Federal University of Ceará, Polymer Lab, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
Judith P.A. Feitosa graduated in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Ceara and obtained her doctorate in Chemistry from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Since 1999, she has been a full professor at the Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, where she founded the Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and has been coordinating it to this day. She coordinated the Graduate Program in Chemistry at UFC for three terms and served as Research Coordinator at the Vice-Chancellorship for Research and Postgraduate Studies for a 4-year term. Additionally, she served as Regional Secretary of the Brazilian Society of Chemistry (SBQ) for two terms. She was also the director of the Research, Development, and Innovation Institute of the state of Ceará and had administrative experience at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Brazilian federal government. Prof. Judith Feitosa has supervised 41 Master’s dissertations and 18 doctoral theses. She has authored over 150 publications, three book chapters, and holds 5 patents. Her expertise lies in the field of natural polymers from Brazilian biodiversity, specifically polysaccharides as biomaterials for drug delivery, as well as hydrophilic and amphiphilic gels.She participated in the Nanoglycobiotechnology Network/CNPq and in the National Institute on Science and Technology – INCT-Functional Complex Materials, INOMAT. Currently, she is involved in the INCT of Polysaccharides.
Chitosan is abundant, biocompatible, biodegradable, mucoadhesive, and possesses antimicrobial properties, making it suitable for use in medical and pharmaceutical fields. One issue is its insolubility in neutral aqueous media, which can be addressed by derivatization with succinic or phthalic anhydride. The polysaccharide was employed for the synthesis of nanoparticulate systems using different methods: 1) polyelectrolyte complexes with tripolyphosphate (Ch-TPP); 2) conjugated with methotrexate – a drug used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and cancer with many adverse effects (Ch-MTX); 3) hydrogels with oxidized galactomannan (OxG-Ch) or 4) with oxidized cashew gum (OxCG-Ch), both through Schiff base formation. All systems have potential applications in drug delivery or as special dressings. The Ch-TPP system incorporated PEG (to extend circulation time) and the anticancer drug 5-Fluorouracil. The Ch-MTX nanoparticles are stable. Silver nanoparticles were incorporated into the OxG-Ch hydrogel, prepared in situ with the oxidized galactomannan itself. The OxCG-Ch hydrogel was loaded with a curcumin-inclusion complex with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin. Curcumin possesses pharmacological benefits, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and antibacterial actions. The complex renders it soluble in an aqueous medium and protects it from degradation. The hydrogels are injectable, adhesive, and self-healing. Cytotoxicity in normal and cancer cells, bactericidal activity, and antioxidant properties were tested. All systems exhibit potential for biological applications.
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