Lacramioara Popa

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy | UMF CD · Faculty of Pharmacy

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) and oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), traditionally used for their antimicrobial properties, can be considered viable candidates for nanotechnology applications, in particular for the phytosynthesis of metal nanoparticles. The present work aims to evaluate the potential application of hyssop and oregano for the phytosy...

Cosmeceuticals are one of the fast-growing areas of the natural personal care industry. Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with medicinal or drug-like benefits that can affect the biological functioning of the skin depending on the ingredients in the composition. The development of one formulation acting on the dermis and stimulating the collagen...

This research aimed to develop miconazole-based microemulsions using oleic acid as a natural lipophilic phase and a stabilizer mixture comprising Tween 20 and PEG 400 to solubilize miconazole as an antifungal agent known for its activity in oral candidiasis and to improve its bioavailability. The formulation and preparation process was combined wit...

This comprehensive scientific review provides an in-depth analysis of both the natural compounds, pyrethrins, and their synthetic derivatives, pyrethroids, focusing on their classification, biosynthesis, mechanism of action, general and pharmaceutical uses, as well as their toxicity and environmental impact. Pyrethrins, derived from certain plant s...

The purpose of this Special Issue was to review research focusing on the development of formulations based on chitosan or its derivatives together with other molecules, producing biomaterials with improved physicochemical properties and effects [...].

This comprehensive scientific review provides an in-depth analysis of both the natural compounds, pyrethrins, and their synthetic derivatives, pyrethroids, focusing on their classification, biosynthesis, mechanism of action, general and pharmaceutical uses, as well as their toxicity and environmental impact. Pyrethrins, derived from certain plant s...

Cellulose derivatives serve as a feasible alternative to the insoluble natural cellulose considering their high solubility in the most frequent organic solvents and particularly in water. Alongside this advantageous physical property, cellulose derivatives exhibit proper biocompatibility, biodegradability, thermo-gelling nature, and mechanical char...

The study aimed to develop and characterize some O/W emulsions, designed as nourishing hair masks. The cosmetic formulations based on collagen hydrolysate, keratin, and natural ingredients (essential and vegetable oils) were organoleptically evaluated. The pH, morphological, superficial, and rheological properties were assessed as a physicochemical...

Worldwide, cutaneous lesions care represents a daily challenge for the medical system, with an increasing prevalence from year to year (from ~5 million in 2005 to about 8 million in 2018) and high costs for their treatment (between ~$28 billion and ~$97 billion). Injuries are the most frequent and destructive form of skin damage, affecting patients...

Oral candidiasis has a high rate of development, especially in immunocompromised patients. Immunosuppressive and cytotoxic therapies in hospitalized HIV and cancer patients are known to induce the poor management of adverse reactions, where local and systemic candidiasis become highly resistant to conventional antifungal therapy. The development of...

This following chapter represents a brief summary of phytochemicals which presents anticancer properties besides the effects known and for which they have been used since ancient times. Recent studies about phytocompounds have shown that they represent a good alternative to the conventional skin cancer therapy, even metastatic forms, statement sust...

Nowadays, the development of new eco-friendly and biocompatible materials using ‘green’ technologies represents a significant challenge for the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields to reduce the destructive actions of scientific research on the human body and the environment. Thus, bacterial cellulose (BC) has a central place among these novel tail...

Cellulose is the most widely used biopolymer, accounting for about 1.5 trillion tons of annual production on Earth. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a form produced by different species of bacteria, representing a purified form of cellulose. The structure of bacterial cellulose consists of glucose monomers that give it excellent properties for different...

The present study brings to attention a method to develop salicylic acid-based oil in water (O/W) microemulsions using a tensioactive system based on Tween 80, lecithin, and propylene glycol (PG), enriched with a vegetable oat oil phase and hyaluronic acid. The systems were physically characterized and the Quality by design approach was applied to...

