRNA from degradation and promote its cell uptake is essential for therapeutic use of siRNA. Among the delivery systems, the localized delivery system such as in situ gelling delivery system, have advantages over systemic administration. Precursor fluid formulations (FFP), which forms in situ viscous liquid crystalline systems, can be obtained from amphiphilic lipids that absorb water from the environment and self-assembling. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the in situ gel formed from the FFP (G-FFP), composed of monoglycerides (MO), polyethyleneimine (PEI), propylene glycol (PG) and Tris buffer, as localized delivery system for siRNA in skin cancer therapy. The results showed that the G-FFP is a mixture of cubic and hexagonal phase. The G-FFP sustained release of siRNA and the siRNA is released complexed with PEI. The FFP can be sterilized by membrane filtration at 0.22 ?m. FFP was able to complex high siRNA concentration (15 mM) and protect the siRNA from degradation. The cytotoxicity was dependent on the FFP concentration, when FFP was complexed with siRNA it was observed a decreased in toxicity. The siRNA released from G-FFP was uptake by A431, FaDu, HeLa, A549, WM35/DLC2-GFP and MCF-7/DLC2-GFP cells. In addition, specific siRNAs released from G-FFP were able to reduce the expression of Firefly luciferase in HeLa and FaDu cells, but they were unable to reduce the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in A431, HeLa, A549 and FaDu cells. The reduction of expression of EGFR in A549 cells was observed when siRNA therapy was combined with photochemical internalization. From these results, can be inferred that the efficiency of siRNA transfection and knockdown was dependent on both the type of cell line and the desired target protein. In vivo studies showed that the gel was formed in situ after intratumoral injection. 3 days after intratumoral administration of FFP containing EGFR specific siRNA, 30% of reduction in the tumors size compared to tumors treated with FFP without siRNA was observed. Based on these results, could be concluded that the developed system is a potential siRNA delivery system when administered subcutaneously and intratumoral, because it was able to complex siRNA, promoted its cell uptake and the siRNA released into the cytoplasm of the cell may reduce the expression of target proteins

A protoporfirina IX (PpIX) é uma substância fotodinâmicamente ativa, entretanto, devido a sua alta lipofilia apresenta dificuldades para penetrar nas camadas mais profundas da pele, não sendo administrada topicamente. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a influência de diferentes tipos de dendrímeros de poliamidoamina (PAMAM) na solubilidade, penetração cutânea e penetração celular da PpIX com o intuito de melhorar a terapia fotodinâmica tópica (TFD) com esta substância. Os estudos de solubilidade da PpIX na presença dos dendrímeros PAMAM G4, G4.5 e G4-OH mostraram que o dendrímero PAMAM G4.5, foi o que solubilizou a maior quantidade de PpIX seguido do PAMAM-OH G4> PAMAM G4 > tampão HEPES. A partir dos estudos de solubilidade foi possível identificar que a PpIX na presença dos dendrímeros PAMAM G-4.5 e G4-OH apresentam diagramas de solubilidade tipo BS, e BI quando na presença do PAMAM G4. Os estudos de varredura em espectroscopia UV-VIS e fluorescência indicaram a presença de agregados principalmente nos complexos PpIX-PAMAM G-4.5 obtidos. Os complexos solúveis PpIX-PAMAM G4-OH apresentaram tamanho médio de 13,2 nm, e potencial zeta de -3,41. Já os complexos com o dendrímero PAMAM G-4.5 apresentaram uma população bidispersa, com tamanhos de 31 e 391 nm e um potencial zeta de -17,3. A análise de DSC e espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de