15 documents found, page 1 of 2
Size controlled protein nanoemulsions for active targeting of folate receptor p...
Loureiro, Ana Isabel Sá; Nogueira, Eugénia Sofia Costa; Azóia, Nuno G.; Sárria, M. P.; Abreu, Ana S.; Shimanovich, Ulyana; Rollett, AlexandraBovine Serum Albumin (BSA) nanoemulsions were produced by high pressure homogenization with a tri-block copolymer (Poloxamer 407), which presents a central hydrophobic chain of polyoxypropylene (PPO) and two identical lateral hydrophilic chains of polyethylene glycol (PEG). We observed a linear correlation between tri-block copolymer concentration and size - the use of 5 mg/mL of Poloxamer 407 yields nanoemulsi...
Folic acid-tagged protein nanoemulsions loaded with CORM-2 enhance the survival...
Loureiro, Ana Isabel Sá; Bernardes, Gonçalo J. L.; Shimanovich, Ulyana; Sárria, M. P.; Nogueira, Eugénia; Preto, Ana; Gomes, Andreia CFolic Acid (FA)-tagged protein nanoemulsions were found to be preferentially internalized on B-cell lymphoma cell line (A20 cell line), which, for the first time, are reported to express folate receptor (FR)-alpha. Carbon monoxide releasing molecule-2 (CORM-2) was incorporated in the oil phase of the initial formulation. FA-functionalized nanoemulsions loaded with CORM-2 exhibited a considerable antitumor effec...
Peptide anchor for folate-targeted liposomal delivery
Nogueira, E.; Mangialavori, Irene C.; Loureiro, Ana; Azóia, Nuno G.; Sarria, Marisa P.; Nogueira, Patrícia; Freitas, Jaime; Harmark, JohanSpecific folate receptors are abundantly overexpressed in chronically activated macrophages and in most cancer cells. Directed folate receptor targeting using liposomes is usually achieved using folate linked to a phospholipid or cholesterol anchor. This link is formed using a large spacer like polyethylene glycol. Here, we report an innovative strategy for targeted liposome delivery that uses a hydrophobic fra...
Protein micro- and nano-capsules for biomedical applications
Shimanovich, Ulyana; Bernardes, Gonçalo J. L.; Knowles, T. P. J.; Paulo, Artur CavacoMicro- and nano-scale systems have emerged as important tools for developing clinically useful drug delivery systems. In this tutorial review, we discuss the exploitation of biomacromolecules for this purpose, focusing on proteins, polypeptides, nucleic acids and polysaccharides and mixtures thereof as potential building blocks for novel drug delivery systems. We focus on the mechanisms of formation of micro- a...
Sonochemically-induced spectral shift as a probe of green fluorescent protein r...
Shimanovich, Ulyana; Munder, A.; Azóia, Nuno G.; Paulo, Artur Cavaco; Gruzman, A.; Knowles, T. P. J.; Gedanken, AharonEncapsulation in the form of micro and nanocapsules is an attractive route for controlling the delivery and release of active proteins and peptides. Many approaches exist to probe the morphology of such capsules as well as their mechanisms of formation. By contrast, the release of proteins from such components in a complex biological environment has been challenging to probe directly. In this paper we show that...
Gene silencing by siRNA nanoparticles synthesized via sonochemical method
Shimanovich, Ulyana; Munder, A.; Loureiro, Ana; Azóia, Nuno G.; Gomes, Andreia C; Paulo, Artur Cavaco; Gedanken, Aharon; Gruzman, A.The knowledge that small RNAs can affect gene expression has had a tremendous impact on basic and applied research, and gene silencing is currently one of the most promising new approaches for disease therapy. However, RNAs cannot easily penetrate cell membranes, therefore RNA delivery become one of the major challenges for gene silencing technology. In the current paper we discuss a general approach for conver...
Design of novel BSA/hyaluronic acid nanodispersions for transdermal pharma purp...
Martins, Madalena A.; Azóia, Nuno G.; Shimanovich, Ulyana; Matamá, Maria Teresa; Gomes, Andreia C; Silva, Carla Manuela Pereira Marinho daA novel transdermal hyaluronic acid (HA) conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was developed in the form of solid-in-oil (S/O) nanodispersion (129.7 nm mean diameter). Ex vivo skin penetration analysis by fluorescence and confocal observation of histological skin sections revealed the ability of BSA/HA nanodispersions to cross the stratum corneum and penetrate into the dermis. Furthermore, no significant t...
Keratins and lipids in ethnic hair
Cruz, Célia F.; Fernandes, Margarida M.; Gomes, Andreia C; Coderch, L.; Martí, M.; Méndez, Sandra; Gales, Luís; Azóia, Nuno G.; Shimanovich, UlyanaHuman hair has an important and undeniable relevance in society due to its important role in visual appearance and social communication. Hair is mainly composed of structural proteins, mainly keratin and keratin associated proteins, and lipids. Herein, we report a comprehensive study of the content and distribution of the lipids among ethnic hair, African, Asian and Caucasian hair. More interestingly, we also r...
In vitro and computational studies of transdermal perfusion of nanoformulations...
Martins, Margarida Isabel Barros Coelho; Azóia, Nuno G.; Ribeiro, Artur J.; Shimanovich, Ulyana; Silva, Carla Manuela Pereira Marinho daTransdermal perfusion of a large protein is reported for the first time, using a nanoemulsion of bovine serum albumin (66 kDa) of 160 nm prepared by a solid-in-oil (S/O) process. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed skin permeation by these formulations, with integration of the protein into the lipid bilayers. These results demonstrate the real possibility of delivering large proteins transdermally for a ra...
Proteinaceous microspheres for targeted RNA delivery prepared by an ultrasonic ...
Shimanovich, Ulyana; Eliaz, Dror; Zigdon, Sally; Volkov, Vadim; Aizer, Adva; Paulo, Artur Cavaco; Michaeli, S.; Shav-Tal, Yaron; Gedanken, AharonIn the present work we used sonochemically prepared proteinaceous BSA spheres as a novel RNA-delivery system. The preparation of RNA-loaded BSA spheres was accomplished using an environmental friendly method termed the “ultrasonic emulsification method”. It was demonstrated that ultrasonic waves do not cause the RNA chains to degrade and the RNA molecules remain untouched. The BSA–RNA complex was successfully i...