Yeast (including brewing yeast) and yeast-based preparations derived from bioprocesses or agroindustrial byproducts represent valuable feed additives and ingredients for ruminants. The optimization of brewing yeast biotechnological processing through fermentation mediated by the brewing yeast strain Saccharomyces pastorianus ssp. carlsbergensis W34...

Presently, notwithstanding the progress regarding wound-healing management, the treatment of the majority of skin lesions still represents a serious challenge for biomedical and pharmaceutical industries. Thus, the attention of the researchers has turned to the development of novel materials based on cellulose derivatives. Cellulose derivatives are...

The aim of this study was the development and optimization of chitosan and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in situ gelling systems, loaded with bupivacaine hydrochloride for topical ocular administration. This study is based on the properties of two polymers: chitosan, which has mucoadhesive action and is a pH-sensitive polymer, but also the c...

With a long tradition in pharmaceutical design, emulsions are functional formulations that can maintain their adaptive power connected with the new formulation requirements. Hence, this study proposed preliminary assays concerning the obtaining of natural emulsions for oral administration, incorporating pumpkin seed oil and hemp seed oil as oil pha...

Cartilage damage is difficult to self-heal due to an avascular microenvironment and distinct mechanical properties. These features are a challenge in designing a cartilaginous tissue with repairing effect without producing any local infections. Thus, a biodegradable scaffold in which the drug can be incorporated is preferable. Drug delivery systems...

The goal of this work was to formulate and characterize some O/W emulsions, designed as skin anti-aging creams. The cosmetic formulations based on collagen hydrolysate, caffeine and natural ingredients (essential and vegetable oils) were evaluated organoleptically, in terms of pH, morphological, superficial and rheological properties. The rheologic...

With a fascinating complexity, governed by multiple physiological processes, the skin is considered a mantle with protective functions which during lifetime are frequently impaired, triggering dermatologic disorders. As one of the most prevalent dermatologic conditions worldwide, characterized by a complex pathogenesis and a high recurrence, acne c...

In an attempt to develop drug delivery systems that bypass the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and prevent liver and intestinal degradation, it was concluded that nasal medication meets these criteria and can be used for drugs that have these drawbacks. The aim of this review is to present the influence of the properties of chitosan and its derivatives (...

Brewing yeast biomasses may be converted into valuable products, including supplements for ruminant diets. This paper presents experimental data on a nutraceutical suspension formulation containing post-fermentation brewing yeasts and the brewing yeast strain, Saccharomyces pastorianus ssp. carlsbergensis W34/70, which was intended to be administer...

The topical administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is described as an alternative route for inflammatory disease treatment and is frequently used because it determines local effects therapeutically, similar to oral administration, but with fewer side effects. [...]

The aim of this study was to formulate and evaluate two types of O/W emulsions based on collagen and other natural ingredients that can be used as color correcting (CC-cream) and cream foundation. Both types of emulsions obtained are stable at different temperatures and the pH values of emulsions correspond to the natural pH of the skin, indicating...

Quality by Design is the methodical method to development concept that starts with the predefined objects. The method put emphasis on the process of development of a product, the control process, which is built on risk management and comprehensive knowledge of science. The concept of QbD applied to analytical method development is known now as AQbD...

The aim of this study is to design, develop and evaluate new biohybrid sponges based on polymers (collagen and polyvinyl alcohol) with and without indomethacin as anti-inflammatory drug model to be used for tissue regeneration in wound healing. Type I fibrillar collagen in the form of a gel and different concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol were mix...

The main inconvenience of conventional eye drops is the rapid washout of the drugs due to nasolacrimal drainage or ophthalmic barriers. The ocular drug bioavailability can be improved by either prolonging retention time in the cul-de-sac or by increasing the ocular permeability. The focus of this review is to highlight some chitosan-based drug deli...

Ocular in situ gels are a promising alternative to overcome drawbacks of conventional eye drops because they associate the advantages of solutions such as accuracy and reproducibility of dosing, or ease of administration with prolonged contact time of ointments. Chitosan is a natural polymer suitable for use in ophthalmic formulations due to its bi...

