Despite significant advances in chemotherapeutics since their initial application in the early 1900s, cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Furthermore, issues encountered with the first chemotherapeutics, off-target toxicity, limited effective dosing time in the therapeutic window, multidrug resistance, and poor uptake in solid tumors persist today. This dissertation investigates two platforms to enhance chemotherapy efficacy, an implantable drug delivery depot affording tumor drug levels unachievable through systemic delivery, and a platform utilizing CRISPR knockout screening (CRISPRKO) to identify microRNA (miRNA) targets that synergize with chemotherapeutics using RNA interference (RNAi). First, we developed a flexible, implantable surgical buttress coated with a free and covalently-bound paclitaxel polymer blend with poly(1,2-glycerol carbonate)-graft-succinic acid-paclitaxel (PGC-PTX). Drug release is tunable between burst release of free paclitaxel and delayed, extended release of paclitaxel from PGC-PTX, delivering supratherapeutic levels of PTX locally at the tumor resection bed while avoiding systemic toxicity. Fabrication of paclitaxel-loaded film is scalable up to 8”x11” and well-tolerated in a porcine model wherein surgical technique and optimized film formulations reduce foreign body response and bowel adhesions. We test a similarly-designed film formulation with the novel chemotherapeutic, eupenifeldin, for treatment of lung cancer. Eupenifeldin-loaded films significantly prolong mice survival, although 60% of mice present issues with drug-related toxicity and wound healing. Second, despite the formidable ability of pooled CRISPRKO libraries to screen thousands of single-gene knockouts against a selection agent, minimal has been published on their use to determine novel targets for RNAi-based sensitization of chemotherapeutics. We utilize whole-genome CRISPRKO screening against a panel of lung cancers to identify miRNAs capable of synergizing with paclitaxel as well as two novel chemotherapeutics, eupenifeldin and verticillin A. Identified targets are validated for synergy with their respective chemotherapeutic in vitro, demonstrating a 50% or greater increase in cell death compared to drug-only treatment. In summary, this work presents two successful treatment platforms that address key issues preventing translation of chemotherapeutics to the clinic: 1) dose-limiting toxicity and 2) limited efficacy with poor safety/benefit ratio. Implantable, drug-loaded films serve as a platform to deliver increased doses of chemotherapeutic to tumor while avoiding off-target toxicity. As a second platform, we enhance tumor-specific chemotherapy efficacy utilizing miRNA targets identified in a CRISPRKO screening pipeline.

No description available.

Membrane proteins are important targets that represent more than 50% of current drug targets. However, characterisation of membrane proteins falls behind compared to their soluble counterparts. The most challenging part of membrane protein research is finding a suitable membrane mimetic that stabilises them in solution and maintains their native structure and function. The recently developed saposin-A (SapA) based lipid nanoparticle system seems to be advantageous over existing membrane mimetic system. It provides a native-like lipid bilayer, high incorporation yield and more importantly size adaptability. SapA lipid nanoparticles have been applied to structural studies and two high-resolution structures of membrane proteins were previously obtained using cryo-electron microscopy. This thesis aimed to study small-to-medium sized membrane proteins in SapA lipid nanoparticles using NMR spectroscopy. We first explore the mechanism of SapA lipid nanoparticle formation for the purpose of establishing an incorporation protocol that can be applied to most membrane proteins. The effect of pH and the presence of detergents on the opening of SapA was investigated in Chapter 2. A proposed energy diagram describing the mechanism of SapA opening is reported with which we were able to develop a protocol that can generate different sizes of SapA-1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) nanoparticles. In addition, we also showed that SapA can form lipid nanoparticles with various lipid compositions, showing the versatility of the system. In Chapter 3, we validated the ability of SapA lipid nanoparticles to be used as a membrane mimetic. A -barrel model protein, bacterial outer membrane protein X (OmpX), was incorporated into SapA-DMPC nanoparticles and a 2D 15N-1H correlation NMR spectrum was recorded. Our result was compared to the NMR parameters of the same protein in MSP nanodiscs from the