Thymus essential oil extraction, characterization and incorporation in phospholipid vesicles for the antioxidant/antibacterial treatment of oral cavity diseases.

The aim of the work was to extract, characterize, and formulate Thymus capitatus (Tymbra capitata) essential oil in phospholipid vesicles: liposomes, glycerosomes and Penetration Enhancer-containing Vesicles (PEVs). The steam-distilled essential oil was mainly composed of carvacrol. The oil was mixed with lecithin and water to produce liposomes, or different ratios of water/glycerol or water/propylene glycol (PG) to produce glycerosomes and PG-PEVs, respectively. Cryo-TEM showed the formation of unilamellar, spherical vesicles, and light scattering disclosed that their size increased in the presence of glycerol or PG, which improved long-term stability. The formulations were highly biocompatible, and capable of counteracting oxidative stress and favouring wound repair in keratinocytes, thanks to enhanced uptake. The antibacterial activity of the oil was demonstrated against cariogenic Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and commensal Streptococcus sanguinis. The combination of antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Thymus essential oil formulations may be useful for the treatment of oral cavity diseases.

Combination of argan oil and phospholipids for the development of an effective liposome-like formulation able to improve skin hydration and allantoin dermal delivery.

Allantoin is traditionally employed in the treatment of skin ulcers and hypertrophic scars. In the present work, to improve its local deposition in the skin and deeper tissues, allantoin was incorporated in conventional liposomes and in new argan oil enriched liposomes. In both cases, obtained vesicles were unilamellar, as confirmed by cryo-TEM observation, but the addition of argan oil allowed a slight increase of the mean diameter (∼130nm versus ∼85nm). The formulations, especially those containing argan oil, favoured the allantoin accumulation in the skin, in particular in the dermis (∼8.7µg/cm(2)), and its permeation through the skin (∼33µg/cm(2)). The performances of vesicles as skin delivery systems were compared with those obtained by water dispersion of allantoin and the commercial gel, Sameplast(®). Moreover, in this work, for the first time, the elastic and viscous moduli of the skin were measured, underlining the different hydrating/moisturizing effects of the formulations. The application of ARG liposomes seems to provide a softening and relaxing effect on the skin, thus facilitating the drug accumulation and passage into and trough it.

Pharmacokinetics of resveratrol metabolic profile in healthy humans after moderate consumption of red wine and grape extract tablets.

A pharmacokinetic study of the metabolic profile of resveratrol has been performed in healthy men after moderate red wine (RW) consumption. The bioavailability of resveratrol is highly influenced by several factors such as the food matrix and, therefore, this study has been compared with a pilot study in which men ingested grape extract (GE) tablets as a nutraceutical, containing similar total amounts of resveratrol than RW. Blood and urine samples were taken before and at several time points after intervention and then analyzed by SPE and LC-ESI-MS/MS. Up to 17 resveratrol and piceid derivatives were identified, including those formed by the intestinal microbiota. Resveratrol glucosides were found in plasma as intact forms and reached the lowest maximum concentrations 1h after both interventions. Higher plasma concentrations and longer times (t(max)) were observed for resveratrol glucuronides due to phase II metabolism and even higher values for conjugates derived from microbiota, such as dihydroresveratrol-glucuronides. The same trend was observed for total excreted amounts in urine samples. When both treatments were compared, statistically significant differences for some metabolites were obtained, which may be due to the different composition of resveratrol and piceid in both sources. However, GE formulation seems to delay resveratrol absorption, staying longer in the gut where could be metabolized to a greater degree, since 2.1-3.6-fold higher urinary concentrations of microbial metabolites were observed after GE intervention at 12-24h urinary fraction. Therefore, supplement intake could be also a way to bring resveratrol benefits to human health.

Effect of magnet implant on iron biodistribution of Fe@C nanoparticles in the mouse.

The in vivo biodistribution of Fe@C nanoparticles (NP) was tested in mice bearing an inflammatory focus induced by injecting carrageenan into an air pouch previously formed on their back. The animals were intravenously injected NP with a high (60 mg/kg) or a low iron dose (6 mg/kg) and sacrificed 2 h later. Blood and organ samples (liver, spleen, lung, and kidney) were obtained; washed exudates were also collected. Iron concentration in plasma, blood cells, organs, and exudates was determined by flameless atomic-absorption-spectroscopy after digestion of organic material. Pouch exudate volume increased in all groups of mice with experimental inflammation. After i.v. administration of the high and low dose of NP, iron in exudate increased by 83.3% and 92.2%, respectively. A similar increase in hepatic iron appeared after the high dose (78%), but no increase appeared after the low dose. When the magnet was present, a 157% and 119% increase of iron in exudate appeared after both doses of NPs, but only the high dose of NP increased iron liver (60%). The presence of a magnetic field in the pouch favored selective biodistribution of NP in the inflammatory focus. These results indicate that mice with an inflammatory compartment are suitable for primary screening of different NP types. They also show that selective biodistribution is greater when a low dose of NP was used and that distribution in the target organ was increased by the magnetic field.