Fourrier mostraram alterações nas características da PpIX em solução e quando complexada com os dendrímeros. Nos estudos de permeação e retenção cutânea passiva com os complexos contendo 0,006 mg/mL de PpIX, estes não aumentaram a penetração cutânea do fármaco. No entanto, a complexação permitiu que maiores quantidades de PpIX ficassem disponíveis na solução doadora, e um aumento significativo na penetração da PpIX foi observado quando experimentos com 1 mg/mL de PpIX complexada foram conduzidos; ademais notou-se uma possível ação promotora do dendrímero PAMAM G4-OH. Nos estudos de iontoforese verificou-se que a corrente elétrica não aumentou a penetração da PpIX em relação aos experimentos passivos quando o complexo PpIX-PAMAM G4.5 foi estudado, provavelmente devido a maior liberação da PpIX do complexo na presença da corrente elétrica, aumentando os agregados que são grandes o suficientes para não penetrar na pele. Por outro lado, a iontoforese anódica aumentou a penetração do complexo PpIX-PAMAM G4-OH por eletrosmose até as camadas mais profundas da pele, levando a PpIX inclusive até a solução receptora. Os estudos de cultura de células tumorais confirmaram a capacidade dos dendrímeros em aumentar a penetração da PpIX através de membrana. A complexação melhorou a distribuição da PpIX no interior das células e aumentou significativamente a fotocitotoxicidade desta porfirina. / Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is a photodynamic active drug that is not topically administered due to its high lipophilicity and consequent low penetration in deep skin layers. The aim of this work is to study the influence of different types of polyamidoamine dendrimers (PAMAM) in PpIX solubility, skin and cell penetration to enhance topical photodynamic therapy (PDT). The solubility studies of PpIX in the presence of PAMAM dendrimers G4, G4.5 and G4-OH demonstrated that the G4.5 solubilized the greatest amount of PpIX, followed by PAMAM G4-OH> PAMAM G4> HEPES buffer. Solubility studies showed that the PpIX in the presence of PAMAM dendrimers G-4.5 and G4-OH presented solubility diagrams of BS type, and BI type in the presence of PAMAM G4. Studies of scanning UV-VIS and fluorescence indicated the presence of aggregates mainly in PpIX-PAMAM G-4.5 solution. The PpIX-PAMAM G4-OH complexes showed a mean size of 13.2 nm and zeta potential of -3.41; the complexes with PAMAM dendrimer G-4.5 had a bi-dispersed population, with sizes of 31 and 391 nm and a zeta potential of -17.3. The analysis of DSC and Fourier transform infrared Fourier showed changes in the characteristics of PpIX when it was complexed with the dendrimers. Passive skin permeation and retention studies with the complexes containing 0.006 mg/ml PpIX had not increased PpIX penetration, however, the complexation allowed greater amounts of PpIX to become available in the donor solution, and experiments with 1 mg/mL of PpIX increased significantly the penetration of the drug. Moreover, dendrimer PAMAM G4-OH seemed to act as a penetration enhancer. Iontophoresis did not increase skin penetration of PpIX compared to passive studies when the PpIX-PAMAM G4.5 was studied, likely because the electric current increased PpIX release from the complexes, forming aggregates large enough to not penetrate through the skin. On the other hand, anodic iontophoresis increased significantly the penetration of the PpIX-PAMAM G4-OH by eletrosmosis, spreading the drug to deep skins layers, also reaching the receiver solution. Studies in cell culture confirmed the ability of dendrimers to increase the penetration of PpIX through the membrane. The complexation improved the distribution of PpIX within the cells and significantly increased photocytotoxic of the porphyrin.

