SILVANA ALFEI

Here, two new topical hydrogel formulations (R1HG-3c and R1HG-4b), promising to treat staphylococcal skin infections, have been developed. To this end, two pyrazoles (3c and 4b) previously reported to possess antibacterial activity against multi drug resistant (MDR) staphylococci, were used as active ingredients, while a polystyrene-based...

The support structure (scaffold) necessary for cell adhesion and proliferation plays a pivotal role in tissue engineering (TE). The protein and polysaccharide constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM), such as collagen, elastin, or hyaluronic acid (HA), as well as gelatine are the most attracting materials as possible scaffolds. To...

Searching for new devices capable to counteract the growing bacterial resistance, we reported the remarkable antimicrobial activity against several Gram-negative species of cationic dendrimers (CD), modified with lysine and histidine, also establishing that their cationic character, due to the lysine content, is essential for their potency. To...

Dendrimers, macromolecules characterized by high controlled size, shape and architecture, presence of inner cavities able to accommodate small molecules and many peripheral functional groups, are of eminent interest for biomedical applications, including gene transfection, tissue engineering, imaging, drug delivery.[1] The well-known...

Dendrimers are synthetic polymers characterized by tree-like branched symmetric structure, globular shape, low polydispersity and several functions at the periphery which allow further functionalization. Their cavities can accommodate small drugs molecules protecting them from premature degradation, increasing their solubility in biological...

Foods-derived multifunctional compounds, such as carotenoids, vitamins, phytosterols, polyunsaturated lipids, curcuminoids, flavonoids and polyphenols, in addition to the basic nutritional value, own extra health benefits and are considered "pharmaceutical-grade nutrients" better known as "nutraceuticals". Similarly, phytochemicals from plants,...

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Gallic acid (GA) is a natural polyphenol with remarkable antioxidant power present in several vegetables and fruits. A normal feeding regime leads to a daily intake of GA which is reasonably regarded as ''natural'' and ''safe'' for humans. It owns strong potentials as alternative to traditional drugs to treat several diseases triggered by...

Oxidative stress (OS) is involved in the onset and developing of most degenerative diseases hard to fight with exsisting synthetic drugs without adverse side effects. Gallic acid (GA) (Figure 1), a natural triphenolic acid present in several plants, fruits and common foodstuffs, is provided both with the basic nutritional values and with...

L-arginine is often used to decorate lipid matrices and polymer or dendrimer scaffolds, to obtain synthetic vectors for gene therapy or drug delivery with increased transfection activity and reduced toxicity. For this purpose, its basic nitrogen atoms need protection for example with tert-butoxycarbonyl group. In a previous study, following...

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New therapeutic agents as antibiotics and chemotherapeutics capable of inducing cytotoxic effects and employed in the treatment of lethal human diseases as cancer and infections need also to circumvent the increasing chemoresistance, which limits their action. Natural and synthetic cationic peptides and polymers have given appealing results...

Drug resistance is a multifactorial phenomenon that limits the action of antibiotics and chemotherapeutics, thus making urgent the development of new therapeutic strategies capable of inducing cytotoxic effects circumventing chemoresistance. Natural and synthetic cationic peptides and polymers has given satisfactory results both in...

Dendrimers are macromolecules characterized by high controlled size, shape and architecture, presence of inner cavities able to accommodate small molecules and many peripheral functional groups to bind target entities and are of eminent interest for biomedical applications, including gene transfection, tissue engineering, imaging, drug...