[EN] The current PhD thesis deals with the development and characterization of novel nanocomposites based on biodegradable poly(mannitol sebacate) (PMS) matrices with tailored properties and shape-memory capabilities for biomedical applications. Two types of fillers -cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and electrospun poly(lactic acid) nanofibers (NF-PLA)- were used as reinforcement in order to induce and/or enhance the shape-memory properties of PMS matrices. Also, different crosslinking profiles and stoichiometric ratios between mannitol and sebacic acid (1:1 and 1:2) were studied and evaluated to obtain samples with low and high degrees of crosslinking. An appropriate combination of the crosslinking profile and the monomer ratio for PMS matrix, as well as the addition of low content of CNC, allowed the development of PMS/CNC nanocomposites with a wide range of mechanical properties and degradation profiles. On the other hand, highly oriented poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofiber mats obtained by electrospinning were embedded in the PMS matrices. An enhancement of up to 53-fold in the Young's modulus was observed for PMS/NF-PLA nanocomposites filled with 15 wt% of PLA nanofibers. The incorporation of fillers (CNC and NF-PLA) allowed the development of thermally active shape-memory nanocomposites with an enhancement of parameters such as recovery stress and shape fixity. The electrospun PLA-reinforced nanocomposites, offered the best balance of mechanical and thermal properties, as well as a greater control of the transition temperature for switching the change of shape, within a useful range of temperatures. Owing to that, these materials may be of interest as smart responsive systems in long-term biomedical applications. / [ES] La presente tesis doctoral, se centra en el desarrollo y caracterización de nuevos nanocompuestos biodegradables, a partir de matrices de poli(mannitol sebacato) (PMS) con propiedades a medida y capacidades de memoria de forma para aplicaciones biomédicas. Dos tipos de cargas -nanocristales de celulosa (CNC) y nanofibras de ácido poliláctico (NF-PLA) obtenidas mediante electrospinning- se han utilizado como refuerzo, con la finalidad de inducir y/o mejorar las propiedades de memoria de forma en matrices de PMS. Se han estudiado y evaluado diferentes tratamientos de curado y ratios de reacción entre el mannitol y ácido sebácico (1:1 y 1:2), con la finalidad de obtener muestras con bajo y alto grado de reticulación. Una combinación adecuada del tratamiento de curado y el ratio entre monómeros del PMS, así como la adición de bajos contenidos de CNC, permitió desarrollar nanocompuestos de PMS/CNC con un amplio rango de propiedades mecánicas y perfiles de degradación. Por otro lado, se han producido mats de nanofibras de ácido poliláctico (PLA) con alta orientación mediante la técnica de electrospinning, para embeberse en matrices de PMS, observándose una mejora de hasta 53 veces en el módulo de Young para nanocompuestos de PMS/NF-PLA con un 15% en peso de nanofibras. La incorporación de cargas (CNC y NF-PLA) permitió el desarrollo de nanocompuestos con memoria de forma activada térmicamente, con una mejora de parámetros tales como la fuerza de recuperación y la capacidad de fijación. Los nanocompuestos reforzados con NF-PLA obtenidas por electrospinning, ofrecieron el mejor balance de propiedades mecánicas y térmicas, así como un mayor control de la temperatura de transición para la activación del cambio de forma en un intervalo útil de temperaturas. Por todo ello, estos materiales pueden resultar de interés como sistemas activos en aplicaciones biomédicas de larga duración. / [CAT] La present tesi doctoral se centra en el desenvolupament i caracterització de nous nanocompostos biodegradables a partir de matrius de poli(mannitol sebacato) (PMS) amb propietats a mesura i capacitats de memòria de forma per a aplicacions biomèdiques. Dos tipus de càrregues -nanocristals de cel·lulosa (CNC) i nanofibres d'àcid polilàctic (NF-PLA) obtingudes mitjançant electrospinning- s'han utilitzat com a reforç amb la finalitat d'induir i/o millorar les propietats de memòria de forma en matrius de PMS. S'han estudiat i avaluat diferents tractaments de curat i ràtios de reacció entre el mannitol i àcid sebàcic (1:1 i 1:2) amb la finalitat d'obtenir mostres amb baix i alt grau de reticulació. Una combinació adequada del tractament de curat i el ràtio entre monòmers del PMS, així com l'addició de baixos continguts de CNC, va permetre desenvolupar nanocompostos de PMS/CNC amb un ampli rang de propietats mecàniques i perfils de degradació. D'altra