Cytotoxicity of doxorubicin bound to poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles in rat glioma cell lines using different assays

The cytotoxicity of doxorubicin bound to poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (Dox-PBCA-NP) was investigated in the rat glioma cell lines GS-9L, F-98 and RG-2. MTT and LDH assays were used as cytotoxic assays. In general, the cytotoxicity of nanoparticle-bound doxorubicin (Dox) was enhanced compared to the free drug in solution. However, responses of the cell lines towards the drug effects were different. In the case of free Dox in solution, this difference correlated with different intracellular concentrations of Dox, which in turn, depended on the level of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression in these cell lines. Accordingly, the 9L gliosarcoma (GS-9L) cells, which appeared to be most resistant towards Dox, were characterized by the highest P-gp expression.Additionally, the influence of surfactants on the cytotoxic effect was investigated at different Dox concentrations. It was shown that the presence of polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) in the nanoparticle formulation significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity, whereas poloxamer 188 (Pluronic F68) and poloxamine 908 (Tetronic 908) had a negligible influence.     

Large, rapidly growing pilomatrixoma of the upper eyelid

A 41-year-old woman presented with a rapidly growing mass on her upper left eyelid that had first appeared 3 months earlier. The mass was dark red in color, alternating with whitish pseudocyst formations, and measured 3 cm long with a 1-cm base presenting. The rapid growth had caused a mechanical ptosis and bleeding as the result of erosion of the skin covering the tumor. The initial clinical diagnosis suggested a malignant lesion or vascular tumor; excisional biopsy was performed. The eyelid crease was approached for incision and resection as for a blepharoplasty. Pathologic examination yielded a diagnosis of giant pilomatrixoma. Pilomatrixomas are rare in adults and rarely attain such a large size. After 1 year of follow-up, no recurrence of the tumor has been observed.     

Embolotherapy of a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the internal mammary artery in chronic granulomatous disease

We report a case demonstrating an unusual and previously unpublished complication of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), that is massive hemorrhage from a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the left internal mammary due to invasiveAspergillus fumigatus of the anterior chest wall. This brief report further illustrates the angiographic diagnosis and embolotherapeutic control of a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the internal mammary artery.     

Potential irritation of lysine derivative surfactants by hemolysis and HaCaT cell viability

Surfactants represent one of the most common constituents in topical pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications or cleansers. Since adverse skin and ocular reactions can be caused by them, it is important to evaluate damaging effects. Amino acid-based surfactants deserve particular attention because of their low toxicity and environmental friendly properties. New lysine derivative surfactants associated with heavy and light counterions were tested. The ocular irritancy was assessed by hemolysis, and photohemolysis was employed to evaluate their phototoxicity. Cytotoxicity on HaCaT cells was determined by neutral red uptake and MTT assay to predict skin irritation. All lysine derivative surfactants were less hemolytic and thus less eye-irritating than the commercial surfactants used as model irritants. No phototoxic effects were found. All surfactants presented cytotoxic effects as demonstrated by decrease of neutral red uptake and reduction of MTT salt, with clear concentration-effect profiles. However, the rates of cytotoxicity on HaCaT for the new surfactants suggested that they were less cytotoxic and then, less skin-irritating than the reference ones; surfactants with heavy counterions were the less cytotoxic. The anionic surfactants investigated in the present work may constitute a promising class of surfactants given their low irritancy potential for pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations.