Rita Cortesi

University of Ferrara | UNIFE · Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnologies

In this study, bile acid-based vesicles and nanoparticles (i.e., bilosomes and biloparticles) are studied to improve the water solubility of lipophilic drugs. Ursodeoxycholic acid, sodium cholate, sodium taurocholate and budesonide were used as bile acids and model drugs, respectively. Bilosomes and biloparticles were prepared following standard pr...

The use of lipid-based nanosystems for topical administration represents an innovative “green” approach, being composed of materials, defined as GRAS (generally recognized as safe), characterized by low toxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability [...]

In this study, we examined and compared two different lipid-based nanosystems (LBNs), namely Transferosomes (TFs) and Monoolein Aqueous Dispersions (MADs), as delivery systems for the topical application of Ferulic Acid (FA), an antioxidant molecule derived from natural sources. Our results, as demonstrated through Franz-cell experiments, indicate...

In the present study, gels based on xanthan gum and poloxamer 407 have been developed and characterized in order to convey natural antioxidant molecules included in niosomes. Specifically, the studies were conducted to evaluate how the vesicular systems affect the release of the active ingredient and which formulation is most suitable for cutaneous...

The development of multimodal imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows the contemporary obtaining of metabolic and morphological information. To fully exploit the complementarity of the two imaging modalities, the design of probes displaying radioactive and magnetic properties at the...

The present study is aimed to design ethosomes and transethosomes for topical administration of quercetin. To overcome quercetin low bioavailability, scarce solubility and poor permeability that hamper its pharmaceutical use, the drug was loaded in ethosomes and transethosomes based on different concentrations of phosphatidylcholine. Vesicle morpho...

Our groups previously reported that conjugation at 3′-end with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) significantly enhanced in vitro exon skipping properties of ASO 51 oligonucleotide targeting the human DMD exon 51. In this study, we designed a series of lipophilic conjugates of ASO 51, to explore the influence of the lipophilic moiety on exon skipping effi...

The investigation of the absorption of drug delivery systems, designed for the transport of therapeutic molecules inside the body, could be relatively simplified by the fluorophore association and tracking by means of bio-imaging techniques (i.e., optical in vivo imaging or confocal and multiphoton microscopy). However, when a fluorescence signal c...

The present study describes a preliminary study on the use of monoolein aqueous dispersions (MADs) as delivery systems for antioxidant molecules, namely, ascorbyl palmitate (AP) and alpha-tocopherol (AT). MAD, produced by emulsifying monoolein (4.5% w/w) in water and poloxamer 407 (0.5% w/w) as emulsifier, was characterized in terms of size, morpho...

This investigation aims to find lipid-based nanosystems to be used as tools to deliver manganese for diagnostic purposes in multimodal imaging techniques. In particular, the study describes the production and characterization of aqueous dispersions of anionic liposomes as delivery systems for two model manganese-based compounds, namely manganese ch...

Infections due to HSV-1 affect many people all over the world. To counteract this pathology, usually characterized by perioral sores or by less frequent serious symptoms including keratitis, synthetic antiviral drugs are employed, such as acyclovir, often resulting in resistant viral strains under long-term use. Many plant-derived compounds, such a...

In recent decades liposomes have been used in different field thanks to their ability to act as a vehicle for a wide range of biomolecules, their great versatility and their easy production. The aim of this study was to evaluate liposomes as a vehicle for the actives present in the HelixComplex (HC) snail mucus for topical delivery. Liposomes compo...

Skin may be affected by many disorders that can be treated by topical applications of drugs on the action site. With the advent of nanotechnologies, new efficient delivery systems have been developed. Particularly, lipid-based nanosystems such as liposomes, ethosomes, transferosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, cubosom...

Human skin is dramatically exposed to toxic pollutants such as ozone. To counteract the skin disorders induced by the air pollution, natural antioxidants such as mangiferin could be employed. A formulative study for the development of vesicular systems for mangiferin based on phosphatidylcholine and the block copolymer pluronic is described. Pluret...