banda, s'han produït mats de nanofibres d'àcid polilàctic (PLA) amb alta orientació mitjançant la tècnica de electrospinning, per embeure's en matrius de PMS, observant-se una millora de fins a 53 vegades en el mòdul de Young per nanocompostos de PMS/NF-PLA amb un 15% en pes de nanofibres. La incorporació de càrregues (CNC i NF-PLA) va permetre el desenvolupament de nanocompostos amb memòria de forma activada tèrmicament, amb una millora de paràmetres tals com la força de recuperació i la capacitat de fixació. Els nanocompostos reforçats amb NF-PLA obtingudes per electrospinning, van oferir el millor balanç de propietats mecàniques i tèrmiques, així com un major control de la temperatura de transició per a l'activació del canvi de forma en un interval útil de temperatures. Per tot això, aquests materials poden resultar d'interés com a sistemes actius en aplicacions biomèdiques de llarga durada. / Sonseca Olalla, A. (2015). DEVELOPMENT OF SHAPE-MEMORY COMPOSITES BASED ON A BIODEGRADABLE POLYESTER ELASTOMER [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/54129 / TESIS

Alzheimer's disease (AD), first characterized in the early 20th century, is a common form of dementia which can occur as a result of genetic mutations in the genes encoding presenilin 1, presenilin 2, or amyloid precursor protein (APP). These genetic alterations can accelerate the pathological characteristics of AD, including the formation of extracellular neuritic plaques composed of amyloid beta peptides and the formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles consisting of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Ultimately, AD results in gross neuron loss in the brain which is evidenced clinically as a progressive decline in mental capacity. A strong body of scientific evidence has previously demonstrated that the driving factor in the pathogenesis of AD is potentially the accumulation of Aß peptides in the brain. Thus, reduction of Aß deposition is a major therapeutic strategy in the treatment of AD. Recently it has been suggested that Aß accumulation in the brain is modulated, not only by Aß production, but also by its degradation. Several important studies have demonstrated that Aß degradation is modulated by several endogenous zinc metalloproteases shown to have amyloid degrading capabilities. These endogenous proteases include neprilysin (NEP), endothelin converting enzyme (ECE), insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) and matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP9). In this investigation we study the effects of upregulating expression of several of these proteases through administration of recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV) containing both endogenous and synthetic genes for ECE and NEP on amyloid deposition in amyloid precursor protein (APP) plus presenilin-1 (PS1) transgenic mice. rAAV administration directly into the brain resulted in increased expression of ECE and NEP and a substantial decrease in amyloid pathology. We were able to significantly increase the area of viral distribution by using novel delivery methods resulting in increased gene expression and distribution. These data support great potential of gene therapy as a method of treatment for neurological diseases. Optimization of gene transfer methods aimed at a particular cell type and brain region in the CNS can be accomplished using AAV serotype specificity and novel delivery techniques leading to successful gene transduction thus providing a promising therapeutic avenue through which to treat AD.

No / This work explored the role of skin appendages (shunt route) in passive and iontophoretic drug and liposome penetration. The technique used an epidermis and stratum corneum sandwich from the same skin donor with the additional stratum corneum forming the top layer of the sandwich. Penetration was monitored during occluded passive and iontophoretic (0.5 mA cm-2) delivery of mannitol and estradiol solutions, and ultradeformable liposomes containing estradiol. The shunt route had a significant role during passive penetration of mannitol (hydrophilic compound), but was negligible during penetration of estradiol (lipophilic drug) and liposomes. In iontophoresis, the shunt route significantly contributed to the overall flux of all preparations, being highest for mannitol. However, shunts were not the only pathway for iontophoretic drug delivery and evidence was observed for the creation of new aqueous pathways via disorganization of the intercellular lipid domain of stratum corneum. The skin sandwich technique should prove valuable for general studies on routes of skin penetration.

