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Biomedical subjects

P Ferruti

Publications and source records attributed to P Ferruti.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Solution characterization of starch nicotinates with different degrees of esterification.

A series of starch-nicotinic acid copolymers with a degree of esterification ranging from about 15% to about 90% was prepared, and the stability in solution of two representative samples of the series was tested. The variation of some physico-chemical characteristics in the series was examined by solubility tests, viscometry and refractometry, and found to be not simply correlatable to the nicotinylation degree.

Esters↗

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of poly(oxyethylene) derivatives of 4-isobutylphenyl-2-propionic acid (ibuprofen).

The synthesis of three oligomeric derivatives of 4-isobutylphenyl-2-propionic acid (ibuprofen), namely, the monoester of tetraethylene glycol (I) and the diesters of poly(oxyethylene) samples having molecular weights of 1000 (+/- 50) and 2000 (+/- 150) (II and III), has been performed via the imidazolide method. The antiinflammatory activity of I-III, and of equivalent amounts of free drug, was determined in the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema assay at different times after oral administration and found to be considerably prolonged in the case of the three derivatives. The lowest molecular weight derivative (I) also had an enhanced initial activity with regard to 4-isobutylphenyl-2-propionic acid. These results were confirmed by measuring the plasma levels of 4-isobutylphenyl-2-propionic acid in rats at different times after oral administration.

Animals↗

Macromolecular drugs.

Some principles at the basis of the present or potential interest of pharmacologically active synthetic polymers are discussed, together with some chemical aspects of a proper design of these polymers. The synthesis and properties of heparin complexing polymers, prostaglandin releasing polymers, and nicotinic acid releasing polymers are described.

Binding Sites↗

Biradical spin labeling for nerve membranes.

We have explored the behavior of pair interaction in a suitable biradical when it is bound by van der Waals' forces in a nerve membrane. We have concomitantly examined a set of model solvents to represent this situation. It appears that the biradical suffers a restriction of internal motion with a minimal restraint on its external motion in the nerve medium. The biradical is so situated as not to respond to the passage of the action potential.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗

Understanding the mechanism of action of poly(amidoamine)s as endosomolytic polymers: correlation of physicochemical and biological properties.

Bioresponsive poly(amidoamine)s (PAA)s are currently under development as endosomolytic polymers for intracellular delivery of proteins and genes. Here for the first time, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is used to systematically investigate the pH-dependent conformational change of an endosomolytic polymer, the PAA ISA 23. The radius of gyration of the ISA23 was determined as a function of pH and counterion, the aim being to correlate changes in polymer conformation with membrane activity assessed using a rat red blood cell haemolysis assay. With decreasing pH, the ISA23 radius of gyration increased to a maximum (R(g) approximately 80 A) around pH = 3, before subsequently decreasing once more. At high pH and therefore high ionic strengths, the polymer is negatively charged and adopts a rather compact structure (R(g) approximately 20 A), presumably with the dissociated carboxylic groups on the exterior of the polymer coil. At low pH, the coil again collapses (R(g) < 20 A), presumably due to the effects of the high ionic strength. It is concluded that the nature of the salt form has no direct bearing on the size of the polymer coil, but it does indirectly determine the prevailing pH and, hence, polymer conformation. Pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR measurements were in good agreement with the SANS estimates of the radius of gyration, although ISA23 polydispersity does complicate the data interpretation/comparison. These results support the proposed mode of action of PAAs, namely a coil expansion on passing from a neutral pH (extracellular) to an acidic pH (endosomal and lysosomal) environments. The results do, however, suggest that the charge on the polymer shows a closer correlation with the haemolysis activity rather than the polymer conformation.

Animals↗