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Biomedical subjects

G Mocanu

Publications and source records attributed to G Mocanu.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Associative pullulan gels and their interaction with biological active substances.

This paper studies the synthesis and properties of anionic and/or amphiphilic pullulan microparticles crosslinked with epichlorohydrine or with sodium trimethaphosphate. The polysaccharide gels were physicochemically characterized and their interaction with enzymes (lysozyme) was studied with the aim to appreciate the performances for separation/purification/immobilization of the enzymes or controlled release drug systems.

Cross-Linking Reagents↗

Acrylic microspheres for oral controlled release of the biguanide buformin.

Spherical microparticles based on methacrylic acid-methyl methacrylate copolymer have been developed. The method chosen for the preparation of such microparticles was suspension radical copolymerization of acrylic comonomers in the presence of the ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate as crosslinking agent. The microparticles obtained were characterised by inverse size exclusion chromatography, scanning electron microscopy, swelling degree and exchange capacity. The porous volume of the microspheres ranged from 0.086 ml/g for the microparticles produced by a methacrylic acid/methyl methacrylate ratio of 1/3 and a 10% degree of crosslinking, to 8.57 ml/g for the microparticles produced by a methacrylic acid/methyl methacrylate ratio of 3/1 and 2% degree of crosslinking (in 0.1 N NaCl in phosphate buffer pH 7.4). Also the pore diameter of the swollen microparticles ranged from a few to 120 A. Buformin tosylate - a classical hypoglycaemic drug - was included in the polymer network of the microparticles during the polymerization process. Due to the water solubility of the drug and its low solubility in the organic phase, the entrapment yield did not exceed 15%. However the amount of encapsulated drug as well as the drug released from the microparticles, was dependent on the methacrylic acid/methyl methacrylate ratio, the degree of crosslinking and solvent/comonomers ratio.

Administration, Oral↗

Aminated polysaccharides as bile acid sorbents: in vitro study.

Dextran, pullulan, and microcrystalline cellulose were cross-linked with 1-chloro-2,3-epoxypropane and reacted with N-(1-chloroethyl)-N,N-diethylamine or N-glycidyl-N,N,N-trialkylammonium chloride in order to obtain sorbents containing tertiary amino and/or quaternary ammonium groups. In vitro equilibrium sorption of cholic acid on these sorbents was studied in comparison with Cholestyramine, and in vitro dissociation of ionic complexes of cholic acid-sorbents was determined under dynamic conditions. The sorption capacity and the affinity of these sorbents for cholic acid were investigated in relation to the nature of the polymeric support, the swelling porosity of sorbent, the basicity of amino groups, and the nature of the substituents at the nitrogen atom. The maximum sorption capacity increases with the increase in amino group content, their basicity, and the length of alkyl substituents at the nitrogen atom. The affinity for cholic acid of all polysaccharide-based sorbents is higher than that of Cholestyramine. Dextran-based sorbents display the highest sorption affinity. It was found that there exists an optimum swelling porosity for the polysaccharide sorbents to attain the highest affinity for cholic acid. The dissociation rate of ionic complexes depends also on the nature of the polysaccharide and the swelling porosity and its lower for sorbents with higher sorption affinity.

Absorption↗

Associative behaviour of hydrophobically modified carboxymethylpullulan derivatives.

Hydrophobically modified carboxymethylpullulan (HMCMP) samples were obtained by reaction of small amounts of C16 alkylamine on carboxylic groups of the corresponding polyacid. The molar contents of alkyl chains ranged from 1.3 to 6.8% with respect to the anhydroglucose units (AGU) and the degree of substitution (DS) of carboxylic groups varied from 0.76 to 0.84. Solution properties of the sodium salt of HMCMPs were studied mainly by viscometric and size-exclusion chromatography/light-scattering methods. The low-shear viscosity of modified pullulans in 0.1 M NaCl solutions drastically increases with the hydrophobic content and polymer concentrations and the 6.8% modified sample has a quite pseudoplastic behaviour. These data showed that the polymers aggregated intermolecularly and displayed a compact globular structure in dilute solution. Furthermore, addition of NaCl or ethanol induced a decrease in viscosity although the molecular weights remained approximately constant. These results are consistent with a collapse of the polysaccharide aggregates.

Amines↗

Prolonged gastroprotective activity of a ranitidine-dextran conjugate.

The paper presents the influence of the ranitidine-dextran conjugate on the gastric secretion stimulated with carbachol on rats with a ligated pylorus [correction of ligaturated pilor]. The gastric lesions, the gastric juice volume and the total acidity at 6, 24 and 48 hours after the treatment were examined. Ranitidine serum content was determined by HPLC. Administration of the ranitidine-dextran conjugate produces a higher inhibition of gastric lesions at 48 hours than the administration of the free drug (61.4% versus 33.9%) and a prolonged action for more 48 hours. Synthesis of a macromolecular prodrug of ranitidine and its in vitro behavior was reported in a previous paper (11). The present paper studies the performances obtained in gastro-protective action by using the new ranitidine-dextran conjugate reported (11).

Animals↗

Hypolipidemic effect of a prodrug containing nicotinic acid in rats. Correlation with plasmatic levels.

We have studied a macromolecular prodrug that contains nicotinic acid bound on a polymeric support of dextran. We have determined plasmatic levels of nicotinic acid, by a HPLC method, after macromolecular conjugate administration for a 24 hours period. In order to study the hypolipidemic effect, triglyceride levels were determined and correlated with plasmatic levels of nicotinic acid. The obtained data show that, starting from 6 hours after polymeric conjugate administration, plasmatic levels of nicotinic acid are high enough to determine a significantly decrease in triglycerides level. As a conclusion we assume that the active substance was gradually released from the polymeric support leading to a prolonged presence of the active substance in the body, which caused a lowered triglycerides level.

Analysis of Variance↗

Drug-induced immunodeficiency associated with nodal Kaposi's sarcoma.

A 40-year-old male showed a syndrome of acquired immunodeficiency after a prolonged use of antidiabetic sulfamides. The lesions were revealed by the biopsic examination of inguinal lymph nodes. Immunodeficiencies are usually associated with malignant lymphoma: our case was, however, associated with Kaposi's sarcoma.

Adult↗