ABSTRACT
Dexamethasone (DEX) is a synthetic cortisol used for the treatment of different pathological states, thus comprising cancer, ocular disorders, and COVID-19 infection. Its clinical use is hampered by the low solubility and severe side effects related to its systemic administration. The capability of peptide-based nanosystems, like hydrogels (HGs) and nanogels (NGs), to serve as vehicles for the passive target of active pharmaceutical ingredients and the selective internalization into leukemic cells has been demonstrated. Peptide based HG loaded with DEX were formulated via the “solvent-switch” method, using Fmoc-FF homopeptide as building block. Due to the tight interaction of the drug with the peptidic matrix, a significant rigidification of the gel (G’ = 67.9 kPa) was observed. The corresponding injectable NG, obtained for submicronization of the HG in the presence of two stabilizing agents (TWEEN®60 and SPAN®60, 48/52 mol/mol), were found to be stable at least up to 90 days with a mean diameter of around 105 nm. NG does not exhibit hemolytic effect on human serum and is selectively internalized by RS411 leukemic cells, passively target leukemic cells over healthy PBMCs, paving the way for the generation of new diagnostic strategies targeting onco-hematological diseases.
Subject(s)
Leukemia , COVID-19 , Neoplasms , Eye Abnormalities , Hematologic DiseasesABSTRACT
In recent months, the entire world is facing a dramatic health emergency caused by the diffusion of a hitherto unknown coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Despite the efforts, the understanding of the many facets of the pandemic is still rather limited. In the present manuscript, we have monitored the evolution of the lethality rate in Italy by using the data collected over the last three months. Our data indicate that there is a striking correlation between the number of infected people of a certain week and the deaths of the following one. Despite the overall simplicity of the applied approach and its many approximations, the analysis of the Italian scenario provides some interesting insights into the pandemic. Indeed, we have found that the lethality rate is virtually unchanged over the last two months. This implies that the reduction of the deaths is strictly connected to the decrease of cases. Unfortunately, the present study does not support the idea that the virus potency has lowered in the last weeks, as our data demonstrate that the likelihood of a fatal outcome after the infection has not decreased in the recent outbreak evolution. Moreover, we show that the lethality rate is still very high in the country ({approx}13.5%). Since this number is remarkably higher if compared to the actual lethality estimates made worldwide, this finding suggests that the number of detected cases may be a gross underestimation of the actual infected people, likely due to the presence of a significant number of non-symptomatic or paucisymptomatic individuals in the population.