19 documents found, page 1 of 2
Modified cellulose nanocrystals encapsulating cannabigerol: a step forward in c...
Casanova, Francisca; Pereira, Carla F.; Ribeiro, Alessandra B.; Castro, Pedro M.; Martins, Eva; Freixo, Ricardo; Tavares-Valente, DianaCannabigerol (CBG) from Cannabis sativa L. is known for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, showing potential against intestinal inflammation. However, its lipophilic nature limits its absorption and stability. Researchers have explored cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to deliver lipophilic compounds and enhance their biological outcomes. This study investigated the capability of modi...
Design of innovative biocompatible cellulose nanostructures for the delivery an...
Casanova, Francisca; Pereira, Carla F.; Ribeiro, Alessandra B.; Costa, Eduardo M.; Freixo, Ricardo; Castro, Pedro M.; Fernandes, João C.Poor aqueous solubility, stability and bioavailability of interesting bioactive compounds is a challenge in the development of bioactive formulations. Cellulose nanostructures are promising and sustainable carriers with unique features that may be used in enabling delivery strategies. In this work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose nanofibers were investigated as carriers for the delivery of curcumin, ...
Biological potential and bioaccessibility of encapsulated curcumin into cetyltr...
Casanova, Francisca; Pereira, Carla F.; Ribeiro, Alessandra B.; Castro, Pedro M.; Freixo, Ricardo; Martins, Eva; Tavares-Valente, DianaCurcumin is a natural phenolic compound with important biological functions. Despite its demonstrated efficacy in vitro, curcumin biological activities in vivo are dependent on its bioaccessibility and bioavailability, which have been highlighted as a crucial challenge. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNC-CTAB) have been shown to be effective in curcumin encapsulation, as they ha...
Potential industrial synergies in the steelmaking and metal-processing industry...
Henriques, Juan; Castro, Pedro M.; Dias, Rui; Magalhaes, Bruno; Estrela, MarcoSteelmaking and ferrous metal processing companies are suppliers of great importance to a wide array of industries, thus being quintessential for the social and financial growth of regions and countries. Most used processes (i.e., blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace, and electric arc furnacebased) are, however, highly pollutant, generating hazardous wastes that were usually landfilled. Generated wastes are impo...
Preparation, characterization and evaluation of guar films impregnated with rel...
Batista, Patrícia; Castro, Pedro M.; Madureira, Ana Raquel; Sarmento, Bruno; Pintado, ManuelaBackground: Biological molecules such as therapeutic proteins and peptides have provided ample opportunities for further improvements in health and wellbeing. However, such biomacro-molecules face stability challenges regarding premature processing and digestion, whenever any enteric delivery route is considered. Hence, oral guar films entrapping peptide-containing chitosan microparticles have been developed as...
Polymeric nanoparticles as oral delivery systems for a grape pomace extract tow...
Costa, Joana R.; Xavier, Miguel; Amado, Isabel R.; Gonçalves, Catarina; Castro, Pedro M.; Tonon, Renata V.; Cabral, Lourdes M.C.; Pastrana, LorenzoGrape pomace (GP) is a major by-product from the wine industry, known for its bioactive compounds and their impact upon gastrointestinal (GI) health. However, bioaccessibility is often poor due to their degradation during digestion. This work aimed to encapsulate bioactive GP extract (GPE) into chitosan (CS) and alginate (Alg) nanoparticles (NPs) to mitigate degradation in the GI tract. Alg and CS NPs were opti...
Novel and revisited approaches in nanoparticle systems for buccal drug delivery
Macedo, Ana S.; Castro, Pedro M.; Roque, Luís; Thomé, Natália G.; Reis, Catarina P.; Pintado, Maria Manuela; Fonte, PedroThe buccal route is considered patient friendly due to its non-invasive nature and ease of administration. Such delivery route has been used as an alternative for the delivery of drugs that undergo first-pass metabolism or are susceptible to pH and enzymatic degradation, such as occurs in the gastrointestinal tract. However, the drug concentration absorbed in the buccal mucosa is often low to obtain an acceptab...
Organic nanocomposites for the delivery of bioactive molecules
Castro, Pedro M.; Sarmento, Bruno; Madureira, Ana Raquel; Pintado, Maria ManuelaControlling the size of organic nanoparticles has been proven to be important concerning the overall behavior when administered in living organisms. Indeed, reducing the particle size maximizes the functional properties (e.g., pharmacokinetics, biodistribution) and a superior performance is achieved when used as delivery systems. Nanoparticle systems serve a wide array of purposes in biomedical engineering, esp...
Film-nanoparticle composite for enhanced oral delivery of alpha-casozepine
Castro, Pedro M.; Baptista, Patricia; Zuccheri, Giampaolo; Madureira, Ana Raquel; Sarmento, Bruno; Pintado, Manuela E.Whey-derived alpha-casozepine bioactive peptide (YLGYLEQLLR) was associated with previously optimized guar-gum film-PLGA nanoparticles, aiming to increase both stability across gastrointestinal tract and permeability across absorptive epithelia. Oral films associated with nanoparticles (FNp) enhance buccal absorption along with protection of carried bioactive molecules that are swallowed, with inherent increase...
Incorporation of beads into oral films for buccal and oral delivery of bioactiv...
Castro, Pedro M.; Sousa, Flávia; Magalhães, Rui; Ruiz-Henestrosaf, Victor Manuel Pizones; Pilosoff, Ana M.R.; Madureira, Ana Raquel; Sarmento, BrunoThe association of alginate beads and guar-gum films in a single delivery system was idealized to promote a more effective buccal and oral delivery of bioactive molecules. A response surface method (experimental design approach) was performed to obtain optimal formulations of alginate beads to be incorporated into guar gum oral films as combined buccal and oral delivery systems for caffeine delivery. The combin...