There are currently two types of drug formulation in clinical use in the locoregional treatment of intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the emulsion LIPDOX, the cytostatic agent doxorubicin (DOX) is dissolved in the aqueous phase, which is emulsified with the oily contrast agent Lipiodol® (LIP). In the microparticular system DEBDOX, DOX is loaded into the drug-eluting entity DC Bead™. The overall aim of the thesis was to improve pharmaceutical understanding of the LIPDOX and DEBDOX formulations, in order to facilitate the future development of novel drug delivery systems. In vivo release of DOX from the formulations and the disposition of DOX and its active metabolite doxorubicinol (DOXol) were assessed in an advanced multisampling-site acute healthy pig model and in patients with HCC. The release of DOX and disposition of DOX and DOXol where further analysed using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and biopharmaceutical (PBBP) modelling. The combination of in vivo investigations and in silico modelling could provide unique insight into the mechanisms behind drug release and disposition. The in vivo release of DOX from LIPDOX is not extended and controlled, as it is from DEBDOX. With both formulations, DOX is released as a burst during the early phase of administration. The in vivo release of DOX from LIPDOX was faster than from DEBDOX in both pigs and patients. The release from DEBDOX was slow and possibly incomplete. The in vivo release of DOX from LIPDOX and DEBDOX could be described by using the PBBP model in combination with in vitro release profiles. The disposition of DOX and DOXol was modelled using a semi-PBPK model containing intracellular binding sites. The contrast agent Lipiodol® did not affect the hepatobiliary disposition of DOX in the pig model. The control substance used in this study, cyclosporine A, inhibited the biliary excretion of DOX and DOXol but did not alter metabolism in healthy pigs. The disposition of DOX is similar in healthy pigs and humans, which was shown by the ease of translation of the semi-PBPK pig model to the human PBBP model.

[EN] The present PhD thesis, which is entitled "Design of new bio-gated nanodevices for advanced communication processes and targeted controlled release of therapeutic agents" is focused on the development of new functional hybrid organic-inorganic materials for applications in the field of the controlled delivery of target molecules. The first chapter of the present thesis gives an introduction to the organic-inorganic hybrid materials functionalized with "molecular gates" and its application in controlled release processes. The second chapter of this thesis is focused on the development of a new nanodevice able to deliver its cargo as a function of the glucose concentration. The nanodevice is based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with a suitable fluorophore and functionalized with propylbenzymidazole moieties on the pore outlets. The mesopores are then capped with an active cyclodextrin modified glucose oxidase enzyme (through the formation of an inclusion complex between the cyclodextrins and the propylbenzymidazole group anchored to the solid support). When glucose is added its enzymatic oxidation produced gluconic acid. This acid induced a decrease in the pH of the medium and the protonation of the benzymidazole group that might result in the inclusion complex dethreading and the subsequent cargo release. The third chapter of the thesis is focused on the development of a new redox-responsive material for the controlled delivery of cytotoxic drugs in cancer cells. The system is based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with a reporter (safranin O) and functionalized with two different sized polyethylene glycol chains in the pore outlets using a disulfide linkage. In presence of glutathione, the disulfide bonds are cleaved allowing the release of the entrapped cargo. Once confirmed the aperture protocol, the uptake of the gated nanoparticles and their ability to deliver the cargo (fluorophore or cytotoxic agent) in HeLa cells were tested. Moreover, cell viability assays were also performed. The fourth chapter of the thesis is focused on the preparation and the study of a nanodevice for the controlled delivery in senescent cells in a murine model of pulmonary fibrosis. The material is prepared using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (as an inorganic support) and galactoligosaccharide (molecular gate) moieties anchored on the external surface. In presence of senescent cells, which overexpress ß-galactosidase enzyme, the hydrolysis of the