literature, and it was concluded that SapA lipid nanoparticles indeed provide a lipid bilayer environment similar to MSP nanodiscs. Because of high incorporation yield, we were able to incorporate OmpX into different lipid compositions to investigate the effect of lipid head groups and aliphatic chains on the membrane protein's chemical environment. Next, the applicability of SapA lipid nanoparticles was expanded to -helical transmembrane proteins in Chapter 4. Two microbial rhodopsins, Anabaena sensory rhodopsin (ASR) and Natronomonas pharaonis sensory rhodopsin II (pSRII), were tested. The parameters for expression and purification of ASR were first screened for the optimal yield. Although incorporation of ASR resulted in inhomogeneous particles due to imperfect experimental procedure, pSRII in SapA-DMPC nanoparticles showed high sample quality. The 2D NMR spectrum of pSRII in SapA-DMPC nanoparticles shows distinct differences to pSRII in detergent micelles, suggesting substantial effects from the membrane mimetic on the conformation of the membrane protein. Despite the good NMR spectral quality considering the large particle size, perdeuteration of pSRII and the lipids will be necessary for further investigation. With the SapA lipid nanoparticles established, we aimed to use it for the study of a biologically important G protein-coupled receptor, 1-adrenergic receptor (1AR), discussed in Chapter 5. The possibility of expressing 1AR using a cell-free expression system was explored first. Although a good amount of the protein was obtained, only a fraction of it was functional. Therefore, a conventional baculovirus-insect cell expression system was used to produce selective isotope labelled 1AR for NMR studies. NMR spectra of 1AR in SapA-DMPC nanoparticles with activating ligands and an intracellular binding partner were recorded and compared to the spectra of the same protein in detergents. This revealed a more active-like conformation of ligand-bound 1AR in the lipid bilayer, suggesting that certain parts of the protein are sensitive to the membrane mimetic used. This emphasises the importance of using a native-like membrane mimetic to capture the full properties of membrane proteins. In conclusion, I demonstrate in this thesis that SapA lipid nanoparticles are a versatile membrane mimetic system that can accommodate membrane proteins with different sizes and folds. This system is also compatible with solution NMR spectroscopy enabling structure and dynamics studies of biologically important membrane proteins. We believe SapA lipid nanoparticles will have a significant impact on membrane protein research in the future.

Nanoscale drug delivery systems have a great impact in current medical field. These carriers have the potential to improve the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of various medicinal products. A broad variety of different lipid based carriers had been developed and used as delivery systems in the past decades. This dissertation focused on the development of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) as delivery systems for a chemotherapeutic agent, docetaxel, and the use of liposomes as a carrier for recombinant protein vaccines. Docetaxel is a potent anticancer drug. However, there continues to be a need for alternative docetaxel delivery systems to improve its efficacy. Docetaxel nanoparticles comprised of lecithin as the main component were engineered using two methods, the emulsion precursor method and the solvent emulsification/evaporation method. Docetaxel in nanoparticles were more effective in killing tumor cells in culture than docetaxel solution. The intravenously injected docetaxel-nanoparticles increased the accumulation of docetaxel in tumors in mice. When administered by intravenous injection or oral routes, docetaxel-nanoparticles showed antitumor activity in tumor-bearing mice. The lecithin-based nanoparticles have the potential to be a novel biocompatible and efficacious delivery system for docetaxel. Liposomes, a well-known lipid based carrier, have been investigated extensively as a vaccine delivery system. The adjuvant activities of liposomes with different net surface charges (neutral, positive, or negative) were evaluated when simply admixed with protein antigens. Immunization study in mice after subcutaneously injection of different net charged liposomes showed different antibody responses, depending on the protein antigens. Antigens (OVA, PA) admixed with the negatively charged liposomes prepared with phospholipid, DOPA, induced a strong and functional antibody response comparable to the positively charged liposomes prepared with DOTAP lipid. The negatively charged DOPA liposomes admixed with OVA