University of Madeira

About: University of Madeira is a education organization based out in Funchal, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Dendrimer. The organization has 1014 authors who have published 2759 publications receiving 59457 citations.

Construction of Electrospun Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Nanofibers for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract: Electrospun nanofibers hold a great potential in biomedical applications due to their advantages of large specific surface area, good biocompatibility, easy fabrication and surface modification. In particular, organic/inorganic hybrid nanofibers exhibit enhanced mechanical properties and long-term sustained release or controlled release profile of encapsulated drugs, which enables hybrid nanofibers to serve as desired platform for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. This review summarizes the recent progresses in the preparation, performances and applications of hybrid nanofibers as drug delivery vectors for antibacterial and antitumor therapy, and as nanofibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering or other types of tissue engineering applications. Nanofibers doped with various types of inorganic nanoparticles (e.g., halloysite, laponite®, nano-hydroxyapatite, attapulgite, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, etc.) are introduced and summarized in detail. Future perspectives are also briefly discussed.

Synergistic antimycobacterial activities of sesquiterpene lactones from Laurus spp.

Abstract: Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the antimycobacterial potential of laurel oil, its fractions and its two sesquiterpene lactones against several mycobacterial strains and clinical isolates, and to establish the possibility of occurrence of some synergistic effects between those lactones using a modification of the fluorometric Alamar Blue microassay (FMABA). Methods :T hein vitro antimycobacterial activity of whole oil and its fractions and pure active compounds were determined by FMABA. A bioassay-guided fractionation of the traditional preparation of laurel oil from Madeira Islands was performed, yielding pure compounds chemically identified by standard procedures. Synergism of pure compounds was established by X/Y quotient analysis adapted to FMABA. Results: Sesquiterpene lactones, costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone, were the compounds responsible for the antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv with MICs of 6.25 and 12.5 mg/L, respectively. Antimycobacterial activity against drug-resistant M. tuberculosis clinical isolates was better for the mixture than for pure compounds. Conclusions: Both lactones presented synergistic activity, i.e. analysis of relative fluorescence units presented an X/Y value <0.5 at a concentration of 1/8 MIC of each compound in the combination. Establishment of synergism by FMABA represents another application of the microplate Alamar Blue assay.