Mangiferin is a natural glucosyl xanthone with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, making it suitable for protection against cutaneous diseases. In this study ethosomes and transethosomes were designed as topical delivery systems for mangiferin. A preformulation study was conducted using different surfactants in association with phosphatidy...

Nano-sized drug transporters have become an efficient approach with considerable commercial values. Nanomedicine is not only limited to drug delivery by means of different administration routes, such as intravenous, oral, transdermal, nasal, pulmonary, and more, but also has applications in a multitude of areas, such as a vaccine, antibacterial, di...

The object of this study is a comparison between solid lipid nanoparticles and ethosomes for caffeic acid delivery through the skin. Caffeic acid is a potent antioxidant molecule whose cutaneous administration is hampered by its low solubility and scarce stability. In order to improve its therapeutic potential, caffeic acid has been encapsulated wi...

Many neuroactive drugs are characterized by poor solubility, hampering their therapeutic potential and clinical research studies. For instance, the lipophilic molecules dimethylfumarate, retinyl palmitate, progesterone, and URB597 can be employed in the treatment of relapsing remitting multiple, early brain injury, learning deficits, and/or traumat...

Topical application of flavonoids has recently received increased attention, however their use is limited due to a low aqueous solubility and related low in vivo absorption. Monolein emulsified in water leads to aqueous nanostructured dispersions of complex lyotropic liquid crystalline phases able to carry lipophilic molecules. These monoolein aque...

Biofilm production is regulated by the Quorum Sensing system. Nowadays, Quorum Sensing represents an appealing target to design new compounds to increase antibiotics effects and avoid development of antibiotics multiresistance. In this research the use of liposomes to target two novel synthetic biofilm inhibitors is presented, focusing on a preform...

In situ film forming systems are an alternative to the conventional dosage forms for topical application, performing superior contact and adhesiveness, with a consequent sustained and efficacious therapy. Propolis (PRP) is an extremely versatile natural compound due to its constitutive complexity and in terms of biological properties and uses as he...

The present investigation describes a formulative study aimed at designing ethosomes for caffeic acid transdermal administration. Since caffeic acid is characterized by antioxidant potential but also high instability, its encapsulation appears to be an interesting strategy. Ethosomes were produced by adding water into a phosphatidylcholine ethanol...

Ethosome represents a smart transdermal vehicle suitable for solubilization and cutaneous application of drugs. Coenzyme Q10 is an endogenous antioxidant whose supplementation can counteract many cutaneous disorders and pathologies. In this respect, the present study describes the production, characterization, and cutaneous protection of phosphatid...

Caffeic acid is a natural antioxidant, largely distributed in plant tissues and food sources, possessing anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic properties. The object of this investigation was the development of a formulation for caffeic acid cutaneous administration. To this aim, caffeic acid has been loaded in solid lipid nanopart...

Ellagic acid (EA) is a potent antioxidant substance of natural origin characterized by poor biopharmaceutical properties and low solubility in water that limit its use. The aim of the present study was to develop lipid-based nanoparticle formulations able to encapsulate EA for dermal delivery. The EA-loaded nanoparticles were prepared using two dif...

Purpose Solid lipid nanoparticles are largely used in biomedical research and are characterized by high stability and biocompatibility and are also able to improve the stability of various loaded molecules. In vitro studies demonstrated that these nanoparticles are low cytotoxic, while in vivo studies proved their efficiency as nanocarriers for mol...

This investigation is a study of new lipid nanoparticles for cutaneous antioxidant delivery. Several molecules, such as α-tocopherol and retinoic acid, have been shown to improve skin condition and even counteract the effects of exogenous stress factors such as smoking on skin aging. This work describes the design and development of lipid nanoparti...

The skin and mucous membranes are subjected to many disorders and pathological conditions. Nature offers a wide range of molecules with antioxidant activity able to neutralize, at least in part, the formation of free radicals and therefore to counteract the phenomena of cellular aging. Since synthetic drugs for the treatment of skin diseases can in...

Phytochemicals represent an important class of bioactive compounds characterized by significant health benefits. Notwithstanding these important features, their potential therapeutic properties suffer from poor water solubility and membrane permeability limiting their approach to nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Lipid nanoparticles ar...

Nature offers a tremendous potential in medicine field. Natural antioxidant molecules inhibit or quench free radical reactions and delay or inhibit cellular damage. In the last few years researchers have been focusing on the health benefits of natural products. Particularly some dietary nutrients, such as curcumin, crocin, resveratrol, quercetin, c...

Intra-periodontal pocket drug delivery systems, such as liquid crystalline systems, are widely utilized improving the drug release control and the therapy. Propolis is used in the treatment of periodontal diseases, reducing the inflammatory and infectious conditions. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) can improve the treatment when an alterna...

The present investigation concerns the production and characterization of monoolein-water systems designed for cutaneous administration of crocetin. The different monoolein crystalline phases forming in the presence of crocetin as a function of added water have been investigated by x-ray and polarized light microscopy. Franz cell was employed to co...

Background: Wound healing is a biological process that can get in a state of pathologic inflammation, requiring the use of specific medications able to promote proper tissue repair. Objective: The study describes the production and characterization of nanoparticle based gel for wound healing treatment designed to deliver hyaluronic acid and reti...

This study describes the design and characterization of a liposphere gel containing clotrimazole for the treatment of Candida albicans. Lipospheres were produced by the melt-dispersion technique, using a lipid phase constituted of stearic triglyceride in a mixture with caprylic/capric triglyceride or an alkyl lactate derivative. The latter componen...

Progesterone containing nanoparticles constituted of tristearin or tristearin in association with caprylic-capric triglyceride were produced in a lab scale by ultrasound homogenization and in a pilot scale by high pressure homogenization. A study was conducted to select the pressure to be used in order to obtain homogenously sized nanoparticles. Th...

Propolis, a natural compound that can accelerate the wound healing process, is mainly used as ethanolic extract. The extractive solution may also be obtained from the propolis by-product (BP), transforming this waste material into a pharmaceutical active ingredient. Even if propolis does not show toxicity, when used as an extract over harmed skin o...

This investigation describes a scaling up study aimed at producing progesterone containing nanoparticles in a pilot scale. Particularly hot homogenization techniques based on ultrasound homogenization or high pressure homogenization have been employed to produce lipid nanoparticles constituted of tristearin or tristearin in association with capryli...

This study describes the potential of solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers as nano-formulations to administer to the central nervous system poorly water soluble drugs. Different neuroactive drugs, i.e. dimethylfumarate, retinyl palmitate, progesterone and the endocannabinoid hydrolysis inhibitor URB597 have been studied. Lipi...

This study describes the preparation, characterization and in vitro release of monoolein aqueous dispersions (MAD) encapsulating quercetin (QT). As emulsifier, sodium cholate was employed at two different concentrations, namely 0.15% and 0.25% with respect to the total weight of the formulation. Cryogenic Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray...

Over the last decades, kiwifruit cultivation has gained increasing importance all over the world, but some bacterial diseases seriously threaten its cultivation. The most dangerous one is the bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Takikawa et al., but also floral bud necrosis by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae van Hall and...

Dimethyl fumarate has been demonstrated useful in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis treatment (Tecfidera®). Nevertheless, since Tecfidera® capsules induce flushing, gastro-intestinal events and other more serious drawbacks, in this investigation a nanoparticle based system to be administered by an alternative way is proposed. In particular thi...

