Ricerc@Sapienza

Introduction: Fixed-dose combination analgesic regimens may be similarly effective to opioid monotherapy but with potentially less risk. A number of individualized combination regimens can be created, including nonopioid agents such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and adjunctive agents such as gabapentin, pregabalin, and muscle relaxants. Areas covered: When such combinations have a synergistic effect, analgesic benefits may be enhanced.

Ibuprofen is one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) widely used to treat pain conditions. NSAIDs encounter several obstacles to passing across biological membranes. To overcome these constraints, we decided to study the effects of a new pH-sensitive formulation of niosomes containing Polysorbate 20 derivatized by Glycine and loaded with ibuprofen (NioIbu) in several animal models of pain in mice. We performed two tests commonly used to study acute antinociceptive activity, namely the writhing test and the capsaicin test.

An increasing number of studies show that both inflammation and neural plasticity act as key players in the vulnerability and recovery from psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the interplay between these two players has been limitedly explored. In fact, while a few studies reported an immune activation, others conveyed an immune suppression, associated with an impairment in neural plasticity. Therefore, we hypothesized that deviations in inflammatory levels in both directions may impair neural plasticity.

The world population is increasing and there is a growing demand for food, leading to intensification of farming methods and a requirement for more coadjuvants. Potential high profits sometimes lead to fraudulent use of drugs and pesticides. Veterinary drugs in particular can pose a real risk to human health if their residues are allowed to enter the food chain. Parent drugs and their metabolites can occur in foodstuffs individually or as multicomponent mixtures with enhanced adverse effects.