The proteoglycan CD44 is a widely expressed cell surface receptor for the extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan, and is involved in processes ranging from metastasis to wound healing. In the immune system, leukocyte activation induces hyaluronan binding through changes in CD44 post-translational modification, but these changes have not been well characterized. Here I identify chondroitin sulfate addition to CD44 as a negative regulator of hyaluronan binding. Chondroitin sulfate addition was analyzed by sulfate incorporation and Western blotting and determined to occur at serine 180 in human CD44 using site-directed mutagenesis. Mutation of serine 180 increased hyaluronan binding by both a CD44-immunoglobulin fusion protein expressed in HEK293 cells, and full-length CD44 expressed in murine L fibroblast cells. In bone marrow-derived macrophages, hyaluronan binding induced by the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ corresponded with reduced chondroitin sulfate addition to CD44. Retroviral infection of CD44⁻/⁻ macrophages with mouse CD44 containing a mutation at serine 183, equivalent to serine 180 in human CD44, resulted in hyaluronan binding that was constitutively high and no longer enhanced by stimulation. These results demonstrate that hyaluronan binding by CD44 is regulated by chondroitin sulfate addition in macrophages. A functional consequence of altered chondroitin sulfate addition and increased hyaluronan binding was observed in Jurkat T cells, which became more susceptible to activation-induced cell death when transfected with mutant CD44. The extent of cell death was dependent upon both the hyaluronan binding ability of CD44 and the size of hyaluronan itself, with high molecular mass hyaluronan having a greater effect than intermediate or low molecular mass hyaluronan. The addition of hyaluronan to pre-activated Jurkat T cells induced rapid cell death independently of Fas and caspase activation, identifying a unique Fas-independent mechanism for inducing cell death in activated cells. Results were comparable in splenic T cells, where high hyaluronan binding correlated with increased phosphatidylserine exposure, and hyaluronan-dependent cell death occurred in a population of restimulated cells in the absence of Fas-dependent cell death. Together these results reveal a novel mechanism for regulating hyaluronan binding and demonstrate that altered chondroitin sulfate addition can affect CD44 function.

Chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs) from the glial scar inhibit axonal regeneration following spinal cord injury. CSPG expression can be induced by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), which suggests that inhibition of TGFβ may reduce CSPG levels. Astrocytes were treated with cyclic AMP (cAMP), which reduced TGFβ signaling protein Smad2 in astrocytes. However, cAMP-treated astrocytes showed strong neurocan expression following TGFβ treatment, which suggests that TGFβ may mediate CSPG expression through non-Smad pathways. Smad2 or Smad4 were knocked down in astrocytes using siRNA and TGFβ-induced neurocan, brevican and aggrecan expression were still observed, indicating that Smad signaling is not required for CSPG expression. Administration of a PI3K/Akt inhibitor produced significant reductions in neurocan, brevican and aggrecan expression in astrocytes, which suggests that PI3K/Akt pathway mediates CSPG expression. Erk1/2 inhibitor treatment did not reduce CSPG expression significantly. Targeting non-Smad signaling pathways may therefore be effective strategies to reduce CSPG expression following injury.

