scholarly journals Design and Engineering of “Green” Nanoemulsions for Enhanced Topical Delivery of Bakuchiol Achieved in a Sustainable Manner: A Novel Eco-Friendly Approach to Bioretinol

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 10091
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Lewińska ◽  
Marta Domżał-Kędzia ◽  
Ewa Maciejczyk ◽  
Marcin Łukaszewicz ◽  
Urszula Bazylińska

In the present work, we establish novel “environmentally-friendly” oil-in-water nanoemulsions to enhance the transdermal delivery of bakuchiol, the so-called “bioretinol” obtained from powdered Psoralea corylifolia seeds via a sustainable process, i.e., using a supercritical fluid extraction approach with pure carbon dioxide (SC-CO2). According to Green Chemistry principles, five novel formulations were stabilized by “green” hybrid ionic surfactants such as coco-betaine—surfactin molecules obtained from coconut and fermented rapeseed meal. Preliminary optimization studies involving three dispersion stability tests, i.e., centrifugation, heating, and cooling cycles, indicated the most promising candidates for further physicochemical analysis. Finally, nanoemulsion colloidal characterization provided by scattering (dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering as well as backscattering), microscopic (transmission electron and confocal laser scanning microscopy), and spectroscopic (UV–Vis spectroscopy) methods revealed the most stable nanocarrier for transdermal biological investigation. In vitro, topical experiments provided on human skin cell line HaCaT keratinocytes and normal dermal NHDF fibroblasts indicated high cell viability upon treatment of the tested formulation with a final 0.02–0.2 mg/mL bakuchiol concentration. This excellent biocompatibility was confirmed by ex vivo and in vivo tests on animal and human skin tissue. The improved permeability and antiaging potential of the bakuchiol-encapsulated rich extract were observed, indicating that the obtained ecological nanoemulsions are competitive with commercial retinol formulations.

Author(s):  
M. H. Chestnut ◽  
C. E. Catrenich

Helicobacter pylori is a non-invasive, Gram-negative spiral bacterium first identified in 1983, and subsequently implicated in the pathogenesis of gastroduodenal disease including gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Cytotoxic activity, manifested by intracytoplasmic vacuolation of mammalian cells in vitro, was identified in 55% of H. pylori strains examined. The vacuoles increase in number and size during extended incubation, resulting in vacuolar and cellular degeneration after 24 h to 48 h. Vacuolation of gastric epithelial cells is also observed in vivo during infection by H. pylori. A high molecular weight, heat labile protein is believed to be responsible for vacuolation and to significantly contribute to the development of gastroduodenal disease in humans. The mechanism by which the cytotoxin exerts its effect is unknown, as is the intracellular origin of the vacuolar membrane and contents. Acridine orange is a membrane-permeant weak base that initially accumulates in low-pH compartments. We have used acridine orange accumulation in conjunction with confocal laser scanning microscopy of toxin-treated cells to begin probing the nature and origin of these vacuoles.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 5401-5414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Dimitrova ◽  
Isabelle Imbert ◽  
Marie Paule Kieny ◽  
Catherine Schuster

ABSTRACT Replication of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome has been proposed to take place close to the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum in membrane-associated replicase complexes, as is the case with several other plus-strand RNA viruses, such as poliovirus and flaviviruses. The most obvious benefits of this property are the possibility of coupling functions residing in different polypeptidic chains and the sequestration of viral proteins and nucleic acids in a distinct cytoplasmic compartment with high local concentrations of viral components. Indeed, HCV nonstructural (NS) proteins were clearly colocalized in association with membranes derived from the endoplasmic reticulum. This observation, together with the demonstration of the existence of several physical interactions between HCV NS proteins, supports the idea of assembly of a highly ordered multisubunit protein complex(es) probably involved in the replication of the viral genome. The objective of this study, therefore, was to examine all potential interactions between HCV NS proteins which could result in the formation of a replication complex(es). We identified several interacting viral partners by using a glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay, by in vitro and ex vivo coimmunoprecipitation experiments in adenovirus-infected Huh-7 cells allowing the expression of HCV NS proteins, and, finally, by using the yeast two-hybrid system. In addition, by confocal laser scanning microscopy, NS proteins were clearly shown to colocalize when expressed together in Huh-7 cells. We have been able to demonstrate the existence of a complex network of interactions implicating all six NS proteins. Our observations confirm previously described associations and identify several novel homo- and heterodimerizations.


Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Carette ◽  
M.W. Ferguson

Fusion of bilateral shelves, to form the definitive mammalian secondary palate, is critically dependent on removal of the medial edge cells that constitute the midline epithelial seam. Conflicting views suggest that programmed apoptotic death or epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of these cells is predominantly involved. Due in part to the potentially ambiguous interpretation of static images and the notable absence of fate mapping studies, the process by which this is achieved has, however, remained mechanistically equivocal. Using an in vitro mouse model, we have selectively labelled palatal epithelia with DiI and examined the fate of medial edge epithelial (MEE) cells during palatal fusion by localisation using a combination of conventional histology and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). In dynamic studies using CLSM, we have made repetitive observations of the same palatal cultures in time-course investigations. Our results concurred with the established morphological criteria of seam degeneration; however, they provided no evidence of MEE cell death or transformation. Instead we report that MEE cells migrate nasally and orally out of the seam and are recruited into, and constitute, epithelial triangles on both the oral and nasal aspects of the palate. Subsequently these cells become incorporated into the oral and nasal epithelia on the surface of the palate. We hypothesize an alternative method of seam degeneration in vivo which largely conserves the MEE population by recruiting it into the nasal and oral epithelia.


1993 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 1175-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Buchenau ◽  
H. Saumweber ◽  
D.J. Arndt-Jovin

The regulation of DNA topology by topoisomerase II from Drosophila melanogaster has been studied extensively by biochemical methods but little is known about its roles in vivo. We have performed experiments on the inhibition of topoisomerase II in living Drosophila blastoderm embryos. We show that the enzymatic activity can be specifically disrupted by microinjection of antitopoisomerase II antibodies as well as the epipodophyllotoxin VM26, a known inhibitor of topoisomerase II in vitro. By labeling the chromatin of live embryos with tetramethylrhodamine-coupled histones, the effects of inhibition on nuclear morphology and behaviour was followed in vivo using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Both the antibodies and the drug prevented or hindered the segregation of chromatin daughter sets at the anaphase stage of mitosis. In addition, high concentrations of inhibitor interfered with the condensation of chromatin and its proper arrangement into the metaphase plate. The observed effects yielded non-functional nuclei, which were drawn into the inner yolk mass of the embryo. Concurrently, undamaged nuclei surrounding the affected region underwent compensatory division, leading to the restoration of the nuclear population, and thereby demonstrating the regulative capacity of Drosophila blastoderm embryos.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2261
Author(s):  
Zuzanna Rzepka ◽  
Jakub Rok ◽  
Justyna Kowalska ◽  
Klaudia Banach ◽  
Justyna Magdalena Hermanowicz ◽  
...  

Cobalamin deficiency affects human physiology with sequelae ranging from mild fatigue to severe neuropsychiatric abnormalities. The cellular and molecular aspects of the nervous system disorders associated with hypovitaminosis B12 remain largely unknown. Growing evidence indicates that astrogliosis is an underlying component of a wide range of neuropathologies. Previously, we developed an in vitro model of cobalamin deficiency in normal human astrocytes (NHA) by culturing the cells with c-lactam of hydroxycobalamin (c-lactam OH-Cbl). We revealed a non-apoptotic activation of caspases (3/7, 8, 9) in cobalamin-deficient NHA, which may suggest astrogliosis. The aim of the current study was to experimentally verify this hypothesis. We indicated an increase in the cellular expression of two astrogliosis markers: glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin in cobalamin-deficient NHA using Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry with confocal laser scanning microscopy. In the next step of the study, we revealed c-lactam OH-Cbl as a potential non-toxic vitamin B12 antagonist in an in vivo model using zebrafish embryos. We believe that the presented results will contribute to a better understanding of the cellular mechanism underlying neurologic pathology due to cobalamin deficiency and will serve as a foundation for further studies.


Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Kimmel ◽  
Morgan V. DiLeo ◽  
Isabella E. Valenti ◽  
Gregory A. Gibson ◽  
Simon C. Watkins ◽  
...  

Sepsis is a serious medical condition characterized by systemic inflammation caused by infection, and affects more than 750,000 individuals per year in the US, with a mortality rate of approximately 30% [1]. The pathophysiology of sepsis is complex and not entirely understood, but is believed to be related to the dysfunction of multiple interdependent humoral mediator pathways, including redundant release of inflammatory cytokines [2]. Removal of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines from the circulating blood is believed to be a promising therapy for severe sepsis [3]. We are developing an extracorporeal hemoadsorption device to remove cytokines from the blood using a novel, biocompatible, sorbent bead technology. A simple model was developed to characterize cytokine adsorption within hemoadsorption beads [4]. Despite rapid clearance of cytokines with hemoadsorption in an ex vivo murine sepsis model [5], our model analysis predicted that only the outer 20μm of each sorbent bead (avg diam = 450μm) adsorbed cytokine. In this work, we used in vitro column capture experiments and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to examine cytokine adsorption dynamics within hemoadsorption beads.


2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 5331-5337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nianan He ◽  
Jian Hu ◽  
Huayong Liu ◽  
Tao Zhu ◽  
Beijian Huang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTTreating biofilm infections on implanted medical devices is formidable, even with extensive antibiotic therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ultrasound (US)-targeted microbubble (MB) destruction (UTMD) could enhance vancomycin activity againstStaphylococcus epidermidisRP62A biofilms. Twelve-hour biofilms were treated with vancomycin combined with UTMD. The vancomycin and MB (SonoVue) were used at concentrations of 100 μg/ml and 30% (vol/vol), respectively, in studiesin vitro. After US exposure (0.08 MHz, 1.0 W/cm2, 50% duty cycle, and 10-min duration), the biofilms were cultured at 37°C for another 12 h. The results showed that many micropores were found in biofilms treated with vancomycin combined with UTMD. Biofilm densities (A570values) and the viable counts ofS. epidermidisrecovered from the biofilm were significantly decreased compared with those of any other groups. Furthermore, the highest percentage of dead cells was found, using confocal laser scanning microscopy, in the biofilm treated with vancomycin combined with UTMD. The viable counts of bacteria in biofilms in anin vivorabbit model also confirmed the enhanced effect of vancomycin combined with UTMD. UTMD may have great potential for improving antibiotic activity against biofilm infections.


Fine Focus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-137
Author(s):  
Brandon M. Bauer ◽  
Lewis Rogers ◽  
Monique Macias ◽  
Gabriella Iacovetti ◽  
Alexander M. Woodrow ◽  
...  

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms are implicated in chronic infections. A key element of P. aeruginosapathogenicity is the formation of a biofilm, a community of bacteria encased in an exopolymeric substance (EPS) that shields the bacteria from the host immune response and antibiotic treatment. A crucial step in biofilm production is a switch in motility from freely swimming, planktonic bacteria to twitching movement and then to attached and sedentary bacteria that develop into a mature pillar-shaped biofilm. A mucoid biofilm produces an excess of alginate and is clinically the most pathogenic and the most resistant to antibiotics. Biofilms from patients exhibit a wide variety of structure, motility, and levels of attachment. In vitrobiofilms do not exhibit such a wide variety of structure and physiology. The difference between in vivo and in vitro biofilms has made the translation of in vitro studies into in vivo treatments difficult. Under different growth conditions in our lab, the P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 demonstrates two phenotypes: a non-mucoid and a mucoid-like phenotype. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) indicates the mucoid-like phenotype is intermediate in height to the non-mucoid phenotype and biofilms formed in a once-flow-through chamber. Both mucoid-like and non-mucoid phenotypes exhibit a significant increase in twitching between 24 and 72 hours of development. The mucoid-like phenotype had greater attachment at 72 hours compared to non-mucoid phenotype. Therefore, the two phenotypes observed in our lab may represent the effect of environment to stimulate development of two types of biofilms by PAO1.


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