No description available.

Parkinsons sjukdom (PD) är ett tillstånd som ger en försvårad och försämrad livskvalité. I dagsläget finns det endast symtomatiska läkemedel men ingen bot med vilken sjukdomen upphör eller som bromsar förloppet. Pågående forskningsarbete utgår bland annat från att ta fram nya läkemedel men även också undersöka om redan befintliga läkemedel går att använda som behandling av PD. Många av de redan befintliga läkemedlen som testas är de som har förmågan att påverka proteinet α-synuklein (α-syn) och dess aggregering, som visats vara en central orsak till uppkomsten av PD. I föreliggande litteraturstudie undersöktes på vilket sätt en del läkemedel vars indikation är PD och även andra sjukdomstillstånd såsom astma, påverkar (ex. påskyndar eller inhiberar) in-vitro aggregering av α-syn. Därutöver genomfördes en detaljerad analys av de utvalda läkemedlen och deras effekt på α-syn aggregering utifrån deras kemiska egenskaper med avseende på löslighet (hydrofila, lipofila, amfifila) och inbindning till α-syn. Här kunde det visas att aggregering av α-syn inhiberades av alla utvalda läkemedel förutom dexametason, som istället påskyndade aggregeringskinetiken för proteinet. Dessutom uppvisade fasudil, ceftriaxon, dopamin, entakapon och tolkapon inbindning till delar av (hydrofila, hydrofoba eller amfifila) vilka delade samma fysikalkemiska egenskaper som α-syn. Därtill uppvisade utvalda läkemedel med till viss del plana strukturer (ex. aromatiska ringar) direkt inbindning till α-syn, vilka också rapporterats ha en något högre grad av transport över blod-hjärnbarriären, dock måste dessa fynd mer noggrant undersökas. Sammanfattningsvis visade alla utvalda läkemedel förutom dexametason anti-aggregeringsegenskaper (hämmande) mot α-syn genom att antingen indirekt eller direkt binda till proteinet och därmed hindra proteinet från att börja binda till sig själv. Mer studier måste genomföras för att studera effekten av läkemedelsexponering på α-syn för att identifiera viktiga segment av proteinet som kan utgöra läkemedelsmål för inhibering av α-syn aggregering. / Parkinson's disease (PD) is a condition that leads to an aggravated and worsened quality of life. At present, there are only symptomatic drugs for PD but no cure that eradicate the disease nor halter the disease progression have been found. Current research is being carried out to develop new drugs, but efforts also investigate whether existing drugs can be used as treatment for PD. Many of the already existing drugs being tested are those that have the ability to interact with a protein called α-synuclein (α-syn), that has been implicated to be a major player for onset of PD. In the present literature study, it was investigated in what way some drugs, whose indication is PD but also other diseases such as asthma, affect (i.e. propagate or inhibit) the in-vitro aggregation kinetics of αsyn. Additionally, a detailed analysis of the investigated drugs and their effect on the aggregation pathway was made to characterize common chemical features of the selected drugs based upon choice of solvents and binding to α-syn. Here, it could be shown that aggregation of α-syn is inhibited upon exposure to all selected drugs except dexametason which instead propagated aggregation of α-syn. In addition, fasudil, ceftriaxone, dopamine, entacapone and tolcapone was found to bind to parts (hydrophilic, hydrophobic or amphiphilic) of α-syn similar to their solubility features. Moreover, the selected drugs that were found to bind to α-syn seemed to exhibit planar in structure (i.e. aromatic rings) and also be associated to pass the blood-brain barrier to a greater extent, however these findings need to be more thoroughly investigated. In summary, all drugs but dexametason were shown to inhibit aggregation of α-syn invitro by either indirectly or directly affecting the aggregation of the protein. Further investigations need to be carried out to study the effect of drug exposure on α-syn aggregation in order to propose key segments of α-syn that can act as drug targets for inhibition of protein aggregation.

