title: Santosomes as natural and efficient carriers for the improvement of phycocyanin reepithelising ability in vitro and in vivo.
abstract: New biocarriers, named santosomes, were formulated using Santolina insularis essential oil and hydrogenated phosphatidylcholine. They were modified by adding propylene glycol, a hydrophylic penetration enhancer, and loaded with phycocyanin, a protein found in cyanobacteria, which possesses antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. The essential oil was expected to modify the bilayer structure and improve the delivery and efficacy of the protein due to a synergistic effect of the phospholipid and S. insularis terpenes. Santosomes were small in size (∼118nm), unilamellar and with polyhedral shape. SAXS patterns showed that phycocyanin strongly interacted with the polar heads of the vesicle bilayer. Phycocyanin-loaded vesicles did not show any toxic effect in vitro: cell viability was ∼100% in endothelial cells and ∼120% in keratinocytes, at all the concentrations tested. In addition, phycocyanin-loaded vesicles protected the cells against free radical damage. In vivo studies were performed to evaluate the ability of santosomes to inhibit chemically-induced oedema and inflammation in mice. Results demonstrated that the application of phycocyanin-loaded santosomes produced an evident amelioration of the skin lesion, confirming their great potential for wound healing.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Castangia
authors.affiliation: Dept. Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: mlmanca@unica.it.
authors.forename: Maria Letizia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.affiliation: Dept. Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caddeo
authors.affiliation: Dept. Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity, University of Cagliari, V.le S. Ignazio 13, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluigi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bacchetta
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Tecnologia Química i de Tensioactius, Institut de Química Avançada de Catalunya (IQAC-CSIC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pons
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Center for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 12, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Demurtas
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Valencia, Avda Vicente Andrés Estellés s/n, Valencia, Spain; Instituto de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Centro Mixto Universidad Politécnica de Valencia-Universidad de Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Octavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Diez-Sales
authors.affiliation: Dept. Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fadda
authors.affiliation: Dept. Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manconi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010798:Phycocyanin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D010798:Phycocyanin
keywords: Human endothelial cells; Human keratinocytes; In vivo studies; Polyhedral vesicles; Santolina insularis