The proteoglycan CD44 is a widely expressed cell surface receptor for the extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan, and is involved in processes ranging from metastasis to wound healing. In the immune system, leukocyte activation induces hyaluronan binding through changes in CD44 post-translational modification, but these changes have not been well characterized. Here I identify chondroitin sulfate addition to CD44 as a negative regulator of hyaluronan binding. Chondroitin sulfate addition was analyzed by sulfate incorporation and Western blotting and determined to occur at serine 180 in human CD44 using site-directed mutagenesis. Mutation of serine 180 increased hyaluronan binding by both a CD44-immunoglobulin fusion protein expressed in HEK293 cells, and full-length CD44 expressed in murine L fibroblast cells. In bone marrow-derived macrophages, hyaluronan binding induced by the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ corresponded with reduced chondroitin sulfate addition to CD44. Retroviral infection of CD44⁻/⁻ macrophages with mouse CD44 containing a mutation at serine 183, equivalent to serine 180 in human CD44, resulted in hyaluronan binding that was constitutively high and no longer enhanced by stimulation. These results demonstrate that hyaluronan binding by CD44 is regulated by chondroitin sulfate addition in macrophages. A functional consequence of altered chondroitin sulfate addition and increased hyaluronan binding was observed in Jurkat T cells, which became more susceptible to activation-induced cell death when transfected with mutant CD44. The extent of cell death was dependent upon both the hyaluronan binding ability of CD44 and the size of hyaluronan itself, with high molecular mass hyaluronan having a greater effect than intermediate or low molecular mass hyaluronan. The addition of hyaluronan to pre-activated Jurkat T cells induced rapid cell death independently of Fas and caspase activation, identifying a unique Fas-independent mechanism for inducing cell death in activated cells. Results were comparable in splenic T cells, where high hyaluronan binding correlated with increased phosphatidylserine exposure, and hyaluronan-dependent cell death occurred in a population of restimulated cells in the absence of Fas-dependent cell death. Together these results reveal a novel mechanism for regulating hyaluronan binding and demonstrate that altered chondroitin sulfate addition can affect CD44 function.

L’arthrose est la plus fréquente des maladies articulaires pour laquelle aucun traitement efficace n’est aujourd’hui disponible. Elle est caractérisée par une destruction du cartilage et de ses composants, dont font partie les protéoglycanes. Les principaux protéoglycanes cartilagineux sont les sulfates de chondroïtines, qui sont de longs polysaccharides linéaires hétérogènes composés d’unités disaccharidiques répétitives constituées d’un acide-D-glucuronique et d’une N-acétyl-D-galactosamine. Dans le but d’étudier la biosynthèse de ces composés et ainsi de mieux comprendre le mécanisme d’action des enzymes qui y sont impliquées, la synthèse chimique d’oligosaccharides de chondroïtines et de sulfates de chondroïtines biotinylés a été réalisée. Grâce à une méthodologie efficace et innovante basée sur une hydrolyse acide d’un polymère de sulfates de chondroïtines, des intermédiaires clés ont rapidement été obtenus. Une stratégie d’élongation les utilisant a ensuite été appliquée pour conduire à une première famille de sept oligosaccharides non sulfatés (du disaccharide à l’octasaccharide). Deux nouvelles familles d’oligosaccharides de sulfates de chondroïtines A et C, sulfatés de façon homogène ont été préparées, à partir d’un précurseur commun par stratégie divergente. Pour la première fois, deux oligosaccharides de sulfate de chondroïtine A, présentant une sulfatation hétérogène, ont également été synthétisés. Ces travaux ont mené à la préparation de treize oligosaccharides biotinylés finaux. / Osteoarthritis is the most frequent articular disease but until now no treatment exists. It is characterized by a destruction of cartilage and its components as proteoglycans. Major cartilage’s proteoglycans are chondroitin sulfate, which are linear and heterogeneous polysaccharides composed of disaccharidic repeating units constituted of a D-glucuronic acid and an N-acetyl-D-galactosamine. In order to study biosynthesis of those compounds and so to better understand working mechanism of the implicated enzymes, chemical syntheses of biotinylated chondroitin and chondroitin sulfate oligomers have been achieved. Thanks to an efficient hydrolysis of a starting chondroitin sulfate polymer, key building blocks were quickly obtained. An elongation strategy using them has been then applied to give a first family of seven non sulfated oligosaccharides (from disaccharide to octasaccharide). Two new families of chondroitin sulfate A and C oligosaccharides, with homogeneous sulfation have been prepared from a common precursor by divergent strategy. For the first time, two chondroitin sulfate A oligosaccharides with an heterogeneous sulfation have been synthetized. This work has led to thirteen final biotinylated oligosaccharides.

