FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / O acidente vascular cerebral (AVE) à uma das principais causa de mortalidade no Brasil, acometendo cerca de 200.000 indivÃduos anualmente. A fisiopatologia do AVE isquÃmico envolve uma complexa cascata de eventos como a inflamaÃÃo e o estresse oxidativo que podem à morte neuronal e dÃficits cognitivos. O α-bisabolol à um Ãlcool sesquiterpeno, monocÃclico, que ocorre na natureza e à encontrado como constituinte majoritÃrio do Ãleo essencial sintÃtico da Matricaria chamomilla, que possui atividade antiinflamatÃria, antioxidante e anti-apoptÃtica jà descritas. Para avaliar o efeito neuroprotetor deste composto em camundongos submetidos à oclusÃo permanente da artÃria cerebral media (pMCAO), os animais foram prà e pÃs tratados com α-bisabolol nas doses de 50, 100 e 200 mg/kg, v.o, durante 24, 48, 72, 96 ou 120 horas apÃs a isquemia. Os animais foram avaliados 24h apÃs a isquÃmia para verificar a Ãrea de lesÃo isquÃmica, avaliaÃÃo neurolÃgica e atividade da mieloperoxidase. 72 horas apÃs a pMCAO, os testes de atividade locomotora, memÃria de trabalho e memÃria aversiva recente foram realizados. 96 horas apÃs a pMCAO foi realizado o teste do reconhecimento de objecto, e os animais foram eutanasiados para a realizaÃÃo da Imunohistoquimica para TNF-α, iNOS e GFAP e anÃlise histologica para Cresil violeta e Fluoro Jade C. Finalmente, 120h apÃs a isquemia, avaliou-se a memÃria espacial. O α-bisabolol reduziu significativamente a lesÃo isquemica e o dÃficit neurolÃgico e normalizou a atividade locomotora. O α-bisabolol mostrou proteÃÃo contra os dÃficits nas memÃrias de trabalho, espacial, reconhecimento de objeto e aversiva. O α-bisabolol (200 mg/kg) preveniu significativamente o aumento da MPO e TNF-α no cÃrtex temporal e o aumento do iNOS tanto no cÃrtex temporal como no estriado. Tambem preveniu o aumento da astrogliose nessas Ãreas. O α-bisabolol (200 mg/kg) mostrou protecÃÃo contra a morte neuronal. Os resultados do presente estudo mostraram que o α-bisabolol possui atividade neuroprotetora provavelmente devido a sua aÃÃo antiinflamatÃria, mas outros mecanismos nÃo podem ser descartados. / Stroke is the leading cause of mortality in Brazil, affecting about 200,000 individuals annually. The pathophysiology of ischemic stroke involves a complex cascade of events such as inflammation and oxidative stress which will lead to neuronal death and cognitive deficits. The α-bisabolol is a sesquiterpene alcohol, natural, monocyclic, found as main constituents of the essential oil of Matricaria chamomilla, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic already described. To evaluate the neuroprotective effects of this compound in mice underwent permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (pMCAO), the animals were pre and post treated with α-bisabolol at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg / kg, orally for 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours after pMCAO. The animals were evaluated 24 hours after ischemia to verify the area of ischemic damage, and neurological evaluation and myeloperoxidase activity. Seventy-two hours after pMCAO, the locomotor activity tests, working memory and aversive recent memory were performed. Ninety six hours after the pMCAO was performed the object recognition test, and the animals were euthanized for carrying out the immunohistochemistry for TNF-α, iNOS and GFAP and for histology analyes Cresil violet and Fluoro Jade C. Finally, 120 h after pMCAO, the spatial memory was evaluated. The α-bisabolol reduced significantly ischemic damage and neurological deficit and normalized the locomotor activity. The α-bisabolol showed protection against the deficits in working, spatial, object recognition and aversive memories. The α-bisabolol (200 mg / kg) significantly prevented the increase of MPO and TNF-α in the temporal cortex and the increased of iNOS both in the temporal cortex and in striatum. Also prevented the increase in astrogliosis in there area. The α-bisabolol (200 mg / kg) showed protection against neuronal death. The results of this study showed that α-bisabolol has neuroprotective activity probably due to its anti-inflammatory action, but other mechanisms can not be discarded.