Preliminary studies of nanoparticles based on the perfluorosulfonic acid resin Nafion have been carried out with the aim of establishing an ionic connection with the protonable phosphine 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA), suitable for the coordination of platinum. Nafion-containing nanoparticles (NAF) were produced by homogenization followed b...

This paper describes the production and characterization of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) containing four different levodopa (LD) co-drugs (PD), named PDA (3,4-diacetyloxy-LD-caffeic acid co-drug), PDB (lipoic acid-dopamine co-drug), PDC (lipoic acid-3,4-diacetoxy-dopamine co-drug), and PDD (dimeric LD co-drug containing an alkyl linker), wit...

This study describes the preparation, characterization and in vitro activity of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) encapsulating natural molecules with antimicrobial activity, such as plumbagin, hydroquinon, eugenol, alpha-asarone and alpha-tocopherol. NLC were prepared by melt and ultrasonication method, characterized by Cryo-TEM for morphology a...

The present study describes the production and characterization of phosphatidylcholine based ethosomes and organogels, as percutaneous delivery systems for crocin. Crocin presence did not influence ethosome morphology, while the drug slightly increased ethosome mean diameter. Importantly, the poor chemical stability of crocin has been found to be l...

Crocin, a potent antioxidant obtained from saffron, shows anticancer activity in in vivo models. Unfortunately unfavorable physicochemical features compromise its use in topical therapy.The present study describes the preparation and characterization of nanostructured lipid dispersions as drug delivery systems for topical administration of crocin a...

It has been demonstrated that some aromatic substances synthesized by plants serve as plant defence mechanisms. However natural extracts are difficult to use due to their poor physico-chemical characteristics and low concentration. Biocompatible microparticles for the delivery of the model antimicrobial compound Gallic acid (GA) were prepared by sp...

There is a wide inter-individual response to statin therapy including rosuvastatin calcium (RC), and it has been hypothesized that genetic differences may contribute to these variations. In fact, several studies have shown that pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters for RC are affected by race. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the interchangeabilit...

Cutaneous administration represents a good strategy to treat skin diseases, avoiding side effects related to systemic administration. Apart from conventional therapy, based on the use of semi-solid formulation such as gel, ointments and creams, recently the use of specialized delivery systems based on lipid has been taken hold. This review provides...

This study describes the development and optimization of a method to encapsulate the potent and expensive cannabinoids drugs in nanostructured lipid carriers; namely, URB597, AM251 and rimonabant have been considered. NLC production by melt and ultrasonication protocol has been specifically designed to optimize nanoparticle recovery and drug encaps...

Lipid-based nanosystems have gained interest as matrixes able to dissolve and to control delivery of active, thereby improving their bioavailability and reducing side-effects. In particular, nanoparticles based on lipids have been widely proposed as novel drug carrier systems. For instance, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) add up the benefit of coll...

This study investigated the development and characterized the physicochemical properties of films obtained from by-products (BP) from the preparation of propolis extracts. Films were produced in the presence and absence of a polymeric adjuvant (gelatin or ethylcellulose) and propylene glycol by a solvent casting method. Density, surface topography...

Metronidazole is an antimicrobial agent utilized for the treatment of protozoa and anaerobic bacteria infections. Many times, it is necessary to modify the metronidazole release, and it may be suggested the development of modified release systems. In this study, we are able to investigate the use of the residue normally thrown outfrom preparation o...

The aliphatic phosphine PTA (1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) is a promising ligand for metal complexes designed and developed as innovative inorganic drugs. In the present paper, an N-alkylated derivative of PTA, (PTAC16H33)X (X = I, C1, or X = PF6, C2) and its platinum coordination complex cis-[PtCl2(PTAC16H33)2](PF6)2, C3, were considered as co...

This study describes the use of lecithin organogels (LO) as versatile vehicles for percutaneous administration of methyl nicotinate (MN), fenretinide (4HPR) and curcumin (CUR). LO are able to increase the solubility of poor water-soluble molecules probably due to the formation of a short-range hexagonal organization of the lecithin cylindrical reve...