Since ancient times humans observed animal and plants features and tried to adapt them according to their own needs. Biomimetics represents the foundation of many inventions from various fields: From transportation devices (helicopter, airplane, submarine) and flying techniques, to sports’ wear industry (swimming suits, scuba diving gear, Velcro cl...

Liquid marbles are versatile structures demonstrating a pseudo-Leidenfrost wetting regime formed by encapsulating microscale volumes of liquid in a particle shell. The liquid core is completely separated from the exterior through air pockets. The external phase consists of hydrophobic particles, in most cases, or hydrophilic ones distributed as agg...

The pain management is therefore of paramount importance and the local anesthetic treatment has to be considered. Thus, the purpose of this study was to design and characterize some collagen microcapsules incorporating an anesthetic. The collagen hydrolysate was prepared by spray-drying forming micro sizes spheres (microcapsules) which were loaded...

Gastric ulcer disease is a common problem of the gastro-intestinal tract with its increasing incidence and prevalence attributed to the loss of balance between aggressive and protective factors. The purpose of this study was to obtain and characterize biomaterials for the regeneration of the soft tissue of the digestive system. Powders with differe...

The aim of this study was to analyse the colour stability of acrylic teeth, after exposure to several dietary agents (types of coffee, red wine), and the oral antiseptic chlorhexidine (0.2% mouthwash). Distilled water was used as control. The teeth colour was assessed using a spectrophotometric method. Acrylic teeth from 4 manufacturers were immers...

A lot of biomaterials were investigated as suitable scaffolds for wound healing, very high costs being involved for treating their complications and consequences. Among them, a special attention is given to collagen, a natural biopolymer which showed positive effect on soft tissue regeneration. A key factor encountered in wound healing is represent...

The aim of this paper is to design and characterize some drug delivery systems (DDS) based on collagen hydrolysates (H), niflumic acid as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory model drug and two essential oils of Lavandula officinalis L. (LO) and Lavandula stoechas L. subsp. Stoechas (LS), for use in healing cutaneous wounds with post-lesion inflammato...

Nowadays, it is recognized the fact that cotinine can serve as a quantification marker of nicotine addiction, as well as for passive smoking. Several studies reported in the recent literature have emphasized that, in patients with different pathologies, objective assessment of tobacco use is required, based on biomarkers (e.g. determining cotinine...

Composite gels based on collagen and eucalyptus oil were prepared in order to be used in dentistry. The main components such as β-Cymene (32.1%), Eucalyptol (36.59%), Cryptone (4.35%) and Spathulenol (3.82%) of Eucalyptus camadulensis Dehnh. essential oil were determined by GC-MS. The eucalyptus oil dissolved in different concentration of ethanol (...

Collagen porous matrices are promising delivery systems which offer the possibility to obtain a local optimized drug release. One important prerequisite in understanding the drug dissolution profile is an adequate monitoring of the porous collagen matrices surface properties and surface wettability degree. In this study we have considered direct me...

An important aspect to be considered in the healing of acute or chronic cutaneous wounds is the associated potential infection management. Collagen, the most abundant protein of the extracellular matrix, with proven properties in wounds healing and tissues regeneration, is one of the most widely used biopolymers as carrier matrix for controlled dru...

A new software for QSAR design and analysis was developed and is presented in this work. BIOINFOQSAR was designed for developing high predictable and robust models of correlation between molecular structure descriptors and biological properties. This study includes the presentation of the application interface, its modules and functionality. An alg...

Our study presents an analysis of the results obtained by implementing an elearning platform through a project dedicated to continuing education of pharmacists, a project that took place nationwide over a period of two and a half years. We also intended to present the key aspects of implementing a strategic project dedicated to the development of h...

