Betulinic acid, a very promising anti-melanoma agent, has very low water solubility that causes low bioavailability. To overcome this inconvenience, a highly water-soluble cyclodextrin was used (octakis-[6-deoxy-6-(2-sulfanyl ethanesulfonic acid)]-γ-cyclodextrin). The complex was physico-chemically analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods and then in vitro tested for its antiproliferative activity by the MTT assay and by cell cycle analysis. Finally, the complex was tested in vivo using an animal model of murine melanoma developed in C57BL/6J mice, where it caused a reduction in tumor volume and weight. The study revealed the beneficial influence of betulinic acid inclusion into the cyclodextrin in terms of antiproliferative activity and in vivo tumor development.
Although oxidative stress itself is directly associated with the occurrence of atherosclerosis, and together with endothelial dysfunction is a marker of atherosclerotic risk, none of these two markers were directly correlated with the presence of atherosclerosis. This study investigated the correlation between oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in people with cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, another objective of this paper is the direct study of the effect of a compound with antioxidant properties, selenium, on a model of endothelial dysfunction induced on human vascular fragments.
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