Os anti-inflamatórios não esteroidais (AINEs) são medicamentos utilizados no alívio da dor após a ativação dos aparelhos ortodônticos, mas estas substâncias podem influenciar a formação óssea ou remodelação. Diante da possibilidade de interferência dos medicamentos durante o tratamento ortodôntico, foi avaliado o efeito á curto prazo de AINEs e anti-inflamatório seletivo COX-2, em doses terapêuticas, sobre osteoblastos durante a movimentação dentária induzida. Os fármacos foram determinados através de questionários aplicados a ortodontistas, os quais mais selecionaram os mais prescritos para alívio da dor durante o tratamento ortodôntico. Os medicamentos selecionados e a nimesulida (seletivo COX-2) foram administrados em uma amostra de 80 ratos albinos da linhagem Wistar, nos quais foi realizada a instalação de dispositivos constituídos por uma mola de secção fechada ancorada aos incisivos centrais superiores, movimentando mesialmente o primeiro molar superior esquerdo. Os animais foram distribuídos em quatro grupos de 20 de acordo com a administração medicamentosa diária: paracetamol, ibuprofeno, nimesulida e um grupo controle (animais não medicados). E divididos em subgrupos de 5 de acordo com o tempo de tratamento da movimentação dentária induzida: 3, 5 e 7 dias. Posteriormente, os animais receberam doses letais da mistura de relaxante muscular e anestésico por via intramuscular para coleta do material, o qual foi devidamente processado, corado com hematoxilina-eosina e submetido à análise microscópica óptica para avaliar a quantidade de osteoblastos, na área de tensão, do osso adjacente de cada raiz distovestibular dos primeiros molares superiores esquerdo. Os resultados mostraram que o uso de paracetamol até 5 dias pode gerar interferências na formação óssea, pois diminuiu o número de osteoblastos e que o ibuprofeno foi a droga que melhor agiu por apresentar menor ação de inibição sobre os osteoblastos num período de uso de até 7 dias. Sugere-se que o ideal para aliviar dor e/ou desconforto causado pela movimentação ortodôntica sem prejuízo ao reparo ósseo seria o uso da medicação associada, no primeiro dia utilizar o paracetamol seguido pela administração de ibuprofeno. Caso ocorra distúrbios sistêmicos devido aos medicamentos indicados, o medicamento de eleição é a nimesulida. / The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are drugs used to relieve pain after activation of orthodontic appliances, but these substances can influence bone remodeling and formation. Faced with the possibility of interference of drugs in treatments, the effects will be short-term NSAIDs and COX-2 selective antiinflammatory in therapeutic doses on osteoblasts during induced tooth movement. The drugs were determined through questionnaires given to orthodontists, selecting then, the most commonly prescribed for pain relief during orthodontic treatment. The selected drugs and nimesulide (selective COX-2) were administered in a sample of 80 albino Wistar rats, in which the installation of devices consisted of an enclosed section spring anchored to the upper central incisors, moving out mesially the first upper left molar. The animals were divided into four groups of 20 according to the daily drug administration: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, nimesulide and a control group (animals not treated). Then, divided into subgroups of 5 according to the treatment time of the induced tooth movement, 3, 5 and 7 days. Subsequently, the animals received lethal doses of the mixture of anesthetic and muscle relaxant intramuscularly for the collection of the material, which has been properly processed, stained with hematoxylin-eosin and subjected to microscopic analysis to assess the amount of osteoblasts in the stressed area of the adjacent bone of each distobuccal root of the first left molars. The results showed that the use of acetaminophen up to 5 days will cause interference in bone formation decreasing the number of osteoblasts and ibuprofen was the drug that best acted by having less inhibiting action on osteoblasts in a usage period of up to 7 days. It is suggested that the ideal to relieve pain and/or discomfort caused by orthodontic movement without prejudice to the bone repair would be the use of the associated medication. On the first day, use acetaminophen followed by the administration of ibuprofen. If systemic disorders occur due to the indicated drugs, the drug of choice is nimesulide.

Abstract not available

Microbial contamination of contact lenses is a significant risk factor leading to adverse responses. Adhesion of microorganisms to a contact lens is the first step in a series of events that leads to contact lens-related infections or inflammation. Recently, some of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been shown to have the ability to interfere with microbial biofilm formation. In this project, antibacterial properties of commonly used NSAIDs (salicylic acid, sodium diclofenac and ketorolac) were assessed and characterised using biological assays and molecular biological techniques. Salicylic acid, ketorolac and diclofenac reduced adhesion of a range of bacterial species isolated from corneal infection and inflammatory events to contact lenses in a dose-dependent manner. Salicylic acid also decreased the adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis to human corneal epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. Results further demonstrated that NSAIDs had a significant impact on the production of virulence factors such as Type IV pili mediated (twitching) motility, flagella mediated swimming, elastase, protease IV and alkaline protease and affected the production of acylated homoserine lactones of P. aeruginosa. Salicylic acid and ketorolac affect the expression of P. aeruginosa outer membrane proteins. In the presence of the salicylic acid and ketorolac more than 85% of all detectable outer membrane proteins changed and most were down-regulated. Moreover, in the presence of salicylic acid at least five gene products, including Na+ - translocating NADH (Nrq1), choline dehydrogenase (CHDH), a hypothetical protein of unknown function, a gene product with no similarity to any known sequence in the database and a sequence similar to 23S rRNA of P. aeruginosa, were down-regulated. The results of this study clearly demonstrated that NSAIDs have a significant impact on virulence factors and the expression of acylated homoserine lactones by P. aeruginosa. This thesis has illustrated the potential of NSAIDs for preventing bacterial contamination of contact lenses by ocular pathogens and highlights the potential for NSAIDs as antibacterial agents. Therefore, this class of compound should be investigated further for their therapeutic efficacy in vivo.