This study proposed a drug delivery system based on a series of formulations with chitosan gels, designed for local, intra-pocket treatment of periodontal disease, containing two drugs (an antibiotic and a chimiotherapeutic-antimicrobian agent: tetracycline hydrochloride (T) and metronidazole benzoate (M), respectively. The formulations varied from...

The aim of this study was the design of some topical drug delivery systems, as hydrogels, based on collagen and doxycycline hyclate, usable for the prevention and/or treatment of the infections appeared due to cutaneous wounds (superficial burns, surgical wounds). For this purpose the influence of the cross-linking agent (glutaraldehyde) on the rhe...

Collagen-based biomaterials containing Thuja occidentalis var. columnaris tincture and chlorhexidine digluconate (CHDG) prepared as hydrogels having pHs 3.8 or 7.4 and containing all the combinations between 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mL tincture/100 g hydrogel and 0.02, 0.05 and 0.10 % CHDG were transformed into matrices by liophylization. Ratios AIII/A1450...

The aim of this study was to develop modern wound dressings such as controlled drug delivery systems. These systems consist in collagen as release support and niflumic acid as drug. The scaffolds were prepared by lyophilization in order to obtain porous structures and were evaluated by release profile of niflumic acid, water absorption, collagenase...

Porous collagen matrices with defined physical, chemical and biological characteristics are interesting biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. In this study collagen hydrogels with the same content of doxycycline and cross-linked with different concentrations of tannic acid (0, 5, 10 and 20%) were obtained. They were rheolog...

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective role of lycopene (LYC) on body weight changes, and histopathological lesions on liver, kidney, heart, and brain tissue in male rats exposed to subchronically differential doses of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a highly toxic xenobiotic. Forty-eight rats were divided into...

Topical delivery systems for the treatment of different infected cutaneous wounds based on natural biopolymers are widely studied. The development of some topical hydrogels with type I collagen and minocycline by the experimental design technique, based on response surface methodology and Taguchi's approach, and the evaluation of their kinetic prop...

The objective of the present study was the comparative evaluation of wettability of the surface of several types of materials (soft and hard acrylic materials, composite resins and glass ionomer cements) with current usage in dentistry, with increased frequency in prosthodontics and orthodontics, using the method of contact angle. The values regist...

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective role of lycopene (LYC) on liver, kidney, heart, and brain in male rats exposed to different doses of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Forty-eight rats were divided into six groups. The first group received 0.5 mL corn oil as control; the second group was treated with 10 mg/...

Preparation and optimization of an ibuprofen suspension containing pharmaceutically accepted excipients of pediatric use were performed by a 3-factor, 2-level full statistical design completed with four central point replications. The effects of sucrose (sweetner), Tween 20 (surfactant) and methylcellulose (thickener) on the dispersion properties a...

The main purpose of Taguchi's methodology is the optimization of pharmaceutical products quality and the design of the processes in order to become insensitive to the noise sources without their elimination. Analyzing the controlled factors (key factors) by selecting their best variation levels the desired responses, robust to the noise factors var...

Porous collagen matrices containing chlorhexidine digluconate (CHXD) were obtained by freeze-drying of three series of 1.1% collagen hydrogels having the pHs 3.8, 7.4 or 7.4 plus 0.15% glutaric aldehyde (GA) reported to the collagen from hydrogel, each series containing 0, 0.02, 0.05 or 0.10% CHXD reported to the amount of gel. FT-IR spectra show t...

The evaluation of the biomaterials by clinical and experimental tests represents an important and necessary aspect for the success of dental treatments and for obtaining a real biological integration, meaning optimal tolerance and functionality. The objective of this study was a comparative estimation of the wettability of the surface for several t...

The large number of external anogenital lesions with HPV etiology and frequent recurrences, have generated diversification and association of therapy forms. The objective of this study is to reveal the effectiveness of some forms of therapy, single or associated in eradicating infection induced by various external genital HPV genotypes. The study f...