The present study describes the production and characterization of nanostructured lipid dispersions (NLD) containing curcumin (CUR) as new tools for curcumin topical delivery. Four types of NLD based on monoolein in association with different emulsifiers were produced: Na cholate and poloxamer 407 (NLD1), poloxamer alone (NLD2), the mixture of Na c...

This study describes the preparation, characterization, in vitro uptake and in vivo biodistribution in mice of solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers. The effect of nanoparticle lipid matrix, presence of fluorescent and functionalization by polysorbate 80 on dimensional distribution and morphology have been studied by sedimenta...

This study describes the preparation, characterization, and biodistribution of radiolabelled nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) especially designed for in vivo tomographic study. A preliminary formulative study was conducted in order to incorporate (99m)Tc based tracer in NLCs. At this aim a (99m)Tc complex containing a terminal (99m)Tc≡N multiple...

This study describes the production and characterization of biocompatible and biodegradable microparticles containing fenretinide (4HPR), designed for subcutaneous administration. The influence of type of polymer and production parameters was studied on microparticle characteristics and 4HPR release modality. Microparticles were made using solvent...

The present study describes the production and characterization of monoolein aqueous dispersions (MAD) and lecithin organogels (ORG) as percutaneous delivery systems for curcumin (CUR). In particular, MAD stabilized by sodium cholate/poloxamer and w0 3 ORG lipid carriers, both in the presence and absence of CUR, have been considered: MAD morphology...

The present study describes the production and characterization of monoolein aqueous dispersions (MAD) as drug delivery systems for curcumin (CR). MAD based on monoolein and different emulsifiers have been produced and characterized. Morphology and dimensional distribution have been investigated by Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy (cryo-T...

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) consisting of tristearin or tribehenin, and monoolein aqueous dispersions (MAD) consisting of glyceryl-monoolein have been studied as potential nanocarriers for nucleic acids. The cationic character of nanocarriers was obtained by adding cationic surfactants, such as diisobutylphenoxyethyl-dimethylbenzyl ammonium chl...

Introduction This review provides an overview of the use of microscopy as a tool to characterise shape and dimension of micro and nanoparticulate systems. In the pharmaceutical field, the use of microscopy has been exerted an important role since the advent of micro and nanotechnology. Indeed, the morphology of particles and their inner structure d...

Curcumin (CUR) is a well-known natural compound showing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor abilities but characterized by poor bioavailability and chemical instability, which drastically reduce its application in the treatment of chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis. The aim of the present study is the design and evaluation of monoole...

The stable, transparent, organogels, which are prepared by adding a minute amount of water to a solution of lecithin in biocompatible oil, are here studied as matrices for solubilization and percutaneous delivery of fenretinide (4 hydroxypropyl phenyl retinamide, 4HPR), a retinoic acid derivative. The influence of different types of oil, content of...

In this study a formulation suitable to be applied on oral and/or vaginal mucosa has been developed for the treatment of fungal infections.The aim of the research is a comparison between clotrimazole (CLO) containing semisolid formulations based on monoolein aqueous dispersion (MAD) or nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC). MAD and NLC have been chara...

The development of drug delivery systems in experimental therapy usually requires in vitro release models, that should posses specific characteristics including: low cost, simple procedure, high reproducibility and very importantly resemble as strictly as possible the in vivo behaviour. In this respect, the paper describes the effects of the use of...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of intranasal immunization with non-ionic surfactant vesicles (NISV) containing either the secretory recombinant form of glycoprotein B (gBs) of herpes simplex virus type 1 or a related polylysine reach peptides (DTK) for induction of protective immunity against genital herpes infection in...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of new positively charged solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) to convey nucleic acids. The cationic character of SLN was obtained by adding as cationic molecules two different long-chain cationic phosphines (CP), namely hexadecyl-PTA iodide (CP16) and octadecyl-PTA iodide (CP18). The obtained C...

