Current Drug Delivery - Volume 4, Issue 3, 2007

One of the possible sites of action of the analgesic effect of morphine is the Nucleus Raphe Magnus, as morphine injected into this structure induces analgesia in transient pain models. In order to test if morphine in the Nucleus Raphe Magnus is also analgesic in a tonic pain model, 5 μg of morphine or saline (control) were microinjected into the Nucleus Raphe Magnus of the rat. Analgesic effects were assessed following no Read More

The present study was aimed at developing a sustained release formulation of Nimodipine (NIM) nanoparticles using the biodegradable polymers, poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA 50:50 and 85:15) as carrier. NIM is a widely used calcium channel blocker which has to be administered as an intravenous infusion for a prolonged period of 1-2 weeks in the treatment of cerebral vasospasm. A sustained release biodegradable for Read More

Chronic wounds display aberrant wound healing or wound healing that deviates from normal. The term ‘chronic wounds’, implies that these wounds do not heal in a timely fashion. They are often predisposed to infection, and not uncommonly result in amputation. Growth factors and cytokines play a pivotal role in cutaneous wound healing. It has been noted that some growth factors are deficient in chronic wounds, therefore it Read More

Six new 1-alkylazacycloalkan-2-one esters of ketorolac (1-6) were synthesized and evaluated as potential dermal prodrugs. In vitro experiments were carried out to evaluate their chemical and enzymatic stability and permeation through excised human skin. Furthermore, partition coefficients n-octanol-water of ketorolac and its esters were determined to obtain information about their lipophilicity. Esters 1-6 showed increased li Read More

Mitochondrion, the energy generating organelle of the cell, is a subject of interest for selective targeting of therapeutic molecules, both Drugs and DNA, since it is found to be involved in numerous disorders like diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cancer etc. Mitochondrial therapy can be made possible if the bioactive molecule is selectively delivered to the mitochondria of correct cell type, using cell specific ligands and mi Read More

In this review we explore and integrate the knowledge of the plausible pharmacological targets that could explain the new application for the well known semi-synthetic, tetracycline-derivate minocycline as a cytoprotective drug. In doing so, we will analyze the possible mechanisms to elucidate the potential cytoprotective properties of minocycline. We address its anti-oxidant action ranging from its structure to its capacity to mo Read More

Bioresorbable polymers offer the potential to deliver biologically active agents that selectively modulate wound healing in bone and periodontal regeneration. This preliminary study characterizes early wound healing in calvarial defects grafted with demineralized bone matrix (DBM) overlaid with membranes made from a novel class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-derived poly(anhydride-esters). These polym Read More

The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate the physico-chemical properties of nimesulide precipitated by continuous supercritical antisolvent (SAS) from different organic solvents like acetone, chloroform and dichloromethane at 40°C and 80, 85 and 88 bar, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-Ray diffractometry and in vitro dissolution tests were employed to stu Read More

Metformin microspheres with sodium alginate alone and in combination with gellan were prepared using an emulsion-cross linking method. The prepared microspheres were evaluated for their physico-chemical characteristics like particle size, morphology using SEM, incorporation efficiency, equilibrium water content (swelling) and in vitro drug release. The effect of various formulation variables like polymer concentration (so Read More