also induced OVA-specific CD8��� cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses and significantly delayed the growth of OVA-expressing B16-OVA melanoma in a mouse model. The adjuvant activity of the negatively charged liposomes may be related to the liposome's ability (i) to upregulate the expression of molecules related to the activation and maturation of antigen-presenting cells and (ii) to slightly facilitate the uptake of the antigens by antigen-presenting cells. Simply admixing certain negatively charged liposomes with certain protein antigens of interest may represent a novel platform for vaccine development. / Graduation date: 2012 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from Sept. 6, 2011 - Sept. 6, 2012

Intestinal diseases affect millions of people worldwide. Recently, a number of proteins have been shown to be upregulated in the intestinal cells of patients that contribute to disease progression. Therefore, these diseases could be amenable to RNA interference technology (RNAi). Utilizing RNAi to deliver short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) to intestinal cells shows promise for the treatment of diseases by specifically suppressing the expression of disease relevant proteins. A class of lipid nanoparticles termed lipidoid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been shown previously to potently deliver siRNA to several cell types in vitro and in vivo. Here, we seek to establish the utility of lipidoid nanoparticles (LNPs) in the context of oral siRNA delivery to intestinal cells for the treatment of intestinal diseases. Initial in vitro studies demonstrated that the siRNA-loaded LNPs mediated potent, dose dependent, and durable gene silencing in Caco-2 intestinal cells without inducing significant cytotoxicity or altering intestinal barrier function. LNP stability studies revealed that LNPs in an aqueous buffer remained stable for long periods of time when stored in the refrigerator (2 °C) compared to the freezer (-20 °C) or at room temperature. In addition, LNPs remained stable upon lyophilization with the addition of trehalose or sucrose to the LNP solution before freeze-drying. To determine potential for oral LNP delivery, we studied LNP stability under gastrointestinal (GI) tract conditions. LNPs remained potent and stable following exposure to solutions of varied pH, including pH values as low as 1.2. However, efficacy decreased following exposure to increasing concentrations of pepsin and bile salts. Mouse oral biodistribution studies indicated that siRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles were retained in the GI tract for at least 8 hours. Confocal microscopy confirmed that nanoparticles entered the epithelial cells of the mouse small intestine and colon. Oral LNP therapeutic efficacy was measured in an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mouse model by targeting the upregulated genes myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and Interleukin 18 receptor (IL18R) and were found to prevent some IBD disease progression. Lastly, a formulation for the co-delivery of siRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) was developed and it was discovered that a negatively charged polymer can be used to improve LNP efficacy. Together, these studies have advanced our knowledge of lipid nanoparticle stability, and potential as an orally delivered intestinal therapeutic.

Orientador: Nelson Eduardo Durán Caballero / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T16:38:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ridolfi_DanielaMissiani_M.pdf: 1638152 bytes, checksum: e0dcd5884432b022ba79cd8e69b9512f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Tretinoína (ácido todo-trans-retinóico) é empregado no tratamento tópico de várias doenças de pele, no entanto sua utilização é fortemente limitada pelos efeitos colaterais que apresenta e pela sua alta instabilidade química. Neste trabalho tretinoína foi encapsulada em nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas (NLS-TRE) e em NLS recobertas com quitosana (NLS-Quitosana-TRE). Ambas as partículas apresentaram alta eficiência de encapsulação, alta estabilidade física e morfologia esférica. As NLS-Quitosana-TRE apresentaram menor cristalinidade em relação às NLS sem quitosana. A capacidade de transporte das nanopartículas foi limitada pela baixa taxa de solubilização da tretinoína no lipídio fundido, nas condições de preparação. A adição de etanol na preparação das nanopartículas aumentou a capacidade de transporte, no entanto a estabilidade das dispersões foi alterada (as NLS sem quitosana permaneceram estáveis por apenas um mês e as NLS com quitosana se desestabilizaram logo após a preparação). Ambas as partículas não apresentaram potencial citotóxico em células de fibroblastos e queratinócitos. A encapsulação de tretinoína em NLS reduziu de forma significativa sua fototoxidade, o que evidencia o efeito protetor da matriz lipídica. As NLS-Quitosana-TRE apresentaram alta atividade antibacteriana contra as principais bactérias envolvidas na acne (S. epidermidis e P. acnes) e contra a S. aureus, também envolvida em infecções de pele. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho permitem concluir que as NLS, com e sem recobrimento com quitosana, possuem um grande potencial para encapsulação de tretinoína em aplicações dérmicas. O recobrimento com quitosana pode melhorar ainda mais as propriedades das NLS como sistema carreador de tretinoína, uma vez que as NLS-Quitosana-TRE apresentaram atividade antibacteriana contra bactérias envolvidas em infecções de pele e desta forma podem aumentar a eficácia terapêutica no tratamento tópico da acne e de outras doenças de pele / Abstract: Tretinoin (all-trans retinoic acid) is employed in the topical treatment of various skin diseases, however, its uses is strongly limited by their side effects and high chemical instability. In this work tretinoin was encapsulated in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN-TRE) and SLN coated with chitosan (SLN-Chitosan-TRE). Both particles exhibited high entrapment efficiency, high physical stability and spherical morphology. The SLN-chitosan-TRE presented lower crystallinity compared to SLN without chitosan. The loading capacity of nanoparticles was limited by the low solubilization rate of tretinoin in the melted lipid at the preparation's conditions. The addition of ethanol in the nanoparticles preparation increased the loading capacity, however the dispersion stability was altered (the SLN without chitosan remained stable by only one month and the SLN with chitosan destabilized after preparation). Both particles were not cytotoxic to either fibroblasts or keratinocytes cells. The tretinoin encapsulation in SLN decreased significantly its phototoxicity, which shows a protector effect by the lipid matrix. The SLN-Chitosan-TRE exhibited high antibacterial activity against the main bacteria involved in the acne (S. epidermidis and P. acnes) and against the S. aureus which is involved in skin infections. The results obtained in this work allows us to conclude that the SLN, with and without coating with chitosan, have a great potential for encapsulation of tretinoin in dermal application. The coating with chitosan can improve the SLN properties as carrier for tretinoin because the SLN-Chitosan-TRE exhibited antibacterial activity against bacteria involved in skin infections and therefore can improve the therapeutic efficacy in the topical treatment of acne and other skin diseases / Mestrado / Físico-Química / Mestre em Química

In this project an overview of how synthetic lipid nanoparticles and exosomes can be used for targeted drug delivery is compiled. The goal is to identify aspects that can be in favor for targeted drug delivery and the development of products at Cytiva. The most important fields for Cytiva to understand is the methods and the challenges of cell culturing for production of exosomes, productions of lipid nanoparticles, purification of exosomes, analysis of both exosomes and lipid nanoparticles, and how exosomes and lipid nanoparticles are used as tools for drug delivery. To understand these aspects a description focusing on structural components, specific delivery and cargo loading is also included in the report. Many different components and methods have been found in the different fields mentioned, and the ones that we believe are the most relevant for Cytiva are presented and discussed in the report. We conclude that both exosomes and lipid nanoparticle are suitable options as drug delivery vehicles, especially for their ability to be modified for targeted delivery, encapsulate therapeutic compounds and cross biological barriers. Exosomes are also biostable and possess low immunogenicity. For production the methods identified with highest potential are Hollow-Fiber Bioreactor for cell culturing in production of exosomes and Microemulsion and High-Pressure Homogenization for lipid nanoparticles. Purification is required for exosomes and the most prominent method is Size-Exclusion Chromatography, because of its scalability. After production and purification it is important to be able to detect the vesicles and the most developed and used methods are Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis and Flow Cytometry, beacuse they can use labeling techniques and single vesicle analysis.

No description available.

