-There has been a growing trend in recent years for the development of hybrid materials, called composites, based on clay and polymers, whose innovative properties render them attractive for drug release. The objective of this manuscript was to conduct a review of original articles on this topic published over the last decade and of the body of patents related to these carriers. A scientific prospection was carried out spanning the period from 2005 to 2015 on the Web of Science database. The technological prospection encompassed the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, the World International Patent Office and the National Institute of Industrial Property databases, filtering patents with the code A61K. The survey revealed a rise in the number of publications over the past decade, confirming the potential of these hybrids for use in pharmaceutical technology. Through interaction between polymer and clay, the mechanical and thermal properties of composites are enhanced, promoting stable, controlled drugs release in biological media. The most cited clays analyzed in the articles was montmorillonite, owing to its high surface area and capacity for ion exchange. The polymeric part is commonly obtained by copolymerization, particularly using acrylate derivatives. The hybrid materials are obtained mainly in particulate form on a nanometric scale, attaining a modified release profile often sensitive to stimuli in the media. A low number of patents related to the topic were found. The World International Patent Office had the highest number of lodged patents, while Japan was the country which published the most patents. A need to broaden the application of this technology to include more therapeutic classes was identified. Moreover, the absence of regulation of nanomaterials might explain the disparity between scientific and technological output.
Esse estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a incidência dos casos notificados de esquistossomose e o impacto das ações do programa de controle da esquistossomose nos estados da região Nordeste do Brasil, no período de 2010-2017. Tratou-se de uma pesquisa de cunho epidemiológico, transversal e descritivo que empregou dados obtidos do Programa de Controle da Esquistossomose do Sistema Único de Saúde. Entre os anos de 2010 a 2017 foram notificados 10.824 casos de esquistossomose na região Nordeste do país, dentre os quais cerca de 55% dos diagnosticados são do sexo masculino, e têm predominantemente idade entre 20-59 anos. Em paralelo, observou-se uma redução no número de casos confirmados e da incidência do agravo, variando de uma taxa de incidência de 14,3% (2010), para 9,2% (2017). Verificou-se que a esquistossomose apresenta maior prevalência nos seguintes estados nordestinos: Bahia (52,9%), e Pernambuco (25,1%). A menor prevalência foi identificada nos estados do Ceará (2,45%), Rio Grande do Norte (2,05%), e Piauí (0,14%). De acordo com dados do Programa de Controle da Esquistossomose observou-se uma tendência à redução dos casos positivos, apesar de ser imprescindível assegurar o acesso à terapia a estes pacientes. Portanto, é possível afirmar que as ações dos programas de controle contribuíram expressivamente para a redução das taxas de positividade de esquistossomose nas regiões endêmicas no Nordeste brasileiro, no entanto o esforço deve ser mantido para que o Brasil deixe de integrar o rol de países endêmicos para esta doença.
SARS-CoV-2 is part of an RNA virus family described again in 2019, causing the Covid-19 disease. The integration of computational strategies is of great importance in the identification and development of promising new compounds. Atazanavir and Darunavir, were designed to combat resistance to mutant drugs mainly by increasing the number of polar interactions with the main atoms in the HIV protease chain. This study aims to assess the molecular interaction of the drugs Atazanavir and Darunavir with the main SARS-CoV-2 protease through docking and molecular dynamics studies. This is a descriptive, experimental study with a qualitative and quantitative approach on the subject. For that, using the programs BIOVIA Discovery Studio, PyMol, AutoDock Tools 1.5.6, AutoDock Vina, the modeling and simulation of the anchoring of the drug at the action site were carried out. Lower scores were demonstrated, with -7.0 (Darunavir) the closest to the UAW 247 Inhibitor. It is possible to notice that the drugs showed similar residual bonds, also, in relation to the protease structure, the closest tested molecule was Atazanavir. Taking into account the stability of the RMSD values, it is valid to infer that in relation to the UAW 247 inhibitor, the drug Atazanavir is the one that best resembles, unlike Darunavir, which presents greater variations. The two drugs fit into the binding site mainly due to electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds. Atazanavir is the most similar to molecular activity, and Darunavir is the one with the best anchoring score.
The Aloe vera (L.) Burman f. pulp extract (AE), obtained from the inner parts of Aloe vera leaves, is rich in polysaccharides, including glucomannans, acemannans, pectic compounds, cellulose, and hemicelluloses; acemannan and glucomannan are considered the two main components responsible for most of the plant’s therapeutical properties. Besides having anti-inflammatory activity, these polysaccharides accelerate wound healing and promote skin regeneration, thus they can be utilized in healing products. The objective of this study was to develop Aloe vera mucilaginous-based hydrogels for topical use in psoriasis treatment. The hydrogels were prepared with 80% w/w of A. vera mucilaginous gel, evaluating two distinct polymers as the gelling agent: 1% carbopol 940 (FC1 and FC2) or 2% hydroxyethylcellulose (FH3 and FH4). FC1, FC2, FH3 and FH4 were evaluated for their organoleptic characteristics, rheological properties, pH and glucomannan content. Polysaccharide fractions (PFs) were extracted from the AE and used as a group of chemical markers and characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The quantification of these markers in the raw material (AE) and in the hydrogels was carried out using spectrophotometric techniques in the UV-VIS region. The hydrogels-based hydroxyethylcellulose (FH3 and FH4) had glucomannan contents of 6.76 and 4.01 mg/g, respectively. Formulations with carbopol, FC1 and FC2, had glucomannan contents of 8.69 and 9.17 mg/g, respectively, an ideal pH for application on psoriasis, in addition to good spreadability and pseudoplastic and thixotropic behavior. Considering these results, hydrogel FC1 was evaluated for its keratolytic activity in a murine model of hyperkeratinization. For that, 0.5 mL of test formulations FC1 and FPC (0.05% clobetasol propionate cream) were topically applied to the proximal region of adult rats daily for 13 days. After euthanasia, approximately 2.5 cm of the proximal portion of each animal’s tail was cut and placed in 10% buffered formalin. Then, each tail fragment was processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), and the results obtained from the histological sections indicated a 61% reduction in stratum corneum for animals treated with the A. vera hydrogel (FC1G) and 66% for animals treated with clobetasol propionate (PCG), compared to the group of animals that did not receive treatment (WTG). This study led to the conclusion that compared to the classic treatment (clobetasol propionate), the 80% A. vera hydrogel showed no significant difference, being effective in controlling hyperkeratinization.
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