Enhancing oral bioavailability of an antifungal thiazolylhydrazone derivative: Development and characterization of a self-emulsifying drug delivery system.

RN104 (2-[2-(cyclohexylmethylene)hydrazinyl)]-4-phenylthiazole) is a thiazolylhydrazone derivative with prominent antifungal activity. This work aimed to develop a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) loaded with RN104 to improve its biopharmaceutical properties and enhance its oral bioavailability. Medium chain triglycerides, sorbitan monooleate, and polysorbate 80 were selected as components for the SEDDS formulation based on solubility determination and a pseudo-ternary phase diagram. The formulation was optimized using the central composite design in response surface methodology. The optimized condition consisted of medium chain triglycerides, sorbitan monooleate, and polysorbate 80 in a mass ratio of 65.5:23.0:11.5, achieving maximum drug loading (10 mg/mL) and minimum particle size (118.4 ± 0.7 nm). The developed RN104-SEDDS was fully characterized using dynamic light scattering, in vitro release studies, stability assessments, polarized light microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in mice demonstrated that RN104-SEDDS significantly improved oral bioavailability compared to free RN104 (the relative bioavailability was 2133 %). These results clearly indicated the successful application of SEDDS to improve the pharmacokinetic profile and to enhance the oral bioavailability of RN104, substantiating its potential as a promising antifungal drug candidate.

Synthesis of cannabidiol-based compounds as ACE2 inhibitors with potential application in the treatment of COVID-19.

Cannabis is a general name for plants of the genus Cannabis. Used as fiber, medicine, drug, for religious, therapeutic, and hedonistic purposes along the millenia, it is mostly known for its psychoactive properties. One of its major constituents, cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive substance, among many other biological activities, has shown potential as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug. In this work, three derivatives and an analogue of CBD were synthesized, and cell viability and antiviral activities were evaluated. None of the compounds showed cytotoxicity up to a maximum concentration of 100 µM and, in contrast, displayed a significant antiviral activity, superior to remdesivir and nafamostat mesylate, with IC50 values ranging from 9.4 to 1.9 µM. In order to search for a possible molecular target, the inhibitory activity of the compounds against ACE2 was investigated, with expressive results (IC50 ranging from 3.96 µM to 0.01 µM).

Antivirulence activity and in vivo efficacy of a thiazole derivative against candidiasis.

Candida albicans is a pathogen equipped with a variety of commensal and virulence traits that help it colonize the microbiota and invade host tissue during infection. In this study, we investigated the potential anticandidal activity of 3-[2-(4-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiazol-2-yl)hydrazino)]butan-1-ol (MT), a thiazolylhydrazone compound synthesized by our group, and identified it as a promising antifungal agent. The activity of MT was evaluated in vitro and in vivo against C. albicans as well as its ability to inhibit virulence factors. For this, the ability of MT to inhibit the adhesion of C. albicans to human buccal epithelial cells and biofilm formation and filamentation was tested. In addition, the potential in vivo activity of MT was evaluated in murine models of oral candidiasis. Our results confirmed the antifungal activity of MT, with a minimal inhibitory concentration range of 0.5-2 µg/mL. Indeed, MT treatment in vitro decreased the expression of C. albicans genes involved in biofilm formation and morphogenesis and encoding hydrolytic enzymes, which was also confirmed through phenotypic observations. In addition, MT promoted a decrease in the colony forming units recovered from the tongues of mice with oral candidiasis. In this work, we present a potent antivirulence compound that shows potential for candidiasis therapy, especially for topical use.

Electrochemical evidence of nitrate release from the nitrooxy compound 4-((nitrooxy) methyl)-3-nitrobenzoic acid and its antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities in mice.

Considering the many biological activities of nitric oxide (NO), some lines of research focused on the modulation of these activities through the provision of this mediator by designing and synthesizing compounds coupled with an NO donor group. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to carry out an electrochemical investigation of the nitrooxy compound 4-((nitrooxy) methyl)-3-nitrobenzoic acid (1) and evaluate its activities and putative mechanisms in experimental models of pain and inflammation. Voltammetric studies performed in aprotic medium (mimetic of membranes) showed important electrochemical reduction mechanisms: nitroaromatic reduction, self-protonation, and finally reductive elimination, which leads to nitrate release. Systemic administration of the nitrooxy compound (1) inhibited the nociceptive response induced by heat and the tactile hypersensitivity and paw edema induced by carrageenan in mice. The activities in the models of inflammatory pain and edema were associated with reduced neutrophil recruitment and production of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and CXCL-1, and increased production of IL-10. Concluding, electrochemical analysis revealed unequivocally that electron transfer at the nitro group of the nitrooxy compound (1) results in the cleavage of the organic nitrate, potentially resulting in the generation of NO. This electrochemical mechanism may be compared to a biochemical electron-transfer mediated nitrate release that, by appropriate in vivo bioreduction (enzymatic or not) would lead to NO production. Compound (1) exhibits activities in models of inflammatory pain and edema that may be due to reduced recruitment of neutrophils and production of inflammatory cytokines and increased production of IL-10. These results reinforce the interest in the investigation of NO donor compounds as candidates for analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs.

