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Author Jiménez Ávila, Cristina |
Abstract Aortic aneurism is a life-threatening condition that affects the aorta which consists of the presence of a bulge that progressively grows in the aorta’s wall expanding the lumen of the vessel. An aneurysm occurs when the typical diameter of the aorta is increased by 50%. It is a multifactorial disease where atherosclerosis, smoking, male sex, age, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are considered high-risk factors. The incidence of aortic aneurism is 2,5 of 1.000 people per year. Medical treatments and surgery are required to treat aneurysm. Different medical strategies have been used to treat aneurysm which includes beta-blockers, antibiotic therapy, and matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors. Surgical intervention is also considered in many cases. However, neither medical therapy nor surgical intervention is effective since they are non-targeted to the aorta and are often associated with many complications over time. As a result, the need for developing new therapies to treat aneurysm has increased. This work has been centered on formulating nanoparticles to locally deliver encapsulated metformin to treat aneurysm. Metformin is an antidiabetic drug that has been proven other effects on extracellular membrane remodeling, oxidative stress, VSMC homeostasis, and inflammation-inhibitory effects. The aim of this work has been centered on formulating PLGA-metformin nanoparticles for drug delivery; studying different conditions that could affect nanoparticle’s stability such as pH, temperature, different amount of drug encapsulation, and cryoprotectant’s effect on freeze-drying studies; studies of metformin encapsulation efficiency; studies of drug release over time; cell biocompatibility studies that included hemolysis assays as well as MMT assays; nanoparticles cell uptake and lastly, protein (metalloproteinases MMP-9) quantification by western blot and zymography assays. |
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Director Borrós i Gómez, Salvador |
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Degree IQS SE - Undergraduate Program in Biotechnology |
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Date 2021-06-18
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