The research addressed in this thesis focuses on monitoring and characterization of pharmaceutical compounds by laser backscattering. In particular, this study covers two topics: (1) the determination of naproxen sodium solubility in water, and its phase transition; and (2) comparisons of batch and laminar flow tubular crystallizers for the production of paracetamol (acetaminophen) and D-mannitol. Using a Lasentec™ Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement (FBRM) device, the solubility of naproxen sodium in aqueous solutions was determined over a temperature range from 15.2 to 39.7 ℃ With the determination of the solubilities of two pseudopolymorphs, anhydrous and dihydrated naproxen sodium, the phase transition point between these two forms of the pharmaceutical compound was determined to occur at 30.3 ℃ Enthalpy of solution and metastable zone widths were also determined for the experimental conditions. Crystallizations of paracetamol and D-mannitol were performed in a batch crystallizer and in a laminar flow tubular crystallizer (LFTC) system. In the latter system, supersaturation was generated rapidly in the solution being transported through a temperature-controlled tube and recovered in a batch vessel where product crystals were grown to equilibration. Because of the rapid rate at which supersaturation was generated in the LFTC, the resulting crystals were of smaller mean size than those obtained from batch crystallizations. The total time required for crystallization was significantly less with the LFTC than with the batch unit. Additionally, the rapid cooling in the LFTC led to the formation of two different polymorphs of paracetamol, Forms I and II.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka effekter på frögroning i form av procentuell frögroning och mean germination time (MGT) för några vanligt förekommande vägkantsväxter till följd av saltning av vägar. Frön från (Prunella vulgaris), getväppling (Anthyllis vulneraria), grått saltgräs (Puccinella distans), grässtjärnblomma (Stellaria graminea) och tjärblomster (Viscaria vulgaris) fördelades i petriskålar och utsattes för mannitol- och natriumkloridlösningar av osmotisk potential -0,3, -0,6 och -0,9 MPa. Mannitol användes för att skilja osmotiska effekter från joniska effekter som natriumklorid ger upphov till. Kontroller med avjoniserat vatten visade frögroning i frånvaro av osmotiska- och joniska effekter. Den procentuella frögroningen var högst i kontrollerna för samtliga arter och minskade med en lägre osmotisk potential. Tjärblomster visade sig gro bäst under samtliga behandlingar. Lägst procentuell groning hade grått saltgräs och grässtjärnblomma. Det tog längre tid för alla arter att gro under en lägre osmotisk potential. Tjärblomster och getväppling visade sig mest känsliga mot abiotiska förändringar och grodde långsammast i förhållande till kontroller för respektive art. Vilket ämne som fröna utsattes för hade ingen påverkan på procentuell groning och MGT, vilket tyder på att det är osmotiska effekter som påverkar arternas frögroning. / The aim of this study was to investigate effects of lowered osmotic potential and osmotic agents on seedling germination and mean germination time (MGT) of some common roadside plants. Seeds of Prunella vulgaris, Anthyllis vulneraria, Puccinella distans, Stellaria graminea and Viscaria vulgaris were distributed in petri dishes and exposed to mannitol and sodium chloride solutions with osmotic potential of -0.3, - 0.6 and -0.9 MPa. Mannitol was used to distinguish osmotic effects from ionic effects caused by sodium chloride. Controls with distilled water showed germination in the absence of osmotic and ionic effects. The percentage of emerged seedlings were highest in controls for all species and decreased with a lower osmotic potential. Viscaria vulgaris had the highest percentage of emerged seedlings across all treatments. The lowest percentage of emerged seedlings had Puccinella distans and Stellaria graminea. It took longer time for all species to germinate under a lower osmotic potential. Viscaria vulgaris and Anthyllis vulneraria turned out to be most sensitive to abiotic changes and grew slowest in relation to controls. There was no difference in the impact of the osmotic agent on percentage germination and MGT, indicating that it is mainly the osmotic effect that affects the seed germination.