In vitro and in silico studies of antioxidant activity of 2-thiazolylhydrazone derivatives.

The antioxidant potential of a series of thiazolylhydrazone derivatives was investigated using three different methods namely DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. In general, the tested compounds showed higher or comparable activity to that of curcumin, used as positive control. Chemometric analyses demonstrated that the presence of hydrazone moiety is required for the activity of this class of compounds. From these results, compound 4 was identified as the most promising molecule and was then selected for further studies. The antiproliferative effect of compound 4 was evaluated, being active in three (T47D, MDA-MB-231 and SKMEL) of the six cancer cell lines tested, with IC50 values ranging from 15.9 to 31.3 µM. Compound 4 exhibited no detectable cytotoxic effect on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) when tested at a concentration of 100 µM, demonstrating good selectivity. From these results, it is possible to infer that there is a correlation between antioxidant capacity and anticancer effects.

Assessment of anti-diabetic activity of a novel hydrazine-thiazole derivative: in vitro and in vivo method

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease resulting in oxidative stress that promotes tissue damage. The appearance of this disease is highly related to lifestyle and food of the population, being of great interest to search for a dietary supplement that can also act by reducing oxidative alterations. Based on the broad range of biological activity of thiazole derivatives, this work aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity of a novel hydrazine-thiazole derivative and studies in vivo. In in vivo experiments, the liver extracts of healthy and diabetic Wistar rats were used, with analysis to determine the enzymatic activity of SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR, and determination of lipid peroxidation. Finally, in the blood of these animals, biochemical parameters were evaluated. Statistical evidence of changes caused in liver enzymes and liquid peroxidation was not detected; however, these parameters were also not changed between control groups with and without diabetes. On the other hand, concerning biochemical parameters, significant differences were detected in uric acid, alkaline phosphatase, ALT, and urea, indicating a possible antioxidant protective role of such substances in the liver and kidney of diabetic animals that could be acting by means other than that commonly reported in the literature.

Ortho-nitrobenzyl derivatives as potential anti-schistosomal agents

ABSTRACT In the search for new anti-schistosomal agents, a series of fifteen ortho-nitrobenzyl derivatives was assayed in vitro against both the schistosomulum (somule) and adult forms of Schistosoma mansoni. Compounds 8 and 12 showed significant activity against somules at low micromolar concentrations, but none was active against adults. The SAR demonstrated that the compounds most active against the parasite were mutagenic to the human cell line RKO-AS45-1 only at concentrations 10- to 40-fold higher than the worm-killing dose. Given their electrophilicity, compounds were also screened as inhibitors of the S. mansoni cysteine protease (cathepsin B1) in vitro. Amides 5 and 15 exhibited a modest inhibition activity with values of 55.7 and 50.6 % at 100 µM, respectively. The nitrobenzyl compounds evaluated in this work can be regarded as hits in the search for more active and safe anti-schistosomal agents.

Heterocycle Thiazole Compounds Exhibit Antifungal Activity through Increase in the Production of Reactive Oxygen Species in the Cryptococcus neoformans-Cryptococcus gattii Species Complex.

Human cryptococcosis can occur as a primary or opportunistic infection and develops as an acute, subacute, or chronic systemic infection involving different organs of the host. Given the limited therapeutic options and the occasional resistance to fluconazole, there is a need to develop novel drugs for the treatment of cryptococcosis. In this report, we describe promising thiazole compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 and explore their possible modes of action against Cryptococcus To this end, we show evidence of interference in the Cryptococcus antioxidant system. The tested compounds exhibited MICs ranging from 0.25 to 2 µg/ml against Cryptococcus neoformans strains H99 and KN99α. Interestingly, the knockout strains for Cu oxidase and sarcosine oxidase were resistant to thiazoles. MIC values of thiazole compounds 1, 2, and 4 against these mutants were higher than for the parental strain. After the treatment of C. neoformans ATCC 24067 (or C. deneoformans) and C. gattii strain L27/01 (or C. deuterogattii) with thiazoles, we verified an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Also, we verified the synergistic interactions among thiazoles and menadione, which generates superoxides, with fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICs) equal to 0.1874, 0.3024, 0.25, and 0.25 for the thiazole compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. In addition, thiazoles exhibited antagonistic interactions with parasulphonatephenyl porphyrinato ferrate III (FeTPPS). Thus, in this work, we showed that the action of these thiazoles is related to an interference with the antioxidant system. These findings suggest that oxidative stress may be primarily related to the accumulation of superoxide radicals.

