We engineered phototherapeutic sub-12 nm-sized polymeric micelles to treat malignant brain tumours (MBTs). The engineered nanoparticles in MBT cells enhanced the photocytotoxic efficiency more than 2.5-fold compared with parental and PEGylated photosensitisers (PSs). Increased subcellular co-localisation of PSs in mitochondria was observed.

Objective(s): Micelles have been studied as nanoparticulate drug delivery systems for improving the topical ocular delivery of hydrophobic drugs. The objective of this study was to develop and characterize dexamethasone-loaded polycaprolactone-polyethylene glycol-polycaprolactone (PCL-PEG-PCL) micelles to improve patient compliance and enhance the ocular bioavailability of poorly water-soluble ...

Introduction: Recent studies have reported that the Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) plant has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. This study evaluated the neuroprotective effects of different doses of Aloe vera extract after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in male rats. Materials and Methods:  In this study, 70 male rats were divided into 2 groups; each group consists of 5 of sub-g...

Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is associated with cerebrovascular disease and activates matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which lead to vascular remodeling that could disrupt the blood-brain barrier. To determine whether Hcy administration can increase brain microvascular leakage secondary to activation of MMPs, we examined pial venules by intravital video microscopy through a craniotomy in...

abstract ischemic brain edema is one of the most important complications of a stroke. this study aims to investigate the impact of pre-feeding of flax seed oil on blood-brain barrier in rat stroke model. in this experimental study animals were randomly divided into 3 groups of experiment, sham, and control. each testing group itself was consisted of 3 subgroups receiving doses of flaxseed oil w...

Thrombolysis has been a standard treatment for ischemic stroke. However, only 2-7% patients benefit from it because the thrombolytic agent has to be injected within 4.5 h after the onset of symptoms to avoid the increasing risk of intracerebral hemorrhage. As the only clinically approved neuroprotective drug, edaravone (EDV) rescues ischemic brain tissues by eradicating over-produced reactive o...

One of the major obstacles that delay the clinical translation of polymeric micelle drug delivery systems is whether these self-assembled micelles can retain their integrity in blood following intravenous (IV) injection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of core functionalization on the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of polymeric micelles. The combination of ring-openi...

Polymeric micelles, self-assembling nano-constructs of amphiphilic copolymers with a core-shell structure have been used as versatile carriers for delivery of drugs as well as nucleic acids. They have gained immense popularity owing to a host of favorable properties including their capacity to effectively solubilize a variety of poorly soluble pharmaceutical agents, biocompatibility, longevity,...

The term blood-brain barrier (BBB) relates to the ability of cerebral vessels to hold back hydrophilic and large molecules from entering the brain, thereby crucially contributing to brain homeostasis. In fact, experimental opening of endothelial tight junctions causes a breakdown of the BBB evidenced as for instance by albumin leakage. This and similar observations led to the conclusion that BB...

Polymeric Micelles In article 2201836 by Urara Hasegawa and co-workers, polymeric micelles containing H2S-donating anethole dithiolone (ADT) groups release H2S in response to oxidation reactive oxygen species (ROS). By changing polymer design, profiles can be fine-tuned suppress cancer cell proliferation human colon vitro assays, as well a chick chorioallantois membrane model.