Browsing by Author "Lopes, Carla Martins"
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- Acne vulgaris topical therapies: application of probiotics as a new prevention strategyPublication . Dapkevicius, Ieva; Romualdo, Vânia; Marques, Ana Camila; Lopes, Carla Martins; Amaral, Maria HelenaThe skin microbiome is an essential barrier for preventing the invasion of pathogens and regulating the immune responses. When this barrier is disrupted, several dermatoses, including acne vulgaris, may arise. Most people will experience acne starting at the onset of puberty and continuing into adolescence; a significant percentage of those individuals continue to suffer from it into adulthood. Although common, this dermatosis usually has an enormous impact on the self-esteem and quality of life of individuals who suffer from it. An increase in consumer literacy regarding skincare leads buyers to seek out innovative products containing ingredients with proven benefits for their concerns. Probiotics have proven to be an alternative to the use of antibiotics, often associated with undesirable effects, in the treatment and prevention of dermatological disorders such as acne. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the pathophysiology, risk factors, symptoms, conventional treatment recommendations and main studies emphasizing innovative topical products for acne-prone skin based on probiotics. In addition, the potential advantages, and limitations/challenges associated with the implementation and manufacturing of these innovative skin products are also highlighted.
- Advances in pharmaceutical biotechnologyPublication . Silva, Ana Catarina; Lopes, Carla Martins; Lobo, José M.S.; Amaral, Maria H.
- Application of nanotechnology in the agro-food sectorPublication . Lopes, Carla Martins; Fernandes, J.R.; Martins-Lopes, P.Nanotechnology is an emerging field of research that has been widely applied in different scientific and engineering areas. The agro-food sector is not an exception, which considers its applicability in several areas of major interest for both consumers and producers. This review considers major concepts related to nanostructures and nano-based instruments used in the food sector, as well as their applications in agro-food products. Food safety through the use of nanosensors for pathogen detection, smart packaging, and valorisation of food products by nanoencapsulation/nanodelivery of food ingredients (e.g. flavours) are examples of important areas of nanotechnology. Consumers' apprehension regarding food stability and safety issues is also considered.
- Avobenzone-loaded and omega-3-enriched lipid formulations for production of UV blocking sunscreen gels and textilesPublication . Caldas, Ana Rita; Faria, Maria João; Ribeiro, Artur; Machado, Raúl; Gonçalves, Hugo; Gomes, Andreia C.; Soares, Graça; Lopes, Carla Martins; Lúcio, MarleneGiven the growing harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation there is an urgent need to develop effective strategies to prevent skin damages. Therefore, hydrogel or cotton and wool fabrics were impregnated with avobenzone (AVO)-loaded and omega-3 (ω3)-enriched lipid formulations (liposomes – LIP, nanostructured lipid carriers – NLC and solid lipid nanoparticles – SLN) to obtain UV blocking sunscreen gel or functional textiles. To evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of AVO and the sun blocking performance of the formulations incorporated in hydrogels or textiles, in silico and in vitro studies were conducted. In silico studies indicated that AVO can permeate the epithelium, and lipid formulations could be a promising strategy for incorporating and retaining AVO. Furthermore, all lipid formulations showed an entrapment efficiency of AVO of ca. 100 % and a loading capacity between 7 and 12 %. The presence of AVO was confirmed by ATR-FTIR and SEM analysis. In vitro release profiles showed that the UV filter was almost totally retained within the lipid formulations (release of only 4.2 ± 2.5 % at 6 h) with similar results obtained for textiles. After assessing the cytotoxicity, cationic formulations loaded with AVO showed to be cytotoxic in a human keratinocyte cell line (NCTC 2544 cells) as opposed to AVO-loaded anionic formulations after 24 h. Photodegradation studies demonstrated that lipid formulations have photoprotective properties by stabilizing AVO but the photoprotective role could not be attributed to ω3 despite its antioxidant effect evaluated by ATR-FTIR. Overall, it is possible to conclude that SLN and NLC were more effective as UV protectors than LIP, and that each formulation can have different applications. Negatively charged NLC and SLN can be used for UV protection in contact with the skin either in sunscreen gel or clothing, while positively charged NLC and SLN should be reserved as UV protectors of tissues not in contact with skin (e.g., umbrellas, curtains, etc.).
- Bioactive lipids: pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applicationsPublication . Fernandes, Eduarda; Lopes, Carla Martins; Lúcio, Marlene
- A biophysical approach to formulation development: drug-plasma protein interactionPublication . Fernandes, Eduarda; Soares, Telma; Oliveira, M.E.C.D. Real; Lopes, Carla Martins; Lúcio, MarleneIn this work, the binding constant of ACV to human serum albumin was determined by binding isotherms. Nonlinear leastsquares best fit to intrinsic fluorescence quenching effect of the drug was used to determine the association constants between drug and the serum protein at one affinity binding site (Kb=1.79x103 M-1). A red shift of the fluorescent spectra confirms association. Thermodynamic parameters for the binding indicated that electrostatic interactions are predominantly involved in the binding of this drug to human serum albumin. This was further confirmed by electrophoretic and dynamic light scattering, where a progressive charge neutralization of the protein was followed by an increase of the size of albumin-drug complex.
- Capítulo 6 - MicroencapsulaciónPublication . Lopes, Carla Martins; Barata, Pedro
- Cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (cSLN): structure, stability and DNA binding capacity correlation studiesPublication . Doktorovova, S.; Shegokar, R.; Rakovsky, E.; Gonzalez-Mira, E.; Lopes, Carla Martins; Silva, A.M.; Martins-Lopes, P.; Muller, R.H.; Souto, Eliana B.Cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (cSLN) are promising lipid nanocarriers for intracellular gene delivery based on well-known and widely accepted materials. cSLN containing single-chained cationic lipid cetyltrimethylammonium bromide were produced by high pressure homogenization and characterized in terms of(a) particle size distribution by photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and laser diffractometry (LD), (b) thermal behaviour using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and (c) the presence of various polymorphic phases was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (WAXD). SLN composed of Imwitor 900PTM (IMW) showed different pDNA stability and binding capacity in comparison to those of Compritol 888 ATOTM (COM). IMW-SLN, having z-ave = 138–157 nm and d(0.5) = 0.15–0.158 m could maintain this size for 14 days at room temperature. COM-SLN had z-ave = 334 nm and d(0.5) = 0.42 m on the day of production and could maintain similar size during 90 days. IMW-SLN revealed improved pDNA binding capacity. We attempted to explain these differences by differentinteractions between the solid lipid and the tested cationic lipid.
- Chapter 14: Lipid-based colloidal carriers for topical application of antiviral drugsPublication . Lopes, Carla Martins; Silva, Juliana; Real Oliveira, Maria Elisabete C.D.; Lúcio, Marlene
- Chapter 3 - General aspects of multifunctional nanosystemPublication . Lúcio, Marlene; Real Oliveira, Maria Elisabete; Lopes, Carla Martins