Synthesis and evaluation of platinum complexes with potential antitumor activity

Abstract A novel series of platinum (II) complexes was synthesized and the complexes were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against four human cancer cells lines. Five platinum complexes showed activity against at least one tumor cell line. Complexes 3 and 6 were promising, being active, at micromolar concentrations, against all the assayed tumor cell lines. Compound 3 was selected for further studies in mice with Ehrlich solid tumors and it was able to reduce the rate of tumor growth significantly during the first seven days. However, at the end of the experiments, there was no significant difference between the group of animals treated with 3 and the control group. The low solubility of the compound in the assay conditions can explain, at least in part, these results.

Synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of thiosemicarbazones and their thiazole derivatives

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to synthesize a series of thiosemicarbazones and their thiazole derivatives, to investigate their cytotoxic activity against three human cancers and normal (Vero cells) cell lines, and to evaluate the pro-apoptotic potential of the most active compounds. Materials and Methods: The thiosemicarbazones were obtained by reacting an aromatic aldehyde with thiosemicarbazide (yield 71-96%), which were subjected to a cyclization with α-bromoacetophenone to yield the required thiazole heterocycles (yield 63-100%). All the synthesized compounds were screened at 50 µM concentration against three cell lines representing HL60 (promyelocytic leukemia), Jurkat (acute lymphoblastic leukemia), and MCF-7 (breast cancer). The pro-apoptotic effect was measured by flow cytometry as the percentage of cells with hypodiploid DNA. Results: Three thiazole compounds showed activity against at least one tumor cell line (IC50 = 43-76 µM) and low cytotoxicity against Vero cells (IC50 > 100 M). The most active compound of this series induced 91% and 51% DNA fragmentation in HL60 and MCF-7 cell lines, respectively, suggesting that this compound triggered apoptosis in these cells. Conclusion: Among the synthesized compounds, one in particular was found to exert antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity on tumor cells and can be considered promising as a lead molecule for the design of new analogues with improved activity.

RESUMO O estudo teve como objetivo a síntese de uma série de tiossemicarbazonas e seus derivados tiazólicos e a avaliação da atividade citotóxica contra três linhagens de células tumorais humanas e células normais (Vero), a fim de se avaliar o potencial pró-apoptótico dos compostos mais ativos. As tiossemicarbazonas foram obtidas por reação entre um aldeído aromático e tiossemicarbazida (rend. 71-96%), as quais foram submetidas à ciclização com α-bromoacetofenona, fornecendo os heterociclos tiazólicos desejados (rend. 63-100%). Todos os compostos sintetizados foram testados na concentração de 50 µM contra três linhagens de células tumorais: HL60 (leucemia promielocítica), Jurkat (leucemia linfoblástica aguda) e MCF-7 (câncer de mama). O efeito pró-apoptótico foi avaliado por citometria de fluxo como porcentagem de células com DNA hipodiplóide. Três compostos tiazólicos foram ativos contra, pelo menos, uma linhagem tumoral (CI50=43-76 µM), com baixa citotoxicidade contra células Vero (CI50 > 100 M). O composto mais ativo dessa série induziu fragmentação do DNA de 91% e 51% nas linhagens HL60 e MCF-7, respectivamente, sugerindo que este composto ativou a apoptose nessas células. Dentre os compostos sintetizados, um em particular apresentou atividade antiproliferativa e pró-apoptótica em células tumorais e pode ser considerado composto protótipo promissor na busca por novos análogos com atividade melhorada.

The activity of a metronidazole analogue and its β-cyclodextrin complex against Trypanosoma cruzi

In this study we prepared an inclusion complex between an iodide analogue of metronidazole (MTZ-I) and cyclodextrin (CD) to develop a safer and more effective method of treating Trypanosoma cruzi infections. According to our results, MTZ-I and MTZ-I:β-CD were 10 times more active than MTZ, demonstrating that the presence of an iodine atom on the side chain increased the trypanocidal activity while maintaining its cytotoxicity. The selective index shows that MTZ-I was 10 times more active against T. cruzi than it was against mammalian cells. The modification of MTZ side chains provides a promising avenue for the development of new drugs.

The activity of a metronidazole analogue and its ß-cyclodextrin complex against Trypanosoma cruzi.

