Technological Trends Involving Probiotics in the Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy: A Patent Review (2009-2022).

BACKGROUND: Diabetic neuropathy (DN) causes neuropathic pain, and current treatments are unsatisfactory. Recently studies have demonstrated an assertive correlation between gut microbiota and pain modulation. OBJECTIVE: Considering the emerging search for new therapies for the control of DN and the growing commercial interest in the probiotics market, this study aimed to provide patents on the use of probiotics in the control of DN. METHODS: This is a patent prospection performed in the Espacenet Patent database, using the association of keywords and IPC related to probiotics in medical preparations and foods, from 2009 to December 2022. RESULTS: Results have shown that in 2020, there was a boom in patent filing in the area. Asian countries accounted for more than 50% of all 48 inventions (n = 48), with Japan as the only applicant in 2021. Products being developed in recent years point to effects that may represent an advancement in DN treatment, such as reduced concentration of pro-inflammatory mediators, metabolites and neurotransmitters release, and hypoglycemic potential. All effects were more related to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera, associated with more than one property mentioned. CONCLUSION: The mechanisms attributed to the microorganisms suggest the therapeutic potential of probiotics in the non-pharmacological treatment of pain. New applications for probiotics have resulted from great research interest by academia, but also reflect commercial interests despite the paucity of clinical trials. Thus, the present work supports the evolution of research to explore the benefits of probiotics and their clinical use in DN.

Analytical Methods for the Quality Control of Veterinary Antimicrobials Medicines.

Veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) are used for the prevention and treatment of diseases in animals. The safety and efficacy of these products must be proven by quality control tests. Special attention should be paid to veterinary antimicrobials medicines (VAMs), as changes in their potency can compromise pharmacotherapeutic treatment and contribute to microbial resistance. The aim of this work was to review the analytical methods available for assessing the quality of VAMs, to analyze regulatory issues and quality control programs. The review was performed on selected papers in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Virtual Health Library databases, between 2005 and 2020. After applying exclusion criteria, 19 studies were obtained. Of the analytical studies, the majority (61.54%) used the HPLC technique. In addition, methods by CE (15.39%) and by SPM, FIA and microbiological assay (7.69% each) were found. In studies of monitoring of VAMs available on the market, changes in tylosin, spiramycin, ampicillin, tetracyclines and penicillins were observed. This is worrying, as these quality deviations can contribute to the development of resistant microorganisms. Although international efforts have been implemented at the regulatory level to ensure the quality of VAMs, it was realized with this study that there is much to evolve in the development of new analytical methods and in monitoring the quality of VAMs. With this, it is expected that this study will instigate scientists in the analytical, regulatory, microbiological and veterinary fields to develop new research so that the demands necessary to guarantee the quality of VAMs are increasingly met.