galactooligosaccharide capping molecules take place and the cargo release from the inner of the pores is produced (rhodamine B). After the in vitro studies, the ability of nanoparticles to accumulate and release their payload in tissues with abundance of senescent cells was evaluated in vivo. For that purpose, mice with induced pulmonary fibrosis, pathogenesis with associated increased alveolar senescence, were treated with the synthesized material and subsequently examined to assess its ability to accumulate and release its payload (fluorophore) in lung's damaged areas. In the fifth chapter of the thesis it has been explored the concept of cascade chemical communication using different types of nanodevices, each of them loaded with a certain messenger and externally functionalized with a gate-like entity that controls the release of the payload. When the enzyme able to hydrolyze the molecular gate that blocks the pores of the first type of nanoparticles (S1), is added to an aqueous suspension containing the three nanoparticles, the delivery of the chemical messenger 1 is produced. This messenger is able to open the second type of nanoparticles (S2) which delivers the messenger 2. Finally, the messenger 2 triggers the aperture of the third group of gated system (S3), which ultimately delivers its load (a dye) as a final response. / [ES] La presente tesis doctoral titulada "Diseño de nuevos nanodispositivos para procesos avanzados de comunicación y liberación controlada y dirigida de agentes terapéuticos" está centrada en el desarrollo de nuevos materiales híbridos orgánico-inorgánicos funcionales para aplicaciones en el campo de la liberación controlada de moléculas de interés. El primer capítulo de la tesis ofrece una introducción a los materiales híbridos orgánico-inorgánicos funcionalizados con "puertas moleculares" y su aplicación en procesos de liberación controlada. En el segundo capítulo de la tesis se aborda el desarrollo de un nanodispositivo capaz de responder y liberar su carga en función de la concentración de glucosa. Este nanodispositivo está basado en nanoparticulas de sílice mesoporosa funcionalizadas en su superficie externa con grupos benzimidazol y con los poros cargados con un fluoróforo. Los poros se cierran al añadir la enzima glucosa oxidasa funcionalizada con ciclodextrinas (por formación de un complejo de inclusión entre el benzimidazol y los oligosacáridos cíclicos). Al adicionar glucosa se produce su oxidación enzimática dando ácido glucónico. Este ácido induce una bajada del pH del medio con la consiguiente protonación de los benzimidazoles y la ruptura de los complejos de inclusión. Esta ruptura provoca la salida de la enzima de la superficie y la liberación del colorante atrapado en los poros. El tercer capítulo de la tesis se ha centrado en el desarrollo de un material para la liberación controlada de agentes citotóxicos en células cancerosas en respuesta a cambios en el potencial redox. De nuevo se emplean nanopartículas de sílice mesoporosa con los poros cargados con un colorante (safranina O) y la superficie externa funcionalizada con dos polietilenglicoles conteniendo enlaces disulfuro. En presencia de glutatión se produce la reducción del enlace disulfuro con la consiguiente liberación del colorante. Una vez confirmado el protocolo de apertura, se estudió la internalización y la liberación de un fluoróforo y de un agente citotóxico en el modelo celular HeLa, realizando además ensayos de viabilidad. En el cuarto capítulo de la tesis se ha preparado y ensayado un nanodispositivo para la liberación controlada en células senescentes en un modelo murino de fibrosis pulmonar. El material se prepara empleando nanopartículas de sílice mesoporosa y un galactooligosacárido anclado en la superficie externa. En presencia de células senescentes, que sobreexpresan la enzima ¿-galactosidasa, se produce la hidrólisis del oligosacárido con la consiguiente liberación de la carga atrapada en los poros del soporte (rodamina B). Tras los estudios in vitro, la capacidad del nanodispositivo de acumularse y liberar su carga en tejidos ricos en células senescentes se evaluó in vivo. Para ello, ratones con fibrosis pulmonar inducida, patología en la que se ha descrito la aparición de senescencia, se trataron con el material sintetizado y posteriormente fueron examinados para comprobar la capacidad de acumularse y liberar su carga (fluoróforo) en la zona pulmonar dañada. En el quinto capítulo se ha explorado el proceso de comunicación química en cascada empleando tres tipos de nanopartículas mesoporosas de sílice cargadas con diferentes mensajeros y funcionalizadas con tres puertas moleculares