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Breast cancer comprises approximately 20% of all malignant neoplasm cases globally. Due to the limitations associated with conventional therapeutic approaches, extensive investigations have been undertaken to develop novel treatments that exhibit enhanced specificity and minimized adverse effects. Consequently, the application of polymeric nanoformulations for targeted drug delivery has gained significant attention within the biomedical field. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to explore the inherent advantages and efficacy of employing polymeric nanoformulations for drug delivery in breast cancer treatment, as compared to traditional therapies. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across prominent databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus, utilizing specific search strings. This meticulous approach yielded a total of 12 relevant articles for in-depth analysis and discussion. The findings from the selected studies underscore the effectiveness of employing polymeric nanoparticles as a drug delivery strategy, showcasing noteworthy improvements in cellular uptake and sustained intracellular retention of encapsulated therapeutic agents. Additionally, these nanoformulations exhibited superior efficacy, safety, and drug delivery capabilities. The utilization of polymeric nanoparticles in drug delivery has demonstrated a substantial enhancement in treatment efficacy, with the ability to achieve higher concentrations of active ingredients within tumor tissues, augment cellular uptake and drug concentrations, and sustain intracellular retention. Consequently, this innovative approach prolongs drug release in lower quantities, ultimately contributing to improved treatment outcomes.

Background: Delivery rates in cutaneous applications are limited by the skin barrier and also by the physical-chemical properties of the drug in the formulation. A lipophilic drug has more affinity, and can permeate the epidermis more easily than a hydrophilic drug. The potential use of nano-sized dispersions as distribution systems for hydrophilic drugs is being investigated. Objective: To analyze the literature with regard to the development of microemulsions (ME) for transdermal delivery of hydrophilic drugs, with a view to identifying strategies to increase the permeation of these drugs. Results: One hundred and eleven articles were potentially relevant to the combination of search criteria. After excluding duplicated articles, the abstracts of 83 articles were read. Of these, 73 did not meet the inclusion criteria. To complete the review process, the whole text of 10 articles was evaluated. Conclusion: The main factors that positively influenced the permeation of hydrophilic drugs were low hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values of the surfactant; concentrations of about 40% of surfactants and 30% of aqueous phase for the water-in-oil (W/O) systems; the addition of permeation promoters to the systems; and the association of physical methods during the application of the ME. The results offered support for the development of new topical microemulsions for hydrophilic drug delivery.

Breast cancer ranks as the primary cause of cancer-related mortality among women and stands as the fifth leading cause of cancer death overall. Biocompatible metal-organic frameworks (bioMOFs) emerge as highly attractive and promising platforms for efficient drug absorption and delivery. Thus, our objective was to develop drug delivery systems using bioMOF-101 materials, incorporating curcumin (CCM). The materials were enhanced by coating with folate molecules, facilitating targeted delivery to the tumor region. BioMOF-101 was meticulously synthesized, characterized using various techniques, and subsequently subjected to drug encapsulation tests. Remarkably, CCM@bioMOF-101-1D achieved an impressive encapsulation efficiency of 99.42%. To evaluate the impact of the MOF on cell viability, both breast tumor and normal cell lines were examined, revealing that the materials exhibited no toxicity. In vivostudies, bio-MOFs did not induce a reduction in the tumor region; however, the CCM@bioMOF-101-1D/FA caused a reduction in alveolar volume, which is indicative of its effectiveness in the model employed. In conclusion, the matrices studied herein can be considered promising alternatives for the treatment of breast cancer.

Eight new peptides were isolated from the skin secretion of the frog Leptodactylus pustulatusand their amino acid sequences determined by de novo sequencing and by cDNA cloning. Structural similarities between them and other antimicrobial peptides from the skin secretion of Leptodactylusgenus frogs were found. Ocellatins-PT1 to -PT5 (25 amino acid residues) are amidated at the C-terminus, while ocellatins-PT6 to -PT8 (32 amino acid residues) have free carboxylates. Antimicrobial activity, hemolytic tests, and cytotoxicity against a murine fibroblast cell line were investigated. All peptides, except for ocellatin-PT2, have antimicrobial activity against at least one Gram-negative strain. Ocellatin-PT8 inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella choleraesuisstrains with MICs in the 60–240 μM range. No significant effect was observed in human erythrocytes and in a murine fibroblast cell line after exposure to the peptides at MICs. A comparison between sequences obtained by both direct HPLC-MS de novo sequencing and cDNA cloning demonstrates the secretion of mature peptides derived from a pre-pro-peptide structure.

Magnetic nanoparticles surface-covered with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (MNPs-DMSA) constitute a promising approach for tissue- and cell-targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs in the lung. However, they can also induce a transient transendothelial migration of leukocytes in the organ as a side effect after endovenous administration of MNPs-DMSA. We demonstrated that monocytes/macrophages constitute the main subpopulation of leukocytes involved in this process. Our recent research found that MNPs-DMSA up-regulated the mRNA expression of E-, L- and P-selectin and macrophage-1 antigen, and increased concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α in lung, in a time dependent manner. The critical relevance of the β2 integrin-dependent pathway in leukocyte transmigration elicited by MNPs-DMSA was demonstrated by use of knockout mice. Our work characterizes mechanisms of the pro-inflammatory effects of MNPs-DMSA in the lung, and identifies β2 integrin-targeted interventions as promising strategies to reduce pulmonary side effects of MNPs-DMSA during biomedical applications. In addition, MNPs-DMSA could be used as modulators of lung immune response.

Evaluation of contamination of anesthesia circuits by collecting 56 culture samples from the circular system; previously reprocessed tracheas by disinfection with 1% hypochlorite or 2% glutaraldehyde after being washed in non-sterile water and soap and dried by using compressed air and stored in surgical grade paper; and from other places of the non-reprocessed respiratory circuit, before anesthetic procedures.

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been a useful tool for molecular surface analysis and to estimate topographical properties of proteins. Here we report a topographical study of a chymotrypsin inhibitor from Schizolobium parahyba seeds (SPCI) by AFM. The underlying structure of SPCI oligomers has been resolved in nanometer order resolution. SPCI oligomerize in hexagonal, ellipsoid, comet, pyramidal, and “Z“ shaped. The hexagonal was the most observed oligomer shape.