Immobilization of species of medicinal interest in layered inorganic nanoparticles for therapeutic use and clinical diagnosis

• Grant number: 11/00198-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Vera Regina Leopoldo Constantino
• Grantee: Ana Lucia Shiguihara
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The production of new types of drug carriers for health therapies, without side effects, and sensors for faster and more accurate clinical diagnostics are one of the major goals of the contemporary medicine. Inorganic nanoparticles have been intensively investigated due to their promising properties such as low toxicity, bioavailability, biocompatibility, ability to functionalize the surface, controlling of size and shape of particles, which are important factors to the development of drug and target deliveries. This project aims the synthesis and characterization of hybrid nanostructured materials involving pharmaceutical clays and species of medicinal interest such as: (i) drugs as folic acid, N-acetyl-L-cysteine and primaquine (ii) phytotherapics as pilocarpine and epiisopilosina, and (iii) amino acids as L-carnosine and L-tyrosine. Considering the nature of the therapeutic activity of the intercalated organic species, the systems will be evaluated in studies of sustained release, cytotoxicity in vitro and tests in vivo. It is also expected to construct electrochemical devices for clinical analysis (to monitor biomolecules such as glucose and cortisol in body fluids). For this purpose, films of niobate exfoliated nanoparticles and electroactive metal complexes containing porphyrin and diimine ligands will be prepared. The synthesized materials will be characterized by structural, spectroscopic, textural, thermal, microscopic and electrochemical techniques. (AU)