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the formulation and operating conditions on pellet preparation by pan technique. To this end, a new pelletization process, typified by the application of powdered drug on sugar-based cores using the GS coating system was studied. Inert cores were intermittently treated with micronized d...

This study compares the behaviour of budesonide-containing microparticles made of Eudragit(®)RS or Eudragit(®)RS/Eudragit(®)RL 70:30 (w/w) prepared either by solvent evaporation or spray-drying technique. The loading efficiency of budesonide within microparticles was about 72% for microparticles prepared by solvent evaporation and around 78% for sp...

The physico-chemical properties and in vivo efficacies of two nanoparticulate systems delivering the antiparkinsonian drug bromocriptine (BC) were compared in the present study. Monoolein Aqueous Dispersions (MADs) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) were produced and characterized. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and X-r...

This paper describes a comparative study on the performances of ethosomes and solid lipid nanoparticle as delivery systems for acyclovir. Ethosomes were spontaneously produced by dissolution of phosphatidylcholine and acyclovir in ethanol followed by addition of an aqueous buffer while solid lipid nanoparticle were produced by homogenization and ul...

The aim of this study is to assess the quality of Valzan(®) tablet (160 mg, valsartan immediate release test formulation) by comparing its pharmacokinetic parameters with Diovan(®) tablet (160 mg, valsartan reference formulation). Valzan(®) tablets were prepared according to a dry granulation method (roll compaction). To assess the bioequivalence o...

This paper describes the production, characterization and in vitro activity of ethosomes containing two molecules with antiviral activity, such as acyclovir (ACY) and N1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-pyrazole [3,4d]pyridazin-7(6p-chlorine-phenyl)-one nucleoside (N1CP). Ethosomes were prepared and morphologically characterized by Cryo-TEM. The encapsulation...

The aim of the study was to evaluate if two capsules (Amoxil(®) capsules, 500 mg/capsule) and one tablet (Amoxicare(®) tablets, 1000 mg/tablet) of amoxicillin have similar bioequivalence parameters. For this purpose a randomized, two-way, crossover, bioequivalence study was performed in 24 healthy, male volunteers, divided into two groups of 12 sub...

The present review focused on the strategies aimed to possibly solve toxicity problems of distamycins. Distamycins are compounds characterized by an oligopeptidic pyrrolocarbamoyl frame ending with an amidino moiety. This class of compounds displays antiviral and antibiotic activity and shows interesting antiprotozoal activity related to the abilit...

The present article describes a comparative study of the performances of liposomes and ethosomes as specialized delivery systems for distamycin A (DA) and two of its derivatives. Liposomes and ethosomes were prepared by classical methods, extruded through polycarbonate filters, and characterized in terms of dimensions, morphology, and encapsulation...

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

The present study concerns the percutaneous absorption of naproxen (NPX), as model anti-inflammatory drug, included in liposome formulations constituted of different lipids: stratum corneum lipids (SCL) and phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol (PC/CHOL). Liposome dispersions were produced using two different methods: reverse-phase evaporation (REV) and...

Herpes viruses (herpes simplex, varicella zoster, cytomegalovirus) are the main cause of a wide variety of human infections. Although the development of successful antiviral agents against infections caused by herpes viruses had been slow until the last decade, the production of delivery systems for acyclovir are a promising alternative. The presen...

The present investigation describes a formulative study for the development of innovative drug delivery systems for bromocriptine. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) based on different lipidic components have been produced and characterized. Morphology and dimensional distribution have been investigated by electron microscopy and Photon Correlation Sp...

This paper describes the synthesis and the physico-chemical characterization of cationic peptides (CPs) for possible application as non-viral gene delivery systems. Particularly, the production of cationic liposomes and micelle solutions was considered. Liposomes were prepared by REV-phase and extrusion presenting an average diameter reflecting the...