Absorption and pharmacokinetics of green tea catechins in beagles.

The present study evaluates for the first time in dogs, the kinetics of green tea catechins and their metabolic forms in plasma and urine. Ten beagles were administered 173 mg (12.35 mg/kg body weight) of catechins as a green tea extract, in capsules. Blood samples were collected during 24 h after intake and urine samples were collected during the following periods of time: 0-2, 2-6, 6-8 and 8-24 h. Two catechins with a galloyl moiety and three conjugated metabolites were detected in plasma. Most of the detected forms in plasma reached their maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) at around 1 h. Median Cmax for ( - )-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), ( - )-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), ( - )-epigallocatechin glucuronide (EGC-glucuronide), ( - )-epicatechin glucuronide (EC-glucuronide), ( - )-epicatechin sulphate (EC-sulphate) were 0.3 (range 0.1-1.9), 0.1 (range 0-0.4), 0.8 (range 0.2-3.9), 0.2 (range 0.1-1.7) and 1 (range 0.3-3.4) micromol/l, respectively. The areas under the plasma concentration v. time curves (AUC0 --> 24) were 427 (range 102-1185) micromol/l x min for EGC-glucuronide, 112 (range 53-919) micromol/l x min for EC-sulphate, 71 (range 26-306) micromol/l x min for EGCG, 40 (range 12-258) micromol/l x min for EC-glucuronide and 14 (range 0.1-124) micromol/l x min for ECG. The values of mean residence time (MRT0 --> 24) were 5 (range 2-16), 2 (range 1-11), 10 (range 2-13), 3 (range 2-16) and 2.4 (range 1-18) h for EGCG, ECG, EGC-glucuronide, EC-glucuronide and EC-sulphate, respectively. In urine, catechins were present as conjugated forms, suggesting bile excretion of EGCG and ECG. Green tea catechins are absorbed following an oral administration and EGC-glucuronide is the metabolic form that remains in the organism for a longer period of time, suggesting that this compound could suffer an enterohepatic cycle.

Absorption and pharmacokinetics of grapefruit flavanones in beagles.

The present study evaluated the pharmacokinetics of three different grapefruit flavanone forms in dog plasma and demonstrated their absorption after an oral intake of a grapefruit extract; pharmacokinetic parameters of these forms were also determined. Ten healthy beagles were administered 70 mg citrus flavonoids as a grapefruit extract contained in capsules, while two additional dogs were used as controls and given an excipient. The grapefruit flavanone naringin, along with its metabolites naringenin and naringenin glucuronide, was detected in dog plasma. Blood samples were collected between 0 and 24 h after administration of the extract. Naringin reached its maximun plasma concentration at around 80 min, whereas naringenin and naringenin glucuronide reached their maximun plasma concentrations at around 20 and 30 min, respectively. Maximum plasma concentrations of naringin, naringenin and naringenin glucuronide (medians and ranges) were 0.24 (0.05-2.08), 0.021 (0.001-0.3) and 0.09 (0.034-0.12) micromol/l, respectively. The areas under the curves were 23.16 l (14.04-70.62) min x micromol/for nariningin, 1.78 (0.09-4.95) min x micromol/l for naringenin and 22.5 (2.74-99.23) min x micromol/l for naringenin glucuronide. The median and range values for mean residence time were 3.3 (1.5-9.3), 2.8 (0.8-11.2) and 8.0 (2.3-13.1) h for naringin, naringenin and naringenin glucuronide, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrate the absorption of grapefruit flavanones via the presence of their metabolites in plasma, thus making an important contribution to the field since the biological activities ascribed to these compounds rely on their specific forms of absorption.

Thermal hyperalgesia and light touch allodynia after intradermal Mycobacterium butyricum administration in rat.

We examined the time course (7 weeks) of thermal hyperalgesia and light touch allodynia in rats after intradermal administration of Mycobacterium butyricum. Nociceptive thresholds to heat and light touch were assessed. Paw edema and temperature, motor function, body weight, and propioception were also tested. Some rats developed arthritis (named AA rats) but others did not (named non-AA rats). Both groups were compared with healthy animals. Persistent hyperalgesia was found in both groups; in AA rats it appeared before clinical evidence of arthritis. Transient allodynia ocurred only after edema development and fell when edema decreased. Motor function was impaired only in AA rats. The results of this study demonstrate that hyperalgesia, but not allodynia, appeared after Mycobacterium butyricum in both groups, suggesting that changes in sensitivity were not merely the result of local hypersensitivity of the inflamed tissue, but may also be due to alterations in nociception in the central nervous system.