distintas. Cuando sobre una suspensión de las tres nanopartículas se añade la enzima capaz de hidrolizar la puerta molecular que bloquea los poros del primer tipo de nanopartículas (S1), se produce la liberación del mensajero 1. Este mensajero es capaz de inducir la apertura del segundo tipo de nanopartículas (S2), que a su vez liberan al medio el mensajero 2. Por último, el mensajero 2 es capaz de abrir la puerta molecular del tercer tipo de nanopartículas (S3), que liberan finalmente su carga (un colorante) como respuesta final. / [CAT] La present tesis doctoral titulada "Disseny de nous nanodispositius per a processos avançats de comunicació i lliberació controlada i dirigida d'agents terapèutics" està centrada en el desenvolupament de nous materials híbrids orgànic-inorgànic funcionals per a aplicacions en el camp de la lliberació controlada de molècules d'interès. El primer capítol de la tesis ofereix una introducció als materials híbrids orgànic-inorgànic funcionalitzats amb "portes moleculars" i la seua aplicació en processos de lliberació controlada. En el segon capítol de la tesis s'aborda el desenvolupament d'un nanodispositiu capaç de respondre i lliberar la seua càrrega en funció de la concentració de glucosa. Este nanodispositiu està basat en nanopartícules de sílice mesoporoses funcionalitzades a la seua superfície externa amb grups benzimidazol i amb els pors carregats amb un fluoròfor. Els pors queden bloquejats al afegir el enzim glucosa oxidasa funcionalitzada amb ciclodextrines (per formació d'un complex d'inclusió entre el benzimidazol i els oligosacàrids cíclics). Al afegir glucosa es produeix la seua oxidació enzimàtica donant lloc a àcid glucònic. Este àcid indueix una baixada del pH del medi amb la consegüent protonació dels benzimidazols i el trencament dels complexes d'inclusió. Este trencament provoca l'eixida del enzim de la superfície i la lliberació del colorant atrapat als pors. El tercer capítol de la tesis s'ha centrat en la preparació d'un material per a la lliberació controlada d'agents citotòxics en cèl¿lules canceroses en resposta a canvis en el potencia redox. De nou s'empren nanopartícules de sílice mesoporoses amb els pors carregats amb un colorant (safranina O) i la superfície externa funcionalitzada amb dos polietilenglicols (de diferent pes molecular) contenint enllaços disulfur. En presència de glutatió es produeix la reducció del enllaç disulfur amb la consegüent lliberació del colorant. Una volta confirmat el protocol d'obertura, es va estudiar la internalització i la lliberació d'un fluoròfor i d'un agent citotòxic en el model cel¿lular HeLa, realitzant ademés assajos de viabilitat. En el quart capítol de la tesis s'ha preparat i s'ha estudiat un nanodispositiu per a la lliberació controlada en cèl¿lules senescents, en un model murí de fibrosis pulmonar. El material es prepara emprant nanopartícules de sílice mesoporoses i un galactooligosacàrid anclat a la superfície externa del material. En presència de cèl¿lules senescents, que sobreexpresen el enzim ¿-galactosidasa, es produeix la hidròlisis del oligosacàrid amb el consegüent alliberament de la càrrega atrapada en els pors del suport (rodamina B). Després dels estudis in vitro, la capacitat del nanodispositiu d'acumular-se i lliberar la càrrega en teixits rics en cèl¿lules senecents es va evaluar in vivo. Amb este propòsit, ratolins amb fibrosis pulmonar induïda, patologia en la que s'ha descrit l'aparició de senescència en els teixits danyats, es van tractar amb el material sintetitzat i posteriorment van ser examinats per a comprovar la capacitat d'acumular-se i lliberar la seua càrrega (fluoròfor) en la zona dels pulmons afectada. En el quint capítol s'ha explorat el procés de comunicació química en cascada utilitzant tres tipus de nanopartícules mesoporoses de sílice carregades amb diferents missatgers i funcionalitzades amb tres portes moleculars diferents. Quan, sobre una suspensió de les tres nanopartícules, s'afegeix l'enzim capaç d'hidrolitzar la porta molecular que bloqueja els pors del primer tipus de nanopartícules (S1), es produeix la lliberació del missatger 1 des de S1. Este missatger és capaç d'induir l'obertura del segon tipus de nanopartícules (S2), les quals lliberen al medi el missatger 2. Per últim, el missatger 2 és capaç d'obrir la porta molecular del tercer tipus de nanopartícules (S3), que lliberen finalment la seua càrr / Giménez Morales, C. (2016). Design of new bio-gated nanodevices for advanced communication processes and targeted controlled release of therapeutic agents [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/62822 / TESIS