Bibliography: leaves 87-117. / vii, 117, [64] leaves, [8] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Indicates that PGE's and CsA may have similar modes of action. Findings suggest that therapies that selectively subpopulations of leucocytes, and manipulate the inflammatory mediators they produce, may be effective in the treatment of chronic immuno-inflammatory diseases similar to rheumatioid arthritis. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Pathology, 1994?

This thesis describes a project to produce controlled release ketoprofen beads for capsules, both at Oregon State University and in an industrial scale-up operation, that are bioequivalent to the commercial product Oruvail. A bead formulation was produced by layering drug and binders in water onto nonpareil sugar seeds in a spray coating apparatus. Ketoprofen beads manufactured in this manner will immediately release their drug content in either an in vitro or an in vivo environment. Industrially produced beads were non-homogeneous in size. Large beads in a coating batch sweep up a disproportional amount of coating material leading to a thicker coating layer and decreased drug release rates. In order to predict the effects of coating modifications, an equation was developed to accurately predict the coating thickness of any material applied to spherical particles of any size. The equation developed is suggested as a replacement for one that has been in published and cited for over 20 years, but overestimates coating thickness. The bulk of this thesis details the process of altering the drug release characteristics of the beads through application of diffusional and enteric barrier coatings, and testing for bioequivalence with Oruvail through biostudy data gathered from human volunteers. Urinary drug excretion rates were measured as a substitute for timed blood sampling of the subjects. Validity of the substitution was shown. Fed state biostudies involved beads manufactured and coated at Oregon State University. Fasted state biostudies involved beads that were industrially manufactured in a scale-up operation and coated both industrially and at Oregon State University. Deconvolution, a mathematical tool, was used to determine in vivo dissolution rates and the need for further coating modification. Statistical testing using a Two 1-Sided T test was the final arbiter of whether or not bioequivalence was concluded. Bioequivalence was achieved in subjects under a fed state and finally under fasting conditions, as required by the Food and Drug Administration, with drug beads coated with ethylcellulose to slow drug release and overcoated with an enteric bather to retard early drug release. Deconvolved in vivo dissolutions originating from biostudy data were used to develop In Vitro / In Vivo Correlations (IVIVC's). IVIVC's were used to predict in vivo biostudy data from in vitro dissolution results following coating formulation modification. A practical guide for the development and use of an IVIVC was written for pharmaceutics practitioners who have an understanding of pharmacokinetics, but may lack sufficient expertise in pharmacokinetics to develop an IVIVC. / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

In order to search for bioactive compounds, we have studied the chemical constituents from the organic extracts of the soft coral Sarcophyton crassocaule. This study had led to the isolation of twenty-six natural cembrane-type diterpenoids, compounds 1¡V26, including eighteen new compounds, sarcocrassocolide A¡VR (1¡V18), along with six know compounds, crassocolide A, B, D, E, L, sarcocrassolide, sinularolide E and 13-acetoxysarcocrassolide (19¡V26). The structures of compounds 1¡V26 were established by detailed spectroscopic data analysis (IR, MS, 1D, 2D NMR) and by comparison of the spectral data with those of the related known compounds. The structures of 8, 9 and 11 were further established by orgamic methods, and the absolute configuration of 1 was determined using a modified Mosher¡¦s method. The cytotoxicity of compounds 1¡V17 and 19¡V21 against the Daoy (human medulloblastoma), HEp2 (human laryngeal carcinoma), MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma), WiDr (human colon adenocarcinoma), DLD-1 (human colon adenocarcinoma), CCRF-CEM (human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia), and HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia) tumor cell lines were determined, and structure-activity relationship was presented by statistic method. Compounds 3 and 9 showed significant activity toward the above Daoy, HEp2, MCF7 and WiDr, and compounds 18, 19, 20, 22 and 24 were found to show significant activity toward the above DLD-1, CCRF-CEM and HL-60. Compounds 1¡V26 were shown to exert significant anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Compounds 9, 17, 19, 22 and 24 also significantly inhibited the accumulation of pro-inflammatory COX-2 protein.

Soft corals of the genus Lobophytum (Alcyoniidae) have been well recognized as a rich source of various secondary metabolites that have attracted much interest for the natural products chemists due to their structural complexity and remarkable pharmacological activities such as cytotoxicity, antibacterial activities, anti-inflammatory properties, and antiviral activity. Twelve cembrane diterpenes including six new secondary metabolites 1−6 were isolated organic extracts of soft coral Lobophytum durum collected at Dongsha Atolls. The structures of these six new cembranolides were determined by 1H, 13C, DEPT, COSY, HMBC, HSQC, NOESY, IR and Mass spectra. Furthermore, these six new secondary metabolites 1−6 were evaluated in vitro for the cytotoxicity against A-459 (human lung carcinoma), HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma), and P-388 (mouse lymphocytic leukemia) cancer cell lines, and antiviral activity against HCMV (human cytomegalovirus) cells.