In this study we prepared an inclusion complex between an iodide analogue of metronidazole (MTZ-I) and cyclodextrin (CD) to develop a safer and more effective method of treating Trypanosoma cruzi infections. According to our results, MTZ-I and MTZ-I:ß-CD were 10 times more active than MTZ, demonstrating that the presence of an iodine atom on the side chain increased the trypanocidal activity while maintaining its cytotoxicity. The selective index shows that MTZ-I was 10 times more active against T. cruzi than it was against mammalian cells. The modification of MTZ side chains provides a promising avenue for the development of new drugs.

Oxcarbazepine: validation and application of an analytical method

Oxcarbazepine (OXC) is an important anticonvulsant and mood stabilizing drug. A pharmacopoeial monograph for OXC is not yet available and therefore the development and validation of a new analytical method for quantification of this drug is essential. In the present study, a UV spectrophotometric method for the determination of OXC was developed. The various parameters, such as linearity, precision, accuracy and specificity, were studied according to International Conference on Harmonization Guidelines. Batches of 150 mg OXC capsules were prepared and analyzed using the validated UV method. The formulations were also evaluated for parameters including drug-excipient compatibility, flowability, uniformity of weight, disintegration time, assay, uniformity of content and the amount of drug dissolved during the first hour.

Oxcarbazepina (OXC) é um fármaco anticonvulsivante e estabilizante do humor. O desenvolvimento e validação de método analítico para quantificação da OXC são de fundamental importância devido à ausência de monografias farmacopéicas oficiais para esse fármaco. Nesse trabalho, um método espectrofotométrico UV para determinação da OXC foi desenvolvido. O método proposto foi validado seguindo os parâmetros de linearidade, precisão, exatidão e especificidade de acordo com as normas da Conferência Internacional de Harmonização. Cápsulas de OXC 150 mg foram preparadas e analisadas utilizando-se o método analítico validado. As formulações foram avaliadas com relação à compatibilidade fármaco-excipientes, fluidez, determinação de peso, tempo de desintegração, doseamento, uniformidade de conteúdo e quantidade do fármaco dissolvido após 60 minutos.

Endovascular elective treatment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm versus conventional open repair: a comparative study

O tratamento eletivo do aneurisma de aorta abdominal é recomendado pela alta morbiletalidade decorrente da eventual ruptura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar o reparo endovascular eletivo com a cirurgia aberta e avaliar as mortalidades hospitalar e perioperatória, em 1 ano, por todas as causas e relacionadas ao aneurisma, a permanência hospitalar, as complicações, as taxas de sobrevida, conversão e reintervenção, a durabilidade do enxerto, o custo-benefício e a relação desses dados com o treinamento da equipe médica responsável pelo tratamento. Realizou-se uma revisão da literatura sobre reparo endovascular versus cirurgia convencional. Foram observados vantagem na sobrevivência perioperatória e menor estresse pós-cirúrgico; no entanto, os benefícios iniciais são perdidos por complicações e reintervenções tardias. Trabalhos baseados nas primeiras gerações de endopróteses superestimam as taxas de mortalidade em curto prazo, complicações e reintervenções. A durabilidade do enxerto, a real vantagem na sobrevida e o custo-benefício são incertos, e outros estudos são necessários para o seguimento em longo prazo.

The elective treatment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm is recommended due to the high morbidity and mortality of a possible rupture. The objective of this study was to compare the elective endovascular aneurysm repair with open repair and to analyze the in-hospital and perioperative mortality rate during 1 year related to all causes and to the aneurysm, as well as the postoperative length of hospital stay, complications, survival rates, conversion and reintervention, graft durability, cost-benefit ratio, and relation with the medical team's experience. A review of the scientific literature about endovascular versus open repair was carried out. We found a higher rate of perioperative survival and less postoperative stress; nevertheless, the initial benefits were lost due to late complications and reinterventions. First-generation endografts overestimated the early results of mortality rates, complications, and reinterventions. Endograft durability, real advantage of survival rates, and cost-benefits are uncertain and further long-term follow-up studies are necessary.

Atendimento extra-hospitalar a alcoolistas em um municipio do interior paulista

Este trabalho tem por finalidade conhecer as formas de atendimento ao alcoolista em servicos extra-hospitalares de saude mental do municipio de Botucatu, sao eles: Ambulatorio de Psiquiatria e Centro de Saude Escola, ambos da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Estadual Paulista e Ambulatorio de Saude Mental do Nucleo de Gestao Assistencial (NGA-11). Para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho foi realizado levantamento bibliografico, apresentado na introducao. Foram entrevistados quatro profissionais que atuam nesta assistencia. Os dados obtidos foram relacionados com a literatura da area que permitiu conhecer as principais caracteristicas do atendimento ao alcoolista nos tres servicos consultados, como por exemplo: atendimento grupal, atendimento a familia e o tipo de contrato terapeutico existente.