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Cost-effective strategies for the treatment of chronic wounds must be developed. The green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) it is possible to guarantee a lower toxicity in biological tissues and greater safety of applicability, in addition to adding the effects of nanoparticles (NPs) to those of extracts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of treatment with biosynthesized GNPs in a chronic wound model. Wistar rats were distributed into 7 groups: Acute Wound (AW); Chronic wound (CW); CW + GNPs-Açaí; CW + GNPs-DB; CW + AV-GNPs; CW + SafGel ® ; CW + 660 nm laser. The chronic injury model was induced with topically applied Resiquimod for 6 days. Treatments were then initated on the fourteenth day after the last application of Resiquimod and carried out daily for ten days. The proposed therapies with GNPs were able to significantly reduce the inflammatory score and increase the rate of wound contraction. In histology, there was a reduction in the inflammatory infiltrate and increased gene expression of fibronectin and type III collagen, mainly in the CW + AV-GNPs group. The therapies were able to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines, increase anti-inflammatory cytokines, and reduce oxidative stress. The results demonstrated that the effects of GNPs appear to complement those of the extracts, thereby enhancing the tissue repair process.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of intranasal treatment of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and Curcumin (Cur) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute pulmonary inflammatory response. A single intraperitoneal injection of LPS (0.5 mg/Kg) was performed, and the animals in the Sham group were injected with 0.9% saline. Treatment was daily intranasally with GNPs (2.5 mg/L), Cur (10 mg/kg) and GNP-Cur started 12 h after LPS administration and ended on the seventh day. The results show that the treatment performed with GNP-Cur was the most effective to attenuate the action of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and a lower leukocyte count in the bronchoalveolar lavage, in addition to positively regulating anti-inflammatory cytokines in relation to other groups. As a result, it promoted an oxirreductive balanced environment in the lung tissue, providing a histological outcome with a reduction in inflammatory cells and greater alveolar area. The group treated with GNPs-Cur was superior to the other groups, with better anti-inflammatory activity and reduced oxidative stress, resulting in less morphological damage to lung tissue. In conclusion, the use of reduced GNPs with curcumin demonstrates promising effects in the control of the acute inflammatory response, helping to protect the lung tissue at the biochemical and morphological levels., (© 2023 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society). Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Cholesterol is a lipid molecule of great biological importance to animal cells. Dysregulation of cholesterol metabolism leads to raised blood total cholesterol levels, a clinical condition called hypercholesterolemia. Evidence has shown that hypercholesterolemia is associated with the development of liver and heart disease. One of the mechanisms underlying heart and liver alterations induced by hypercholesterolemia is oxidative stress. In this regard, in several experimental studies, gold nanoparticles (AuNP) displayed antioxidant properties. We hypothesized that hypercholesterolemia causes redox system imbalance in the liver and cardiac tissues, and AuNP treatment could ameliorate it. Young adult male Swiss mice fed a regular rodent diet or a high cholesterol diet for eight weeks and concomitantly treated with AuNP (2.5 μg/kg) or vehicle by oral gavage. Hypercholesterolemia increased the nitrite concentration and glutathione (GSH) levels and decreased the liver's superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Also, hypercholesterolemia significantly enhanced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and GSH levels in cardiac tissue. Notably, AuNP promoted the redox system homeostasis, increasing the SOD activity in hepatic tissue and reducing ROS levels in cardiac tissue. Overall, our data showed that hypercholesterolemia triggered oxidative stress in mice's liver and heart, which was partially prevented by AuNP treatment.

Objective: To evaluate formulations of 1 % silver (Ag) nanoparticles for treating traumatic lesions induced in the oral mucosa of rats, because these lesions are commonly observed in the dental clinic, and their therapeutic forms are scarce., Methods: Wistar rats were punch-injured (two circular fragments, 4.0 mm in diameter) in the oral mucosa (one on each side), and were treated topically (twice per week) with the treatments/groups including: no injury, control, vehicle, diluted Ag, soluble Ag, and solid Ag. On the 2nd, 7th, and 14th days postinjury, biopsies were collected for immunohistochemistry and biochemical analysis., Results: The group diluted Ag revealed a higher level of inflammatory infiltrate on the 2nd day, whereas solid Ag presented lower levels. The Ag solid group presented higher IL-1β on the 2nd day and increased IL-10 and TGF-β1 throughout the follow-up. Moreover, all three Ag groups presented lower levels of oxidative stress markers and, on the 7th day, the diluted Ag and solid Ag groups revealed higher antioxidants. Diluted Ag and soluble Ag groups presented greater blood vessels proliferation, whereas soluble Ag and solid Ag groups revealed greater VEGF on the 2nd and 14th days. Furthermore, all three Ag groups were highlighted during fibroplasia, although collagenesis was similar to that observed in the control group., Conclusions: Although diluted Ag was noticeable for its important angiogenesis and fibroplasia, solid Ag was the most suitable formulation in healing oral lesions as it efficiently controlled inflammation and oxidative stress, thus favoring angiogenesis and tissue formation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)