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar clinicamente em humanos sistemas semissólidos (géis) e filmes contendo sal de metronidazol e conjugado de benzoato de metronidazol associados à raspagem e alisamento radicular (RAR), para o tratamento de periodontite. Foram avaliados o pH do fluido crevicular, os níveis clínicos de inserção óssea de suporte aos dentes envolvidos no tratamento periodontal, antes e após os tratamentos, além do perfil de liberação dos fármacos por meio de cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE). Participaram do estudo 45 pacientes da Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto USP, de ambos os gêneros, os quais possuíam ao menos 2 dentes com periodontite crônica, compondo um total para o estudo de 96 dentes, divididos aleatoriamente em 3 grupos: grupo 1 raspagem e alisamento radicular (RAR) controle ativo; grupo 2 RAR + filme com metronidazol; grupo 3 RAR + gel de metronidazol. As concentrações de metronidazol e o tempo de liberação do fármaco no fluido crevicular gengival foram monitorados, avaliando-se ainda os efeitos dessas formulações com relação a parâmetros clínicos da periodontite. Os efeitos dos tratamentos foram avaliados pelo acompanhamento longitudinal de parâmetros clínicos (profundidade de sondagem, nível clínico de inserção e sangramento à sondagem). Os resultados da análise das concentrações de metronidazol e benzoato de metronidazol na bolsa periodontal dos pacientes foram considerados em avaliação paralela intragrupos e demonstraram que o filme e o gel foram detectados em concentração efetiva até 48 horas após a aplicação in situ, porém não foi observada diferença significante entre os grupos avaliados. Quanto aos valores de pH após o tratamento, eles variaram entre 6 e 8. No nível clínico de inserção houve diferença estatística significante entre os três grupos avaliados, sendo que o grupo que recebeu apenas tratamento periodontal convencional apresentou os melhores valores. Houve redução progressiva do sangramento à sondagem nos tempos T15 e T30 nos três grupos considerados. No que se refere aos parâmetros clínicos, ambas as terapias (gel e filme) foram eficazes em promover a redução na profundidade à sondagem, ganho no nível clínico de inserção e apresentaram melhora na saúde periodontal considerando-se o menor sangramento após a sondagem que o grupo controle (RAR somente). / The objective of this study was to clinically evaluate in humans semisolid (gels) and films systems containing metronidazole and metronidazole benzoate conjugate salts associated with scaling and root planing (SRP) for the treatment of chronic periodontitis. It was evaluated the pH of crevicular fluid and clinical bone attachment levels of the teeth involved in periodontal disease, before and after treatment, in addition to the release profile of drugs by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The study included 45 patients (both genders), from School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, which had at least two teeth with chronic periodontitis, making a total for the study of 96 teeth which were randomly divided into 3 groups: Group 1 - scaling and root planing (SRP) - active control; Group 2 - RAR + film with metronidazole; Group 3 - SRP + gel with metronidazole. The metronidazole concentration and the drug release profile time in gingival crevicular fluid were monitored by evaluating the effects of such formulations, further with respect to clinical parameters of periodontitis. The effects of the treatments were evaluated for longitudinal monitoring of clinical parameters (probing depth, clinical attachment level and bleeding on probing). The results of the analysis of metronidazole and metronidazole benzoate concentrations in periodontal pockets of the patients were considered in a intragroup parallel evaluation and showed that the film and the gel were both detected in effective concentration till 48 hours after in situ application, but there was no difference significant between the groups. As for pH values after treatment, they ranged from 6 to 8. In clinical attachment level it was no statistically significant difference among the three groups, and the group that received only conventional periodontal treatment showed the best values. There was a progressive reduction in bleeding on probing in T15 and T30 times in all the three groups considered. With regard to clinical parameters, both therapies have been effective in promoting reduction in probing depth and gain in clinical attachment level as the control group, and both therapies showed improvement in periodontal health considering minor bleeding after probing that the (SRP alone) control group.