Aryl thiosemicarbazones: In vitro and immunomodulatory activities against L. amazonensis.

Leishmaniasis is an infection caused by different species of Leishmania genus. Currently, there is no vaccine available for Leishmania infections in humans and conventional treatments are limited due to side effects. Therefore, the development of new antileishmanial drugs is an urgent need. In present study, we evaluated the cytotoxicity in host cells, leishmanicidal activity and immunomodulatory potential of seven aryl thiosemicarbazones. Host cell cytotoxicity was determined in peritoneal macrophages of BALB/c mouse, antiparasitic activity was determined against promastigotes and amastigotes of WHOM/00LTB 0016 strain of L. amazonensis. Nitric oxide (NO) production, interleukin (IL)-12, IL-10 and TNF-alpha secretion were measured in the supernatant of uninfected and infected macrophage cultures. It was observed that aryl thiosemicarbazones presented in vitro antiparasitic activity against both extracellular and intracellular forms of L. amazonensis. However, unlike Amphotericin B, these compounds displayed low cytotoxicity towards host cells. In addition to observed antiparasitic activity, compounds exhibited modulatory properties in the secretion of cytokines and nitrite content from uninfected stimulated and L. amazonensis-infected macrophages. In conclusion, we demonstrated the in vitro antiparasitic activity against L. amazonensis for aryl thiosemicarbazones, which is possible achieved by Th1 cytokine profile modulation. These findings are potential useful for drug development against cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Synthesis, ADMET Prediction, and Antitumor Profile of Phenoxyhydrazine- 1,3-thiazoles Derivatives.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is one of the most important barriers to increasing life expectancy in all countries in the 21st century. Investigations of new anti-cancer drugs with low side effects are an urgent demand for medicinal chemists. Considering the known antitumor and immunomodulatory activity of thiazoles, this work presents the synthesis and antineoplastic activity of new thiazoles. METHODS: The 22 new compounds (2a-v) were synthesized from different thiosemicarbazones and 2-bromoacetophenone. The compounds were evaluated on: MOLT-4, HL-60, HL-60/MX1, MM1S, SKMEL-28, DU145, MCF-7, and T47d. RESULTS: Compound 2b induced cellular viability on MOLT-4 (37.1%), DU145 (41.5%), and HL- 60/MX1 (58.8%) cells. On MOLT-4 cells, compound 2b exhibited an IC50 of 8.03 µM, and against DU145 cells, an IC50 of 6.04µM. Besides, at IC50 and fold of IC50, 20% to 30% of dead cells were found, most due to necrosis/late apoptosis. Most compounds no showed cytotoxicity against fibroblast cells L929 at the concentrations tested. The compound did not alter the cell cycle of DU145 cells when compared to the negative control. Therefore, compound 2b stands out against DU145 and MOLT-4 cells. CONCLUSION: Our study reinforced the importance of 1,3-thiazoles nuclei in antitumor activity. In addition, derivative 2b stands out against DU145 and MOLT-4 cells and could be a starting point for developing new antineoplastic agents.

A Systematic Review of the Anti-inflammatory Effects of Gallium Compounds.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is an essential response provided by the immune system, ensuring the survival during microbial infection, tissue injury and other noxious conditions. However, prolonged inflammatory processes are often associated with severe side effects on health. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to provide the evidence in the literature of the preclinical and human anti-inflammatory activity of gallium compounds from 2000 to 2019 focused on elucidating the mechanisms involved in the inflammatory process. METHODS: Seven bibliographical databases were consulted (PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Springer, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost). The selection of appropriate publications and writing of this systematic review were based on the guidelines mentioned in the PRISMA statement. Moreover, the assessment of the methodological quality of the selected studies was also performed. RESULTS: From a total of 3018 studies, 16 studies were included in this paper based on our eligibility criteria, which showed promising and consistent results. CONCLUSION: Further research concerning specific inflammatory conditions is required.

Lipid Nanoparticles as a Skin Wound Healing Drug Delivery System: Discoveries and Advances.

Chronic wounds are a remarkable cause of morbidity, requiring long-time treatments with a significant impact on the quality of life and high costs for public health. Although there are a variety of topical skin preparations commercially available, they have several limitations that frequently impair wound healing, such as drug instability, toxicity, limited time of action and ineffective skin permeation. In recent years, researchers have focused on the development of new effective treatments for wound healing and shown frequent interest in nanometric drug delivery systems to overcome such obstacles. In dermatology, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have received great attention from researchers due to their great functionalities, greater adhesion to the skin and film formation, enabling the hydration and maintenance of skin integrity, as well as present a more effective penetration through the skin barrier. This review provides an update on topical formulations based on Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) as wound healing treatments. Both SLNs and NLCs are able to increase solubility and stability of active pharmaceutical ingredients and increase skin penetration compared to the free drugs. Additionally, SLNs and NLCs can increase pharmacological activity, increase the release profile of the drugs, promote synergistic effects and improve the sensory properties of the final formulation. Topical dosage forms containing nanoparticles have been extensively evaluated for wound healing activity, mainly the dressings, films and scaffolds. Therefore, lipid nanoparticles have contributed in improving wound healing therapies when incorporated into other dosage forms with better efficacy and lesser adverse effects than conventional formulations.