Percorrer por autor "Veiga, Francisco"
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- Bee Venom-Loaded Niosomes as Innovative Platforms for Cancer Treatment: Development and Therapeutical Efficacy and Safety EvaluationPublication . Pinto, Maria Beatriz; Pires, Patrícia C.; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Silva, Ana Rita; Sousa, Maria João; Vilas-Boas, Miguel; Falcão, Soraia; Veiga, Francisco; Makvandi, Pooyan; Paiva-Santos, Ana CláudiaDespite past efforts towards therapeutical innovation, cancer remains a highly incident and lethal disease, with current treatments lacking efficiency and leading to severe side effects. Hence, it is imperative to develop new, more efficient, and safer therapies. Bee venom has proven to have multiple and synergistic bioactivities, including antitumor effects. Nevertheless, some toxic effects have been associated with its administration. To tackle these issues, in this work, bee venom-loaded niosomes were developed, for cancer treatment. The vesicles had a small (150 nm) and homogeneous (polydispersity index of 0.162) particle size, and revealed good therapeutic efficacy in in vitro gastric, colorectal, breast, lung, and cervical cancer models (inhibitory concentrations between 12.37 ng/mL and 14.72 ng/mL). Additionally, they also revealed substantial anti-inflammatory activity (inhibitory concentration of 28.98 ng/mL), effects complementary to direct antitumor activity. Niosome safety was also assessed, both in vitro (skin, liver, and kidney cells) and ex vivo (hen’s egg chorioallantoic membrane), and results showed that compound encapsulation increased its safety. Hence, small, and homogeneous bee venom-loaded niosomes were successfully developed, with substantial anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects, making them potentially promising primary or adjuvant cancer therapies. Future research should focus on evaluating the potential of the developed platform in in vivo models.
- Propolis-Loaded Niosomes for Dermopharmaceutic and Cosmetic Applications: Development, Stability, Safety, and In Vitro Bioactivity StudiesPublication . Pinto, Maria Beatriz; Pires, Patrícia C.; Correia, Mafalda; Moço, Gabriela; Sousa-Oliveira, Inês; Sousa, Maria João; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Vilas-Boas, Miguel; Falcão, Soraia; Mazzola, Priscila Gava; Veiga, Francisco; Paiva-Santos, Ana CláudiaPropolis, produced by Apis melliferabees, is composed of several biologically relevant phenolic compounds with known analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, wound healing, and antibacterial effects, having gained significant interest for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. Niosomes, self-assembled vesicular nanosystems, are highly researched for topical delivery due to providing controlled and sustained release, protecting encapsulated compounds from degradation, improving stability, and having good biocompatibility and biodegradability. This work aimed to develop novel propolis-loaded niosomes with small and homogeneous particle size, high encapsulation efficiency, controlled release, adequate stability, relevant bioactivity, and high safety for topical application, for therapeutic and/or cosmetic purposes. Aided by quality by design (QbD) analysis, niosomes containing Tween 20, Kolliphor RH 40, cetyl alcohol, and/or cholesterol were produced by thin-film hydration followed by extrusion, with small particle size (between 100 and 200 nm), homogeneous distribution (PDI below 0.2), relevant zeta-potential (around -38 mV), good stability both under refrigeration and at room temperature, high encapsulation efficiency (ranging from 78.8 to 87.4%), and a controlled release profile, relevant to ensure prolonged bioactivity at the application site. Adequate concentration-dependent in vitro safety in keratinocytes and fibroblasts (up to 12.5 or 25 mu g/mL) was demonstrated as well, with some niosomal formulations also showing a low irritative potential in a HET-CAM test, and relevant in vitro anti-inflammatory potential (IC50 from 14.90 to 17.89 ng/mL). These novel nanoplatforms, containing a nature-derived hydrophobic compound with various relevant bioactivities, could serve as versatile and advantageous formulations in both pharmaceutical and cosmetic contexts of application.