The addition of propolis extract (PE) to the glass ionomer results in an adhesive material for restorative treatment, with interesting properties mainly due to the flavonoids contained in the propolis extract. However, no study of the flavonoid release profile in these materials was reported. This work studies the flavonoid release profile in such materials aiming to contribute to the future synthesis of optimized devices adept to prolong the efficacy of the drug. The study involved the synthesis and study of the physicochemical, antibacterial and mechanical properties of glass ionomer cement (GIC) and glassionomer-propolis composites (GIC-PE). The samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses. The released concentration of flavonoids, the antimicrobial activity and the compressive strength were also evaluated. Antimicrobial activity was assessed against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, and Candida albicans, common pathogens in the mouth. The results indicate that the antibacterial activity of GIC-PE samples is closely correlated with the release of flavonoids. The method used to prepare the composite GIC-PE leads to an initial drug delivery burst effect able to diminish partially the population of bacteria tested. The mechanical properties and thermal stability of GIC-PE are higher than those of the GIC and are clearly related to its microstructure. This study is clinically significant because the addition of propolis extract (PE) to the GIC resulted in a novel differentiated product with enhanced mechanical and antimicrobial properties compared to the GIC.
Bioactive glass has been proved to have many applications in bioengineering due to its bone regenerative properties. In this work, an innovative, highly resorbable bioactive glass containing 90% SiO2 (BG90) to be used as a bone substitute was developed. The BG90 was synthetized by the sol–gel process with the dry step at room temperature. The biomaterial showed in vitro and in vivo bioactivities even with silica content up to 90%. Moreover, the BG90 presented high porosity and surface area due to its homogenously interconnected porous network. In vitro, it was observed to have high cell viability and marked osteoblastic differentiation of rat bone marrow‐derived cells when in contact with BG90 ion extracts. The BG90 transplantation into rat tibia defects was analysed at 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10 weeks post‐operatively and compared with the defects of negative (no graft) and positive (autogenous bone graft) controls. After 4 weeks of grafting, the BG90 was totally resorbed and induced higher bone formation than did the positive control. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP‐2) expression at the grafting site peaked at 1 week and decreased similarly after 7 weeks for all groups. Only the BG90 group was still exhibiting BMP‐2 expression in the last experimental time. Our data demonstrated that the BG90 could be an attractive candidate to provide useful approaches in hard‐tissue bioengineering.
Several authors have studied the release profile of drugs incorporated in different devices. However, to the best of our knowledge, although many studies have been done on the release of tetracycline, in these release devices, no study has investigated if the released compound is actually the tetracycline, or, instead, a degraded product. This approach is exploited here. In this work, we analyse the influence of two drying methods on the tetracycline delivery behaviour of synthesised glasses using the sol-gel process. We compare the drying methods results using both theoretical models and practical essays, and analyse the chemical characteristic of the released product in order to verify if it remains tetracycline. Samples were freeze-dried or dried in an oven at 37°C and characterised by several methods such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG), differential thermal analyses (DTA) and gas adsorption analysis (BET). The released concentration of tetracycline hydrochloride was studied as a function of time, and it was measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometry in the tetracycline wavelength. The drug delivery profiles were reasonably consistent with a diffusion model analysis. In addition, we observed higher release rates for the freeze-dried compared to those dried in an oven at 37°C. This higher release can be attributed to larger pore size for the freeze-dried sample systems with tetracycline, which promoted more water penetration, improving the drug diffusion. The analysis of the solution obtained in the release tests using high-performance liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) confirmed that tetracycline was being released.
A novel, fast, low-cost and scalable methodology to prepare stable magnetoliposomes (MGLs), without the use of organic solvents, is described. The concept of the work is based on the dual use of soy lecithin associated to a new liposome preparation methodology. Soy lecithin was used to coat the nanoparticles of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 @lecithin) and for encapsulation of Fe 3 O 4 @lecithin (Lip-Fe 3 O 4 @lecithin). Liposomes with size less than 160 nm, polydispersity index of 0.25 and zeta potential of-41 mV, were prepared with the use of autoclave and sonication. The liposomal formulations containing magnetite and stigmasterol (Lip-Fe 3 O 4 @lecithin, Lip-Stigma and Lip-Stigma-Fe 3 O 4 @lecithin) were shown to be promising for the application as antibacterial. The liposomal formulation and magnetite were characterized by the following techniques: conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM/HRTEM), energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. The Lip-Fe 3 O 4 @lecithin had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8.4 μg mL-1 in the presence of 200 Oe magnetic field against S. aureus.
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