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Orchids are considered the oldest among the ornamental species, and are herbaceous and perennial plants of high commercial value. The objective of this work was to develop protocols for in vitro conservation using the slow growth technique, and acclimatization of species of the subfamily Epidendroideae (Orchidaceae) of Sergipe State. The experiments were conducted in the Laboratory of Tissue Culture and Plant Breeding, Department of Agronomic Engineering, Federal University of Sergipe. We conducted two conservation experiments, both in a completely randomized design, the first in a 4x3x2 factorial scheme, testing four concentrations of salts of MS medium (100%, 75%, 50%, 25% salts), three species (Catasetum macrocarpum, Oeceoclades maculata and Polystachya estrellensis) and two temperatures (18 and 25ºC), and the second in a 3x3x2 factorial scheme, testing three combinations of carbon sources and osmotic regulators (20 g.L-1 sucrose, 10 g.L-1 sucrose + 5 g.L-1 mannitol, 10 g.L-1 sucrose + 5 g.L-1 sorbitol), three species (C. macrocarpum, O. maculata and P. estrellensis) and two temperatures (18 and 25ºC). For acclimatization, the experiment also was conducted in a completely randomized design, testing eight substrates [sand and earthworm castings (4:1); sand, coconut coir and earthworm castings (2:2:1); sand, crushed pine bark and earthworm castings (2:2:1); sand, crushed pine bark, coconut coir and earthworm castings (2:1:1:1); sand; sand and coconut coir (1:1); sand and crushed pine bark (1:1); sand, crushed pine bark and coconut coir (2:1:1)] and two species (O. macrocarpum and C. maculata). For in vitro conservation of C. macrocarpum, O. maculata and P. estrellensis for a period of 450 days, we should use culture medium containing 25% of MS salts at a temperature of 25°C or 20 g.L-1 of sucrose at 25°C. Acclimatization of micropropagated seedlings of C. macrocarpum can be performed using sand, crushed pine bark and earthworm castings (2:2:1) as the substrate, and for O. maculata we recommend to use only sand. / As orquídeas são consideradas as mais antigas entre as espécies ornamentais, sendo plantas herbáceas e perenes e de alto valor comercial. Diante disso objetivou-se com o presente trabalho desenvolver protocolos de conservação in vitro sob crescimento lento e aclimatização de espécies da subfamília Epidendroideae (Orchidaceae) do Estado de Sergipe. Os experimentos foram conduzidos no Laboratório de Cultura de Tecidos e Melhoramento Vegetal do Departamento de Engenharia Agronômica (DEA) da Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS). Foram realizados dois experimentos de conservação, ambos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, sendo o primeiro em esquema fatorial 4x3x2, testando quatro concentrações de sais do meio MS (100%, 75%, 50%, 25% dos sais), três espécies (Catasetum macrocarpum, Oeceoclades maculata e Polystachya estrellensis) e duas temperaturas (18 e 25ºC), e o segundo em fatorial 3x3x2, testando três combinações de fontes de carbono e reguladores osmóticos (20 g.L- 1 de sacarose; 10 g.L-1 de sacarose + 5 g.L-1 de manitol; 10 g.L-1 de sacarose + 5 g.L-1 de sorbitol), três espécies (C. macrocarpum, O. maculata e P. estrellensis) e duas temperaturas (18 e 25ºC). Para a aclimatização o experimento também foi implantado em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, testando oito misturas de substratos [areia e húmus de minhoca (4:1); areia, pó de coco e húmus de minhoca (2:2:1); areia, casca de pinus triturada e húmus de minhoca (2:2:1); areia, casca de pinus triturada, pó de coco e húmus de minhoca (2:1:1:1); areia; areia e pó de coco (1:1); areia e casca de pinus triturada (1:1); areia, casca de pinus triturada e pó de coco (2:1:1)] e duas espécies (C. macrocarpum e O. maculata). Para conservação in vitro de C. macrocarpum, O. maculata e P. estrellensis por um período de 450 dias, deve-se utilizar meio de cultura contendo 25% dos sais MS à temperatura de 25ºC ou 20 g.L-1 de sacarose à 25ºC. A aclimatização de plântulas de C. macrocarpum pode ser realizada utilizando areia : casca de pinus triturada : húmus de minhoca (2:2:1) como substrato e para O. maculata recomenda-se somente a utilização de areia.