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Oral mucositis (OM) is characterized by the presence of severe ulcers in the oral region that affects patients treated with chemotherapy. It occurs in almost all patients who receive radiotherapy of the head and neck, as well as patients who undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation. The pathophysiology of OM is complex, and there is no effective therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone-loaded poly(d,l-Lactic-co-glycolic) nanoparticles (PLGA-DEX NPs) on an OM model induced in hamsters. The NPs were synthesized using the emulsification-solvent evaporation method and were characterized by the size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, atomic force microscopy, physicochemical stability, and the in vitro release. The OM was induced by the administration of 5-FU on the first and second days and mechanical trauma on the 4th day of the experiment. PLGA-DEX NPs were administered to treat OM. The animals were euthanized on the 10th day. Macroscopic and histopathological analyses were performed, measurement of malonaldehyde (MDA) and ELISA was used to determine the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α. Immunoexpressions of NF-κB, COX-2, and TGF-β were determined by immunohistochemistry, and qRT-PCR was used to quantify the gene expression of the GILZ, MKP1, and NF-κB p65. The PLGA-DEX NPs (0.1 mg/kg) significantly reduced macroscopic and histopathological scores, decreased MDA, TNF-α and IL-1β levels, immunostaining for NF-κB, COX-2, TGF-β, and suppressed NF-κB p65 mRNA expression, but increased GILZ and MKP1 expression.

A variety of neuroactive flavonoids can be found in the species of the Passiflora genus; however, their difficulty in crossing the blood–brain barrier limits their in vivo neuropharmacological activity. In this study, cationic nanoparticles were developed as a novel nanocarrier for improving the antidepressant activity of Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa leaf extract. Formulations obtained using Eudragit E PO polymethylmethacrylate copolymer, as polymeric matrix had their physicochemical properties investigated. The analytical content of the flavonoids vicenin-2, orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin was determined in the plant extract. Small-sized and spherical nanoparticles loaded with Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa were obtained with positive zeta potential and high encapsulation efficiency. In addition, the nanosystems were shown to be stable for at least 6 months. The antidepressant activity of P. edulis extract (50 and 100 mg/kg) as well as the extract-loaded nanoparticles (5 mg/kg) were investigated in mice using the forced swimming test, where the latter increased the potency of the former by 10-fold. In addition, histopathological and biochemical analysis confirmed the biocompatibility of the extract-loaded nanoparticles. This study demonstrated that the Eudragit cationic nanoparticles were able to improve the antidepressant activity of P. edulis in the central nervous system of mice.

Cationic polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have the ability to overcome biological membranes, leading to improved efficacy of anticancer drugs. The modulation of the particle-cell interaction is desired to control this effect and avoid toxicity to normal cells. In this study, we explored the surface functionalization of cationic polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) NPs with two natural compounds, sialic acid (SA) and cholesterol (Chol). The performance of benznidazole (BNZ) was assessed in vitro in the normal renal cell line (HEK-293) and three human cancer cell lines, as follows: human colorectal cancer (HT-29), human cervical carcinoma (HeLa), and human hepatocyte carcinoma (HepG2). The structural properties and feasibility of NPs were evaluated and the changes induced by SA and Chol were determined by using multiple analytical approaches. Small (

Chloroquine diphosphate (CQ) is a hydrophilic drug with low entrapment efficiency in hydrophobic nanoparticles (NP). Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus worldwide known as a common human pathogen. This study aims to develop chloroquine-loaded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles (CQ-NP) to improve the chloroquine anti- HSV-1 efficacy. CQ-NP were successfully prepared using a modified emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Physicochemical properties of the NP were monitored using dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, drug loading efficiency, and drug release studies. Spherical nanoparticles were produced with modal diameter of −1 (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the B-NP had no antiviral activity. The CQ-NP has shown feasible properties and great potential to improve the antiviral activity of drugs.