The proteoglycan CD44 is a widely expressed cell surface receptor for the extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan, and is involved in processes ranging from metastasis to wound healing. In the immune system, leukocyte activation induces hyaluronan binding through changes in CD44 post-translational modification, but these changes have not been well characterized. Here I identify chondroitin sulfate addition to CD44 as a negative regulator of hyaluronan binding. Chondroitin sulfate addition was analyzed by sulfate incorporation and Western blotting and determined to occur at serine 180 in human CD44 using site-directed mutagenesis. Mutation of serine 180 increased hyaluronan binding by both a CD44-immunoglobulin fusion protein expressed in HEK293 cells, and full-length CD44 expressed in murine L fibroblast cells. In bone marrow-derived macrophages, hyaluronan binding induced by the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ corresponded with reduced chondroitin sulfate addition to CD44. Retroviral infection of CD44⁻/⁻ macrophages with mouse CD44 containing a mutation at serine 183, equivalent to serine 180 in human CD44, resulted in hyaluronan binding that was constitutively high and no longer enhanced by stimulation. These results demonstrate that hyaluronan binding by CD44 is regulated by chondroitin sulfate addition in macrophages. A functional consequence of altered chondroitin sulfate addition and increased hyaluronan binding was observed in Jurkat T cells, which became more susceptible to activation-induced cell death when transfected with mutant CD44. The extent of cell death was dependent upon both the hyaluronan binding ability of CD44 and the size of hyaluronan itself, with high molecular mass hyaluronan having a greater effect than intermediate or low molecular mass hyaluronan. The addition of hyaluronan to pre-activated Jurkat T cells induced rapid cell death independently of Fas and caspase activation, identifying a unique Fas-independent mechanism for inducing cell death in activated cells. Results were comparable in splenic T cells, where high hyaluronan binding correlated with increased phosphatidylserine exposure, and hyaluronan-dependent cell death occurred in a population of restimulated cells in the absence of Fas-dependent cell death. Together these results reveal a novel mechanism for regulating hyaluronan binding and demonstrate that altered chondroitin sulfate addition can affect CD44 function. / Science, Faculty of / Microbiology and Immunology, Department of / Graduate

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(医学) / 乙第13386号 / 論医博第2218号 / 新制||医||1048(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 椛島 健治, 教授 妻木 範行, 教授 安達 泰治 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

This thesis presents deeper insights into bone applicable biomaterials’ design. Poor affinity of BMP-2 towards scaffolds required supra-physiological dose administration. Though molecules containing sulfate could sustain BMP-2 release, side effects occurred due to BMP-2 supra-dose, or these sulfate-containing biomolecules. Improved affinity between BMP-2 and scaffolds was first witnessed by using an acidic carrier (paper I). Hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrazone derived hydrogels having a pH of 4.5-loaded BMP-2 showed sustained release of bioactive BMP-2 in vitro and enhanced bone formation in vivo, while pH 7 HA hydrogels showed Fickian behavior and less bone formation in vivo. Computational evaluation revealed stronger electrostatic interactions between BMP-2, and HA were predominant at pH 4.5, whereas, weaker Van der Waals interactions played a key role at pH 7. During the pre-bone formation phase, endogenous cell responses to pH 4.5 and 7 with or without BMP-2 were investigated. HA hydrogels exhibited extraordinary biocompatibility and recruitment of neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages and stromal cells regardless of hydrogels’ pH and BMP-2 presence.  The different inflammatory responses to HA hydrogels were observed (Appendix). Thiol derivatives can cleave the disulfide bond of BMP-2 to generate inactive monomeric BMP-2. In paper II, thiol-acrylate chemistry-based HA hydrogels (HA-SH) were compared to hydrazone-based HA hydrogels as BMP-2 carriers. Thiol modified HA disrupted BMP-2 integrity and bioactivity. HA-SH hydrogels with BMP-2 exhibited less bioactive BMP-2 release in vitro and induced less bone formation in vivo. Accumulated evidence has shown great osteogenic potential of lithium ions (Li). In paper III, we coordinated Li onto HA-PVA hydrazone hydrogels (Li-gel); Li-gel enhanced 3D cultured hMSCs osteogenic differentiation and induced higher bone formation in CAM defect model. Instead of BMP-2 protein, delivery of BMP-2-coding-plasmid can produce BMP-2 over a long term at a closer physiological level. Yet, efficient gene delivery reagents are needed. In paper IV, two novel gene delivery nanoplexes were developed by post coating DNA-nanoplexes with chondroitin sulfate (CS). To ensure the stability, aldehyde-modified CS (CS-CHO) reacted with free amines of pDNA/PEI complexes. We provided first evidence that CS-CHO coated nanoplexes controlled the release from endosomes, which is essential for higher transfection efficiency.

