RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: it is now known that curcumin (Cur) has a broad range of biological properties; however, photosensitivity, as well as low bioavailability and short half-life, have limited its clinical application. To overcome these problems the synthesis of poly(ε-caprolactone)-Tween 80 (PCL-T) copolymers was performed. METHODS: the copolymers of PCL-T were created using the solvent evaporation/extraction technique. Then Cur was loaded in PCL-T micelles (PCL-T-M) by a self-assembly method. The characterization of copolymer and micelles was assessed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HNMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods. The MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay was used to indicate the cytotoxicity of the free Cur, PCL-T-M, and Cur-loaded PCL-T-M. RESULTS: TEM analysis showed monodispersed and spherical shapes with a size of about 90 nm. Cur was released from PCL-T-M at pH 7.4 (45%) and 5.5 (90%) during 6 days. After 24 and 48 h, the IC50 of the free Cur, PCL-T-M, and Cur-loaded PCL-T-M on MCF-7 cells were 80.86 and 54.45 µg mL-1, 278.30 and 236.19 µg mL-1, 45.47 and 19.05 µg mL-1, respectively. CONCLUSION: this study showed that, in the same concentration, the effectiveness of the Cur-loaded PCL-T-M is more than the free Cur, and the nano-system has been able to overcome delivery obstacles of Cur drug. Thus, PCL-T-M can be a candidate as a drug carrier for the delivery of Cur and future therapeutic investigations on breast cancer.
RESUMEN
AIM: This study estimated the GDP share of pharmaceuticals in Iran based on the drivers of pharmaceutical expenditure and compared it with that of 31 members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). SUBJECT AND METHODS: The factors contributing to pharmaceutical expenditure were identified through literature review and studied by 8 experts to classify the factors. Then, using the panel data method, a model was built to estimate the GDP share of pharmaceutical expenditure based on the extracted factors of the selected countries in Iran's model. To explain the observed differences, several regression analyses were performed based on cross-sectional data. The analyses were performed using EVIEWS software, version 10. RESULTS: The explanatory variables for the selected countries in the panel model (R2 = 0.98) were specified. Government health expenditure (ß = 0.1432), the share of generic drugs (ß = - 0.0143), gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (ß = - 0.0058) and the rate of disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) (ß = 0.0028) contributed most to pharmaceutical expenditure. In comparison, in the Iranian estimation model (R2 = 0.84), government health expenditure (ß = 0.0536) and the share of generic drugs (ß = 0.0369) had a significant impact on pharmaceutical expenditure. In the estimation model with more estimators for Iran (R2 = 0.99), government health expenditure (ß = 0.1694), disease prevalence (ß = 0.0537), the share of generic drugs (ß = 0.0102), the DALY rate (ß = 0.0039), GDP per capita (ß = - 0.0033), and the drug price index (ß = 0.0007) contribute most to pharmaceutical expenditure. CONCLUSION: In the models of the study, factors related to the structure of the healthcare system and the pharmaceutical system contributed most to pharmaceutical expenditure as a share of GDP. Moreover, disease profiles show its predictive role in the second model for Iran.