Objetivos: Etapa 1 - avaliar características organolépticas e físico-químicas de formulações tópicas contendo nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas encapsulando curcuminoides; Etapa 2 - avaliar a citotoxicidade das nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas e dos curcuminoides encapsulados em nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas ou não em cultura de células de fibroblastos e queratinócitos com ou sem serem submetidos a RI; avaliar a atividade alergênica dos curcuminoides encapsulados em nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas ou não encapsulados; Etapa 3 - avaliar a toxicidade aguda de uma formulação contendo curcuminoides encapsulados em nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas na pele e em órgãos-alvo de camundongos BALB após 21 dias de aplicação tópica; induzir radiodermite em camundongos BALB; avaliar o efeito de formulações tópicas contendo curcuminoides encapsulados em nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas na prevenção e no tratamento de radiodermite, em camundongos BALB. Método: Etapa 1 - inspeção visual, cor, sensibilidade ao tato e odor, quantificação do pH, análise do comportamento reológico e quantificação de ativo (curcuminoides) das formulações; Etapa 2 - avaliação da viabilidade celular de queratinócitos, fibroblastos e mastócitos, quantificação da % de liberação da enzima ?-hexosaminidade em mastócitos; Etapa 3 - avaliação do peso, consumo alimentar e comportamento dos animais; quantificação de marcadores sanguíneos de toxicidade renal (ureia e creatinina) e hepática (TGP, FA e proteínas totais); análises histológicas qualitativas do coração, fígado, rim, pulmão e pele; quantificação de colágeno na pele; analisar a probabilidade de desenvolvimento de radiodermite, em grupos independentes, após crescentes doses de radiação ionizante; quantificação de citocinas (IL-1?, IL-6, IL-10, KC e FNT-?) avaliação do grau de radiodermite. Resultados: Etapa 1 - as formulações permaneceram estáveis por três meses, sem alteração de características organolépticas e físico-químicas; aos seis meses a formulação mais concentrada ficou mais opaca e observou-se aumento do pH e da perda de curcumina e curcuminoides totais; Etapa 2 - os resultados mostraram que as nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas são mais citotóxicas para os queratinócitos do que para os fibroblastos nas doses avaliadas, apesar de serem menos citotóxicas que os curcuminoides não encapsulados; não se observou diferença na viabilidade destas células sem ou após radiação ionizante (2 Gy); as nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas contendo curcuminoides e os curcuminoides não encapsulados não estimularam a liberação de ?-hexosaminidase em mastócitos, sugerindo que a formulação com nanopartículas não possui propriedades alergênicas. Etapa 3 - a formulação tópica contendo nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas com 30 mg de curcuminoides não conferiu toxicidade local e nem aos órgãos-alvo; os animais não apresentaram perda ponderal, alterações comportamentais ou mudanças na ingestão alimentar ou hídrica; foi possível a indução de radiodermite a partir de 25 Gy, sendo 30 Gy a que apresentou maior probabilidade de desenvolvimento; os animais não apresentaram perda ponderal, redução do consumo alimentar e hídrico significativos; o painel de citocinas avaliado evidenciou que a pele responde ao tratamento de forma diferente do controle da radiação; não foi observado infiltrado inflamatório; a quantificação do colágeno mostrou grande variabilidade. Conclusões: Devido a uma toxicidade mínima do sistema nanocarreador desenvolvido, somos encorajados a realizar testes futuros para aplicações clínicas em dermocosmética e na prevenção e tratamento de lesões cutâneas ou osteoarticulares / Aims: Step 1 - to evaluate organoleptic and physicochemical characteristics of topical formulations containing solid lipid nanoparticles encapsulating curcuminoids; Step 2 - to evaluate the cytotoxicity of solid lipid nanoparticles and curcuminoids encapsulated in solid lipid nanoparticles or not in culture of fibroblast and keratinocytes cells without and after being submitted to IR; to evaluate the allergenic activity of encapsulated curcuminoids in solid or non-encapsulated lipid nanoparticles; Step 3 - to evaluate the acute toxicity of a formulation containing encapsulated curcuminoids in solid lipid nanoparticles on the skin and target organs of BALB mice after 21 days of topical application; to induce radiodermatitis in BALB mice; to evaluate the effect of topical formulations containing encapsulated curcuminoids in solid lipid nanoparticles in the prevention and treatment of radiodermatitis in BALB mice. Method: Step 1 - visual inspection, color, sensitivity to touch and odor, pH quantification, rheological behavior analysis and quantification of active (curcuminoids) of the formulations; Step 2 - evaluation of the cellular viability of keratinocytes, fibroblasts and mast cells, quantification of the release % of ?