Elevated levels of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) correlate with increased risk of cardiovascular and Alzheimer diseases. We studied the effect of elevated Hcy on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to explore the possibility of a vascular link between the 2 diseases. On a hyperhomocysteinemic diet, cystathionine beta-synthase (Cbs)– heterozygous mice develop hyperhomocysteinemia. Intravital microscopy an...

objective(s):drug delivery through the skin can transfer therapeutic levels of drugs for pharmacological effects. analgesics such as nsaids have gastrointestinal side effects and topical dosage forms of these drugs are mainly preferred, especially for local pains. meloxicam is one of nsaids with no topical form in the market. in this research, we attempted to quantify the skin permeation of a m...

The recently identified mouse connexin39 (mCx39) gene encodes a peptide of 364 amino acids that shows only 61% sequence similarity to its putative human orthologue connexin40.1 (hCx40.1). The coding regions of mCx39 and hCx40.1 are located on two different exons as described for murine and human connexin36. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses revealed that mCx39 is expressed after embryonic day (...

HAIRCARECUBE (HCC) is a new additive for hair products that allows the active ingredient to penetrate into the hair. During the course of percutaneous absorption studies, we discovered that lyotropic liquid crystal promotes the skin’s absorptiveness to medicines. We conducted a study to determine whether or not lyotropic liquid crystal could be applied as a penetration-enhancing agent in hair, ...

A double-layer chemo-chip for the characterization of liquid analytes by rapid fluorimetric imaging is described. The chemo-chip consists of an array of polymeric micro-spots prepared on a glass slide. Each spot is composed of a thin indicator layer made of PVA doped with an immobilized fluorescence dye and a top layer polymer spot with different permeation properties. The analytes can be diffe...

Permeation tubes are convenient analyte sources for generating standard gas mixtures (containing, in particular, volatile organic compounds) used in the calibration of analytical instruments. For small permeation rates, corresponding to trace levels of analytes, the calibration of permeation tubes is time-consuming. The use of thermogravimetry as a means to measure rapidly the weight loss at co...

objective (s): transdermal preparations for testosterone are becoming popular because of their unique advantages such as avoidance of first-pass effect, convenience, improved bioavailability, and reduction of systemic side effects. a novel testosterone transdermal delivery system (tdds) was developed using a palm oil base called hamintm (a commercial product) and tested using in vitro and in vi...

Presently, most nanofiltration membranes are prepared with non-biodegradable petrochemical materials. This process is harmful to the ecosystem and consumes a large amount of non-renewable energy. In this study, biodegradable and biocompatible antibacterial cellulose/chitosan nanofiltration membranes (BC/CS-NFMs) were fabricated and characterized for their mechanical strength, antimicrobial acti...

By using molecular dynamics simulation, the dynamic behaviors of particle permeation through a four-helix-bundle model channel are studied. The interior cavity of the four-helix-bundle provides the "routes" for particle permeation. The main structural properties of the model channel are similar to those that appear in natural four-helix-bundle proteins. It is found that the interior structure o...

The difficulty in characterizing ion conduction through membrane channels at the level of individual permeation events has made it challenging to elucidate the mechanistic principles underpinning this fundamental physiological process. Using long, all-atom simulations enabled by special-purpose hardware, we studied K(+) permeation across the KV1.2/2.1 voltage-gated potassium channel. At experim...