Ultrasound and Gold Nanoparticles Improve Tissue Repair for Muscle Injury Caused by Snake Venom.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a treatment that enhances recovery from envenomation-induced lesions caused by Bothrops jararaca venom by using ultrasound in combination with gold nanoparticles (GNPs). METHODS: A total of 108 Swiss mice were arranged into nine groups. The animals underwent necrotic induction with 250 µg B. jararaca venom (BjV) and were treated with ultrasound (U) at 1 MHz frequency at an intensity of 0.8 W/cm² for 5 min, 30 mg/L GNPs, and anti-bothropic serum (AS) in the following combinations: saline solution (SS); BjV; BjV + AS; BjV + AS + U; BjV + GNPs + AS; BjV + GNPs + AS + U; BjV + GNPs; BjV + GNPs + U; and BjV + U. The necrotic area, histology, oxidative stress, oxidative damage, and anti-oxidant system were assessed to evaluate the effects of the treatments. RESULTS: Treatments that included GNPs, U, and/or AS demonstrated reductions in necrotic area, increases in angiogenesis and fibroblast means, decreases in inflammatory infiltrates, and improvements in collagen synthesis. Additionally, there was an increase in oxidants and oxidant damage within the gastrocnemius muscle, along with an increase in anti-oxidants. Furthermore, systemic effects appear to have been achieved, improving the anti-oxidant system at the cardiovascular and renal levels. CONCLUSION: The use of GNPs and U may be effective at treating lesions caused by B. jararaca snake venom.

Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles in an animal model of chronic wound induced with Resiquimod.

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.

Characterization of Depression- and Anxiety-Like Behaviours in a Mouse Model of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is an autoimmune neurological disease and is the most common subtype of MS. In addition, it is associated with the development of depression and anxiety. To date, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviours were only studied using models of progressive MS, which causes severe motor alterations. Thus, we sought to standardise the depressive and anxiety-like behaviours in an RRMS model induced by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (RR-EAE) in mice. The RR-EAE model was induced in C57BL/6 female mice using myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55) antigen and Quillaja saponin (Quil A) as an adjuvant. The immunisation of RR-EAE did not induce locomotor alteration but caused relapsing-remitting induction of clinical scores in mice until 35 post-immunization (p.i.). Also, increased levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), astrocyte marker (GFAP), and microglial markers (IBA-1) were detected in the prefrontal cortex at 35 p.i. of RR-EAE. In the open field test, RR-EAE mice showed decreased time spent at the centre and sniffing behaviour (at days 21 and 34 p.i.). Also, on day 35 p.i. the RR-EAE group spent less time in the open arms and had decreased open-arm entries compared to control mice in the elevated plus maze (EPM) test, confirming the anxiety-like behaviour. At day 36° p.i. in the tail suspension test, mice showed depression-like behaviour with decreased latency time and increased immobility time. Thus, the RR-EAE model mimics the neuroinflammatory and behavioural features of the RRMS, including depression- and anxiety-like symptoms.

Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles with Curcumin or Açai in the Tissue Repair of Palatal Wounds.

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of treatment with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) reduced with Curcumin (Curcuma longa L.) or Açai (Euterpe oleracea) to a standard commercial treatment of the pharmacological type (Omcilon®) and an electrophysical agent (photobiomodulation) in the palatal wounds of rats. As for the in vitro assay, a cell viability test was performed to assess the toxicity of the synthesized nanoparticles. In vivo assay: 60 Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n = 12): I. Palatal Wound (PW); II. PW + Photobiomodulation (PBM); III. PW + Omcilon®; IV. PW + GNPs-Cur (0.025 mg/mL); V. PW + GNPs-Açai (0.025 mg/mL). Animals were first anesthetized, and circular lesions in the palatine mucosa were induced using a 4 mm-diameter punch. The first treatment session started 24 h after the injury and occurred daily for 5 days. The animals were euthanized, and the palatal mucosa tissue was removed for histological, biochemical, and molecular analysis. GNPs-Açai were able to significantly reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and increase anti-inflammatory ones, reduce oxidant markers, and reduce inflammatory infiltrate while increasing the collagen area and contraction rate of the wound, along with an improved visual qualification. The present study demonstrated that the proposed therapies of GNPs synthesized greenly, thus associating their effects with those of plants, favor the tissue repair process in palatal wounds.