Three series of drug delivery systems consisting of type I collagen hydrogel containing 0, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.10% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHXD) and having pHs 3.8 and 7.4, the last noncrosslinked and crosslinked with 0.15% glutaraldehyde (GA), were prepared to be used for wound healing. FT-IR spectra show no effect of CHXD on triple helical confor...

We investigated the effects exerted in vitro by leflunomide active metabolite A77 1726 and methotrexate (MTX) on cytokine release by monocytes from rheumatoid arthritis patients. Our results give insight information about the action mode of A77 1726 on excessively numerous, activated peripheral monocytes from rheumatoid arthritis patients which do...

Collagen-doxycycline matrices crosslinked with a natural polyphenol – tannic acid for the treatment of infected wounds were obtained by the freeze-drying of the corresponding gels. FT-IR spectra show that the triple helical structure of collagen is preserved in all the matrices, doxycycline produce collagen crosslinking and the degree of crosslinki...

Collagen-based biomaterials represent an ideal support for the release of the drug, on condition that the collagen structure is as close as possible to that of the human body collagen. Collagen, as drug delivery system, offers the advantage of a natural biomaterial with haemostatic and wound healing properties. The GEVICOL is a well known collagen...

Collagen is able to heal wounds but, being a protein, it serves as a substrate for bacteria and can not promote it. Associated with antibiotics/antiseptics and applied topically, it becomes a local drug delivery system for wound infection control. Three series of collagen hydrogels with pHs 3.8 and 7.4 containing 0, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.10% Chlorhexidi...

Collagen is a significant constituent of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) and matrices made from it are used as a scaffold for tissue engineering and as a reservoir for drug delivery. Collagen matrices are important porous structures because they influence hydrophily, drug diffusion through network, the degradation properties and interaction...

For the acute or chronic wounds, the associated pain is an important aspect that has to be considered in the management of their therapy. Among the local anesthetics, the lidocaine proved its efficiency for topical application, in different aetiology pains. Collagen, a well tolerated biomaterial and biodegradable, represents a favorable matrix for...

Tannic acid cross-links collagen both in acid (pH 3.8) and weakly basic (pH 7.4) medium. The cross-linking does not affect the integrity of triple helical structure of collagen as spectral characteristics, enzymatic degradation and release data of tannic acid from collagen matrices demonstrate. Intermolecular bridging produces changes in the amide...

Tannic acid, a biologic active polyphenol, performs antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant activity. At the same time, collagen as a natural polymer is widely used in medicine as biomaterial scaffold for tissue regeneration of different types of connective tissue. The aim of this study is to obtain some composite biomaterials with antioxidant act...

The rheological behaviour of collagen hydrogels in the absence and presence of doxycycline hyclate or/and glutaraldehyde shows that both compounds increase their viscosities, the highest viscosity being obtained for the hydrogel containing the highest amount of collagen, doxycycline hyclate and glutaraldehyde. All the hydrogels have pseudoplastic n...

The in vitro release of trichlorphon (TCP) from acidic solutions was studied using a static diffusion cell battery, through cellulose membranes. The amount of toxic released compound decreases in the following order: cellophane (83%), cuprophan (78%) and cellulose acetate (74%). There was also studied the influence of adsorptive powders upon the de...

The purpose of this research was to design and optimize topical dermatological drug products such as hydrogels with controlled release, containing Indomethacin. For this purpose a 24 Taguchi fractional factorial design associated with surface response analysis was used. We investigated the effects of independent formulation variables selected for t...

Molecular connectivity has been used to find new β-blocker drugs using linear discriminant analysis and connectivity functions with different topological descriptors. Among the selected compounds stands out the probucol and the β-carotene. Both of them interact with β adrenoceptors.

Discriminant analysis applied to SAR studies using topological descriptors allows us to plot frequency distribution diagrams: a function of the number of drugs within an interval of values of discriminant function vs. these values. We make use of these representations, pharmacological distribution diagrams (PDDs), in structurally heterogeneous grou...