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-10-10T11:51:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 rafaeladesouzamartins.pdf: 11994443 bytes, checksum: c42e2d285fd87e325b038e9bfe95bdf5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-10-10T12:22:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rafaeladesouzamartins.pdf: 11994443 bytes, checksum: c42e2d285fd87e325b038e9bfe95bdf5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-10T12:22:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rafaeladesouzamartins.pdf: 11994443 bytes, checksum: c42e2d285fd87e325b038e9bfe95bdf5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-03 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Neste trabalho descrevemos a preparação de oito amino catalisadores, obtidos na forma de sal do trifluoroacetato. Quatro destes catalisadores foram preparados na forma da mistura de dois estereoisômeros, a partir do glicerol e os aminoácidos L-leucina, L-valina, L-fenilalanina e a L-prolina. Os outros quatro amino catalisadores foram preparados, em sua forma estereoisomericamente pura, a partir do D-manitol e os aminoácidos L-leucina, L-valina, Lfenilalanina e a L-prolina. Os oito amino catalisadores foram capazes de catalisar a reação de adição aldólica entre a cicloexanona e o 4-nitrobenzaldeído. Os produtos de adição foram obtidos em rendimentos que variaram de 58-95 %, sendo a maior r.d. de 1 : 9,12 (sin:anti), determinada por RMN de 1H, e maior e.e. de 94 %, determinado por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência. O melhor resultado, considerando o rendimento, a diastereo e a enantiosseletividade dos produtos formados, foi obtido quando o catalisador enantiomericamente puro derivado da L-prolina foi utilizado. / In this work we describe a preparation of eight amino-catalysts, obtained as a trifluoroacetate salt. Four of these catalysts were prepared, in the form of the mixture of two stereoisomers, from glycerol and the amino acids L-leucine, L-valine, L-phenylalanine and L-proline. The other four amino-catalysts were prepared in stereoisomerically pure form from D-mannitol and the amino acids L-leucine, L-valine, L-phenylalanine and L-proline. The eight aminocatalysts were able to catalyze the aldol addition reaction between cyclohexanone and 4nitrobenzaldehyde. The addition products were obtained in yields ranging from 58-95 %, the highest d.r. from 1:9.1 (sin: anti), determined by 1H NMR, and higher e.e. of 94 %, determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The best result, considering the yield, diastereomer and enantioselectivity of the formed products, was obtained when the enantiomerically pure L-proline derived catalyst was used.

Surface energetics play a key role in the delivery of a dry powder inhaler formulation into the lungs, as there must be a sufficient balance of adhesive and cohesive forces to allow optimal lung delivery. In this study, measuring the surface energies of a set of single drug and carrier (budesonide or theophylline with either mannitol or lactose) with different levels of surfactant using Inverse Gas Chromatography, and comparing them to their lung deposition performance using a Next Generation Impactor established a relationship between the two. A 1:10 mixing ratio of budesonide with either carrier was found to have the highest FPF. Coating the carriers with 0.05% sodium lauryl sulphate resulted in a further increase in the FPF when using either budesonide or theophylline as the API, and the same results were seen when a sonocrystallised version of the API was substituted for the micronised form. The calculated IGC values then showed that the highest performing formulations had the lowest dispersive energy and total free surface energy. Furthermore, a trend was observed in the work of adhesion (Wa) and work of cohesion (Wc) for each set of formulations depending on which API was chosen, where for the less polar drug (budesonide) a higher Wa/Wc ratio was associated with the highest formulation performance, and for the more polar drug (theophylline) a smaller Wa/Wc ratio was associated with the highest formulation performance, enabling the estimation of lung performance for a set of single drug and carrier using their surface energy data. / Kuwait’s government and the Ministry of Health of Kuwait