A osteocondrite dissecante (OCD) é uma doença que surge nos equinos durante a fase de desenvolvimento sendo caracterizada pela presença de fragmento osteocondral intra-articular. Pouco se sabe sobre a condição da articulação doente em animais mais velhos, principalmente nos casos assintomáticos, que são operados muitas vezes com a finalidade de comercialização posterior ou para impedir a progressão da doença. A finalidade deste estudo, portanto, foi analisar as articulações tíbio-társicas de equinos com idade superior a um ano apresentando OCD na crista intermédia da tíbia, e comparar animais saudáveis (grupo controle) com animais acometidos de OCD nas formas sintomática e assintomática, empregando análise física; contagem de células totais, dosagem de proteína total, análise de glicosaminoglicanos (GAGs) e da proteína oligomérica da matriz cartilagínea (COMP) no líquido sinovial; análise dos GAGs urinários e análise histológica da membrana sinovial e fragmento osteocondral. Os eqüinos utilizados foram divididos em três grupos. No Grupo I foram utilizados eqüinos clinicamente sadios, livres de doença na articulação tíbiotársica. Os Grupos II e III foram constituídos por animais portadores de OCD nas formas sintomática e assintomática respectivamente, atendidos e operados no Serviço de Cirurgia de Grandes Animais do Hospital Veterinário FMVZ-USP. A presença de sinais clínicos esteve mais relacionada com a presença de múltiplos fragmentos do que com a de fragmento osteocondral único, independente de seu tamanho. O sinal clínico mais observado nos animais do Grupo III foi a efusão articular. As principais alterações encontradas no líquido sinovial foram: o aumento na concentração de condroitim sulfato (CS) no Grupo II (P<0,01) e no Grupo III (P<0,001) em relação ao Grupo I; o aumento na concentração de ácido hialurônico associado à diminuição da viscosidade nos animais do Grupo III; e a redução na presença de fragmentos de alto peso molecular associado ao aumento de fragmentos de baixo peso molecular de COMP nos animais dos Grupos II e III. A análise dos GAGs urinários evidenciou aumento na proporção de CS nos animais dos Grupos II e III em relação ao Grupo I. Na análise histológica dos fragmentos osteocondrais foram observadas alterações na integridade da cartilagem articular, associada a proliferação de condrócitos e a redução na presença de proteoglicanos tanto no Grupo II como no Grupo III. As amostras de membrana sinovial do Grupo I apresentaram presença discreta de vilos e sinoviócitos. No Grupo II houve aumento moderado nas vilosidades sinoviais, e na maior parte das amostras avaliadas no Grupo III, além da presença moderada a severa de vilosidades sinoviais, foi observada proliferação intensa de sinoviócitos. Os resultados obtidos no presente estudo demonstram que a OCD na articulação tíbio-társica de equinos com idade superior a um ano representa processo ativo, com degradação da MEC da cartilagem articular, independente da presença de sinais clínicos, e que o tratamento cirúrgico é indicado, mesmo em animais assintomáticos, buscando interromper o processo de degradação cartilagínea e prevenir o desenvolvimento de doença articular degenerativa, particularmente em equinos que irão iniciar treinamento atlético esportivo. / Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is an orthopedic disease that appears in foals during growth phase and is characterized by the presence (occurrence???) of an osteochondral fragment in the articular space. There are few studies in the literature concerning the follow up of the disease in adult horses, mainly those without clinical signs, which are submitted to surgical treatment to commercial proposes or to prevent the progression of the disease. The objective of the present study was to analyze tibiotarsal joints of horses older than one year with OCD in the intermediate ridge of distal tibia and compare healthy animals (control group) with OCD horses, either with or without clinical signs. Synovial fluid was analyzed to total cell count, total protein concentration, and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) fragmentation. The synovial fluid and urine glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were evaluated. The synovial