Solid Polymeric Nanoparticles of Albendazole: Synthesis, Physico-Chemical Characterization and Biological Activity.

Albendazole is a benzimidazole derivative with documented antitumor activity and low toxicity to healthy cells. The major disadvantage in terms of clinical use is its low aqueous solubility which limits its bioavailability. Albendazole was incorporated into stable and homogeneous polyurethane structures with the aim of obtaining an improved drug delivery system model. Spectral and thermal analysis was used to investigate the encapsulation process and confirmed the presence of albendazole inside the nanoparticles. The in vitro anticancer properties of albendazole encapsulated in polyurethane structures versus the un-encapsulated compound were tested on two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, in terms of cellular viability and apoptosis induction. The study showed that the encapsulation process enhanced the antitumor activity of albendazole on the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-23 breast cancer lines. The cytotoxic activity manifested in a concentration-dependent manner and was accompanied by changes in cell morphology and nuclear fragmentation.

Standardization of A375 human melanoma models on chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane and Balb/c nude mice.

Cutaneous melanoma is a metastatic disease characterized by high resistance to treatment, the incidence of which has alarmingly increased worldwide over the past years. A thorough characterization of tumor onset, progression and metastasis is compulsory to overcome the gaps existent in melanoma biology. The present study suggests a well­established protocol and a detailed histological description of human melanoma models in ovo and in vivo obtained by the inoculation of A375 cells to chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and Balb/c nude mice. The inoculation of A375 cells on CAM led to the formation of compact primary and secondary tumors on day 4 post­inoculation, with mean surface area values of 2.2±0.4 mm2 and 1.5±0.3 mm2, respectively. Moreover, the vessels around the tumors presented a spike wheel pattern, indicating a strong angiogenic reaction. All the injected mice, apart from one, developed solid polypoid primary tumors with lobulated surfaces and intense vascularization, and achromic epithelioid malignant melanocytes with vesiculous nuclei and necrosis area were detected. Metastasis was histologically confirmed in only 30% of the mice with the tumor xenografts. These data indicate that the standardization protocols proposed are complex and reproducible, and can be further employed for the therapeutic surveillance of antiangiogenic and anticancer agents.

Biocompatible Colloidal Suspensions Based on Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization and Toxicological Profile.

The use of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in biomedicine has evolved intensely in the recent years due to the multiple applications of these nanomaterials, mainly in domains like cancer. The aim of the present study was: (i) to develop biocompatible colloidal suspensions based on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as future theranostic tools for skin pathology and (ii) to test their effects in vitro on human keratinocytes (HaCat cells) and in vivo by employing an animal model of acute dermal toxicity. Biocompatible colloidal suspensions were obtained by coating the magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles resulted during the solution combustion synthesis with a double layer of oleic acid, as innovative procedure in increasing bioavailability. The colloidal suspensions were characterized in terms of dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The in vitro effects of these suspensions were tested by means of Alamar blue assay and the noxious effects at skin level were measured using non-invasive methods. The in vitro results indicated a lack of toxicity on normal human cells induced by the iron oxide nanoparticles colloidal suspensions after an exposure of 24 h to different concentrations (5, 10, and 25 µg·mL-1). The dermal acute toxicity test showed that the topical applications of the colloidal suspensions on female and male SKH-1 hairless mice were not associated with significant changes in the quality of barrier skin function.