
Mrs. Franciely Rufino de Almeida Lima
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Abstract Title: Lipid-Based Nanocarriers Loaded with Combination Drugs: A Promising Therapeutic Approach for the Tre
Biography:
Franciely Rufino de Almeida Lima is a PhD student in Medicines and Cosmetics at the University of São Paulo-USP. She has a degree in Pharmacy and a specialization in Pharmacology from the University of Juiz de Fora-UFJF. Furthermore, she is a specialist in Biodiversity Drug Innovation from FIOCRUZ. She has scientific experience in the development of nanoformulations at treating cancer and bacterial diseases. Committed to advancing science, she actively participates in research that bridges traditional knowledge with modern drug development techniques.
Research Interest:
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive glioma, known for its low survival rate. Current treatment with Temozolomide (TMZ) has limited efficacy due to resistance mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which restricts drug passage through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and into tumor cells. This study focuses on the development, optimization, and characterization of lipid nanoparticles (NPs) for the co-delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and natural products, alongside evaluating their cytotoxic effects on U87MG glioblastoma cells. NPs were prepared through hot emulsification and sonication, optimized using the Box-Behnken design. Characterization included assessments of size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, thermal profile, and stability. Treatment of U87MG cells with NPs, both with and without co-encapsulated compounds, involved evaluating cell viability via neutral red assay, cellular uptake through confocal fluorescence microscopy, and cell death mechanisms using flow cytometry. Results indicated that surfactants and the oil phase ratio significantly influenced NP size and polydispersity index (PDI). The optimized NPs exhibited a diameter of less than 150 nm, low PDI, and a negative zeta potential. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a spherical morphology, and high encapsulation efficiency was achieved due to careful selection of lipid components. Co-encapsulated NPs showed significant internalization in GBM cells, enhancing cytotoxic activity and reducing the IC50 of nanoparticles by 2.418 times, indicative of a chemosensitizing effect. The predominant cell death mechanism was apoptotic, underscoring the potential of co-encapsulated NPs for GBM treatment and laying a foundation for future research in nanomedicine.