membrane and osteochondral fragment were analyzed by istological assessment. Horses were divided in three groups: healthy horses without joint disease (Group I), horses with OCD without clinical sings (Group II) and horses with OCD and clinical signs (Group III). Horses of Groups II and III were admitted to the Large Animal Surgery Session of the Veterinary Hospital FMVZ USP. The presence of clinical signs was more related with multiple articular fragments than with one fragment, irrespective of the size. The most common clinical sign observed in Group III was joint effusion. The main changes in synovial fluid were: increase in chondroitin sulfate (CS) in Groups II (P<0,01) and III (P<0,001) when compared with Group I; increase in hyaluronic acid (HA) concentration associated with decrease in the viscosity in Group III; and the decrease of COMP fragments of higher molecular weight associated with increase of fragments of low molecular weight in Group II and III. The proportion of urinary CS was increased in Group II and III when compared with Group I. Alterations in the articular cartilage integrity associated with chondrocytes proliferation and loss of proteoglycan were observed in the histological analysis of the osteochondral fragments. In Group I the presence of synovial vilos and synoviocytes in the synovial membrane samples was discreet. In Group II samples there were a moderate increase in the presence of synovial vilos and synoviocytes. In almost samples analyzed in Group III the presence of synovial vilos was moderate to severe and synoviocytes proliferation was intense. Our results indicate that OCD in tibiotarsal joint of horses older than one year represents an active process, with degradation of the extra cellular matrix of the articular cartilage, regardless the presence of clinical signs, indicating surgical treatment, even in assymptomatic horses, avoiding the progression of cartilage degradation process and preventing the development of degenerative joint disease, mainly in horses that are going to begin athletic training.

This thesis describes structural studies on the interactions between the fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (fCS) oligosaccharides and human proteins known as selectins. fCS is a carbohydrate obtained from sea cucumbers, that can be classified as a branched glycosaminoglycan (GAG). It has attracted much attention due to its anti-coagulant, anti-inflammatory, antimetastatic and anti-HIV properties and its structure was previously determined by NMR. Selectins constitute a family of proteins involved in cell adhesion processes, such as inflammation, attachment of viral particles and migration of tumour cells. fCS oligosaccharides have been shown to bind to selectins, which is likely a reason behind their biological activity. However, the mechanism of this interaction is currently unknown. The initial part of the thesis describes the experimental work on expression and purification of the recombinant L- and P-selectin constructs in Pichia pastoris, Escherichia coli and HEK 293 cells. The aim of these experiments was to produce two constructs for each selectin, a single domain construct, consisting of the C-type lectin domain only, and a double domain construct, consisting of both the C-type lectin and the EGF-like domains. The intention was that the recombinant proteins would be labelled with 13C and 15N to allow for the in-depth structural NMR studies on the fCS-selectin interaction. Various experimental approaches have been explored, including the use of different cell lines, modifications to construct design, as well as alterations to expression and purification conditions. Although it was not possible to produce soluble selectin constructs in either bacterial or yeast cells, protein expression tests in HEK293 cells, performed in collaboration with the Oxford Protein Production facility (OPPF), led to production of a soluble L-selectin construct, consisting of the L-selectin C-type lectin domain. The produced L-selectin construct, as well as two commercially available constructs of the Land P-selectin extracellular domains, were used in the Saturation Transfer Difference (STD) NMR experiments to provide new information about the