-hexosaminase enzyme in mast cells; Step 3 - evaluation of weight, food consumption and behavior of the animals, quantification of markers of renal toxicity (urea and creatinine) and hepatic (TGP, FA and total proteins), qualitative histological analysis of the skin, heart, liver, kidney and lung and quantitative analysis of collagen in the skin; analysis of the probability to developing radiodermatitis in independent groups after increasing doses of ionizing radiation; quantification of the cytokines (IL-1?, IL-6, IL-10, KC and TNF-?) and collagen, qualitative histological analyzis of the skin, and the degree of radiodermatitis. Results: Step 1 - the formulations remained stable for three months, without alteration of organoleptic and physicochemical characteristics; at six months the more concentrated formulation became more opaque and there was an increase in pH and loss of curcumin and total curcuminoids; Step 2 - the results showed that solid lipid nanoparticles are more cytotoxic for keratinocytes than for fibroblasts at the doses evaluated, although they were less cytotoxic than non-encapsulated curcuminoids; no significant difference was observed in the viability of these cells without or after ionizing radiation (2 Gy); the solid lipid nanoparticles containing curcuminoids and non-encapsulated curcuminoids did not estimulated ?-hexosaminidase release in mast cells, suggesting that the nanoparticle formulation does not have allergenic properties. Stage 3 - the topical formulation containing solid lipid nanoparticles with 30 mg curcuminoids did not confer local toxicity and nor to the target organs the animals did not showed any weight loss, behavioral changes or changes in food or water ingestion; the radiodermatitis induction was possible from 25 Gy, with the dose of 30 Gy being the most likely to develop; the animals had no significant weight loss, nor reduction in food and water ingestion, the cytokine panel evaluated showed that skin responds to treatment differently from radiation control, no inflammatory infiltrate was evident and the quantification of collagen showed great variability. Conclusions: Due to the minimal toxicity of the developed nanocarrier system, we are encouraged to perform future tests for clinical applications in dermocosmetic and in the prevention and treatment of cutaneous or osteoarticular lesions

O tratamento tópico do câncer de pele é uma estratégia promissora para aumentar a biodisponibilidade local de antineoplásicos e diminuir efeitos sistêmicos adversos. No entanto, altas concentrações do fármaco nos tumores, que acometem as camadas mais profundas da pele, são requeridas para que o tratamento seja adequado. Para promover a penetração cutânea dos antineoplásicos e atingir o tumor, sistemas de liberação nanoparticulados associados a métodos físicos, como a iontoforese, vêm sendo estudados. Nanopartículas lipídicas sólidas (NLS) são sistemas carreadores explorados para a administração tópica, principalmente, de produtos cosméticos. Pouco se sabe, no entanto, sobre sua influência na penetração cutânea de fármacos e sobre os mecanismos pelos quais as NLS agem para aumentar esta penetração. A iontoforese é um método físico que aumenta a permeação cutânea de fármacos através da aplicação de uma corrente elétrica de baixa densidade. Sua influência na penetração tumoral de fármacos carreados por NLS ainda não foi explorada. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência da iontoforese na penetração tumoral do antineoplásico modelo doxorrubicina (DOX) a partir de NLS catiônicas. Para tanto, NLS contendo DOX foram preparadas e caracterizadas quanto a distribuição de tamanho, potencial zeta e pH. NLS idênticas, mas marcadas com um fluoróforo lipofílico, o BODIPY FSE-8 (BOD), sintetizado especificamente para este fim, também foram obtidas e caracterizadas. Estas nanopartículas fluorescentes contendo DOX e BOD foram utilizadas para estudar, por microscopia confocal de varredura a laser, in vitro e in vivo, as vias de penetração dos compostos lipofílicos presentes nas NLS e da própria DOX. A penetração da DOX nas diferentes camadas da pele foi avaliada in vitro usando-se células de difusão vertical e pele de suíno. In vivo, a