RESUMO
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a gastrointestinal disorder, affecting about several million people worldwide. Current treatments fail to adequately control some clinical symptoms in IBD patients, which can adversely impact the patient's quality of life. Hence, the development of new treatments for IBD is needed. Due to their unique properties such as biocompatibility and sustained release of a drug, biomaterials-based drug delivery systems can be regarded as promising candidates for IBD treatment. It is noteworthy that considering the pathophysiological changes occurred in the gastrointestinal tract of IBD patients, especially changes in pH, surface charge, the concentration of reactive oxygen species, and the expression of some biomolecules at the inflamed colon, can help in the rational design of biomaterials-based drug delivery systems for efficient management of IBD. Here, we discuss about targeting these pathophysiological changes using biomaterials-based drug delivery systems, which can provide important clues to establish a strategic roadmap for future studies.
RESUMO
Streptococcal pharyngitis is mainly caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS), which if left untreated can lead to rheumatic heart disease. The accurate diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis is a challenge for clinicians because several symptoms of streptococcal pharyngitis are similar to viral pharyngitis. There are some commercially available biosensors for the rapid diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis. Nevertheless, they are not widely used by physicians, mainly because of their high price and dependence on the instrument. Serotype M1 GAS is the most prevalent cause of streptococcal pharyngitis and binds to H-1 antigen, a sugar code found on oral epithelial cells. Here, we present a nanobiosensor based on aggregation of H-1 antigen-conjugated gold nanoparticles for the rapid, qualitative, and quantitative detection of M1 GAS, which is inspired by the sugar code-lectin interaction. It is noteworthy that M1 GAS was detected in a wide concentration range (1 × 103-1×106 CFU/ml) with a linear response and a short detection time of 20 min. Good reproducibility, easy-to-use, and relatively low production cost are among other attractive features of this nanobiosensor. This work provides a strategic roadmap for developing a new generation of biosensors via targeting the sugar code-lectin interaction in future studies.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Currently, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most ubiquitous problems in clinical practice. An antacid-alginate combination (under the trade name Gaviscon) is a natural-based product that effectively suppresses GERD. This product acts via the formation of viscous gel that floats on the top of the gastric content. On the other hand, efficient management of Helicobacter pylori infection with minimal side effects is an important goal for gastroenterologists. Furthermore, some H. pylori-positive patients suffer from GERD. METHODS: Here, we present the results of investigations on alginate conjugated to sugar codes in order to find initial clues regarding the potential ability of this conjugate in the simultaneous prophylaxis of GERD and H. pylori infection in an in vitro assay. RESULTS: It is noteworthy that our results reveal that sugar codes conjugated alginate considerably decrease (approximately 74%) the adhesion of H. pylori to gastric epithelial cells in vitro. Moreover, surprisingly after conjugation of sugar codes, alginate can maintain its ability to create gel. Our results demonstrate that alginate conjugated to sugar codes is not cytotoxic. CONCLUSION: The preparation of these conjugates can be regarded as the first step to establish a new roadmap for the simultaneous prevention of GERD and H. pylori infection in future studies on in vivo models.