nature of the fCS-selectin binding. The STD experiments allowed to identify the regions within the fCS oligosaccharides that are in direct contact with the protein and likely play an important role in this interaction. Experiments on different protein constructs allowed the comparison of fCS binding to P-selectin and to two different recombinant constructs of L-selectin. Results of these studies suggest that the binding occurs via a similar mechanism for both L- and P-selectins and that the fCS oligosaccharides bind to one-domain L-selectin construct with similar affinity as to a larger construct, consisting of the entire extracellular region of the protein. Alongside the experimental work, theoretical in silico studies on the fCS-selectin binding were undertaken as part of this project. The existing X-ray structures of selectin complexes were subjected to Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, which allowed to explore the dynamic behaviour of E-selectin upon binding to sialyl Lewis x (sLex). It was found that sLex forms a more favourable interaction with the extended conformation of E-selectin and that the protein in this conformation is characterised by a high degree of interdomain flexibility, with a new type of interdomain movement observed in the MD studies on this complex. In further in silico studies, the fCS oligosaccharides were docked to the existing P-selectin structures. The docking tests were performed on the computationally produced fCS trisaccharides with fucose branches either 2,4 or 3,4-sulfated. Results were evaluated with MD simulations and analysed in the light of current knowledge of selectin-ligand binding and the STD NMR experimental results. The in silico studies allowed to identify a subset of P-selectin residues that are likely involved in the interaction with fCS oligosaccharides in vivo. The conformational behaviour of P-selectin upon binding to fCS was also explored and it was found that the interdomain hinge is flexible during this interaction and allows transition from bent to extended conformational state. Finally, a new NMR method was developed to facilitate the studies of complex carbohydrates, incorporating the concepts of G-matrix Fourier Transform (GFT) NMR into 2D HSQC and 2D HSQC-TOCSY experiments. The method allows to separate peaks in the regions of high spectral overlap, providing information that can simplify the assignment process. The new experiments facilitated the structural evaluation of a sample containing a mixture of oligosaccharides resulting from the depolymerisation of fCS polysaccharide.

A inexistência de um agente terapêutico único satisfatório para o tratamento do melanoma metastático e a potencialidade do quimioterápico 5FU (5-fluorouracil) motivou esta pesquisa, a qual teve por objetivo o desenvolvimento tecnológico de sistemas carreadores micro-/ e nanoestruturados contendo 5FU a fim de aumentar sua eficácia terapêutica e reduzir a toxicidade por meio da administração pulmonar. Duas formulações pulverulentas foram desenvolvidas com polímeros naturais, sulfato de condroitina e hidroxipropil-metil-celulose, denominadas 5FU-MS e 5FU-NS, utilizando as técnicas de aspersão e atomização vibracional piezoelétrica, respectivamente. Ambas as formulações foram avaliadas quanto às características físicas e químicas, perfil toxicológico in vivo (C. elegans e em ratos Wistar), e penetração e biodisponibilidade no tecido pulmonar pela quantificação da fração livre de fármaco por microdiálise pulmonar. A análise físico-química revelou a obtenção de partículas micrométricas para 5FU-MS e submicrométricas para 5FU-NS, com diâmetros médios de partícula de 2,546 ± 0,07 m e 0,652 ± 0,03 m, e fração respirável (FR%) de 55,12 ± 2,98 e 76,84 ± 0,07, respectivamente. Ambas demonstraram características e propriedades adequadas para administração pulmonar, com capacidade de deposição nas porções média e profunda. A toxicidade das formulações avaliada em C. elegans considerou o percentual de morte, desenvolvimento, DL50 e produção de ROS para os nematodos sob tratamento agudo e crônico. Os resultados evidenciaram redução significativa da toxicidade proporcionada pela redução da taxa de morte e maior desenvolvimento dos grupos tratados com as