penetração do fármaco foi avaliada também no tumor e no plasma, após 1 h de aplicação passiva e iontoforética das NLS em tumores de células escamosas induzidos em camundongos imunossuprimidos. Nos estudos de microscopia observou-se que a aplicação das NLS levou a uma distribuição mais homogênea da fluorescência no estrato córneo (EC) do que a aplicação de soluções dos fluoróforos livres. A iontoforese aumentou a fluorescência de todas as amostras testadas, levando inclusive a presença de agregados fluorescentes abaixo dos folículos pilosos e a formação de regiões de transporte localizadas mais permeáveis no EC. Nos estudos quantitativos in vitro a iontoforese anódica (a partir do eletrodo positivo) das NLS-DOX levou a concentrações cerca de 39 vezes maiores de DOX na epiderme viável do que todas as outras formulações, indicando um efeito positivo da eletromigração na penetração das NLS catiônicas. Nos estudos in vivo, o aumento da quantidade de DOX acumulada na pele após a iontoforese anódica das NLS-DOX foi bem acentuado frente às outras formulações. Já a presença de fármaco no tumor, apesar de apresentar uma tendência maior de acúmulo quando a iontoforese foi aplicada, não foi estatisticamente diferente das demais formulações. No entanto, a tendência das NLS de ficarem acumuladas na pele, diminuindo a presença da DOX na circulação, foi bastante característica. Pode-se concluir, portanto, que a aplicação de NLS associadas a iontoforese apresenta alto potencial de sucesso para o tratamento tópico, localizado, de tumores cutâneos. / Topical treatment of skin cancer is a promising strategy to increase local bioavailability of antineoplastic drugs and to reduce systemic adverse effects. However, elevated concentrations of the drug in tumors presented in deep skin layers are required for the adequate treatment. To increase drug skin penetration, nanoparticles associated with physical methods, such as iontophoresis, have been studied. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are drug carrier systems developed for topical administration, especially of cosmetic products. However, almost nothing is known about their influence on the skin penetration of drugs or on the mechanisms by which they enhance drug penetration through the skin. Iontophoresis is a physical method which increases the skin permeation of drugs through the application of a low density electrical current. Its influence on tumor penetration of drugs carried by SLN has not been explored yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of iontophoresis on the penetration of the antineoplastic model drug doxorubicin (DOX) carried by cationic SLN. To this end, SLN containing DOX were prepared and characterized according to their medium size, zeta potential and pH. Besides that, identical SLN containing a lipophilic fluorophore BODIPY FSE-8 (BOD), synthesized specifically for this study, has also been obtained and characterized. These fluorescent nanoparticles containing DOX and BOD were used to study the in vitro and in vivo penetration routes of both DOX and lipophilic compounds present in the SLN, by confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis. The penetration of DOX in the different skin layers was evaluated in vitro using vertical diffusion cells and pig skin. In vivo, the drug penetration was also measured in the tumor and plasma after 1 hour of iontophoretic and passive application of SLN on squamous cells tumors, previously induced in immunosuppressed mice. The microscopy studies showed that the application of SLN resulted in a more homogeneous distribution of fluorescence in the stratum corneum (SC) compared to the application of solutions containing free fluorophores at the same conditions. Iontophoresis increased fluorescence for all samples tested, leading yet to the presence of fluorescent aggregates below the hair follicles and the formation of localized transport regions at the SC. The in vitro quantitative studies showed that anodic iontophoresis (from the positive electrode) of SLNDOX led to about 39 times higher concentrations of DOX in viable epidermis than all the others formulations, indicating a positive effect of electromigration on the penetration of cationic SLN. In the in vivo studies, the amount of DOX accumulated in the skin after anodic iontophoresis of SLN-DOX was also well pronounced. The tendency of SLN accumulation in the skin, reducing the presence of DOX in the blood circulation, was very characteristic. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of SLN associated with iontophoresis has a great potential for success in the topical treatment of localized skin tumors.