formulações 5FU-MS e 5FU-NS em comparação ao fármaco livre, sugerindo perfis de segurança satisfatórios para administração. Além disso, 5FU-MS revelou-se um agente pró-oxidante, representando um diferencial promissor deste sistema, podendo alcançar maior sensibilização das células tumorais com menores doses. A toxicidade pulmonar aguda foi avaliada pela análise de LDH e proteínas totais no fluido de lavagem bronco-alveolar (BALF) após a administração combinada das formulações 5FU-MS e 5FU-NS para administração como um sistema terapêutico único (5FU-MS/NS), e análise de dano tecidual pulmonar em ratos. Os resultados da análise bioquímica e histológica indicaram o baixo potencial de indução de lesão tecidual a partir da administração pulmonar combinada das formulações, em relação ao fármaco livre. A análise do perfil farmacocinético por microdiálise pulmonar evidenciou o êxito no desenvolvimento dos sistemas carreadores, tornando possível duplicar o t1/2 do 5FU e aumentar significativamente a biodisponibilidade no tecido pulmonar. Os resultados obtidos indicam a eficiência das formulações 5FU-MS e 5FU-NS em alcançar os benefícios terapêuticos do fármaco 5FU com menores doses e maiores intervalos de administração. Este trabalho de tese apresenta uma abordagem promissora na terapia de neoplasias com recorrência de metástase pulmonar. / The absence of a single therapeutic agent suitable for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and the potential of 5FU chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil) motivated this study, which aimed the development of carrier systems based on micro-/ and nanostructures containing 5FU to increase the therapeutic efficacy and reduce toxicity of this drug by pulmonary administration. Two different formulations of dry powders were developed with natural polymers, chondroitin sulfate and hydroxypropyl-methyl-cellulose, denomined 5FU-MS and 5FU-NS, using the spray-drying and vibrational piezoelectric atomization techniques, respectively. Both formulations were evaluated in terms of physico-chemical characteristics, in vivo toxicological behaviors (C. elegans and in Wistar rats), bioavailability and penetration in the lung tissue by quantifying of drug free fraction by lung microdialysis. The physicochemical analysis showed that were obtained as micrometric (5FU-MS) and submicron particles (5FU-NS), with average diameters of particle 2.546 ± 0.07 m and 0.652 ± 0.03 m, and respirable fraction (FR%) of 55.12 ± 2.98 and 76.84 ± 0.07, respectively. Both showed suitable characteristics and properties for pulmonary delivery, with deposition capacity in the middle and deep lung portions. The toxicity of the formulations evaluated in C. elegans considered the death rate, body development, DL50 and production of ROS to nematodes under acute and chronic treatment. The results showed significant reduction of toxicity, reducing the death rate and greater development of the groups treated with 5FU-MS and 5FU-NS formulations compared to the free drug, suggesting satisfactory safety profile for administration. In addition, 5FU-MS proved to be a pro-oxidant agent, representing a promising differential of this system which can achieve greater sensitization of tumoral cells with lower doses. Acute pulmonary toxicity was evaluated by analyzing LDH, and total protein in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) after combined administration of 5FU-MS formulations and 5FU-NS for administration as a single therapeutic system (5FU-MS/NS) and analysis of lung tissue damage in rats. The results of biochemical and histological analysis indicated the low potential to induce tissue damage from the pulmonary administration of combined formulations, compared to free drug. Analysis of the pharmacokinetic profile for pulmonary microdialysis showed the successful development of carrier systems, making it possible to double the t1/2 of 5FU and significantly increase bioavailability in lung tissue. The results indicate the effectiveness of the formulations 5FU-MS and 5FU-NS in achieving the therapeutic benefits of the drug 5FU at lower doses and higher dosing intervals. This thesis work presents a promising approach to cancer therapy with lung metastasis recurrence.