Role of miRNA in adult ocular tumorigenesis.

In recent years, cancer research has made huge advances also thanks to the discovery of the role of non-coding RNAs in the control of tumorigenesis, tumor proliferation, migration and metastasis and therefore also in the diagnosis and therapy of tumors. This work aims to review the most recent literature involving the study of miRNAs in ocular tumors affecting adult patients. We will introduce the role of miRNAs in tumorigenesis, and we will focus on summarizing the studies on uveal intraocular melanomas in which a role of microRNAs has been demonstrated.

Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of Nucleoside-Nitric Oxide Photo-Donor Hybrids.

Herein, we report the synthesis of a new hybrid compound based on a 2'-deoxyuridine nucleoside conjugated with a NO photo-donor moiety (dU-t-NO) via CuAAC click chemistry. Hybrid dU-t-NO, as well as two previously reported 2'-deoxyadenosine based hybrids (dAdo-S-NO and dAdo-t-NO), were evaluated for their cytotoxic and cytostatic activities in selected cancer cell lines. dAdo-S-NO and dAdo-t-NO hybrids displayed higher activity with respect to dU-t-NO.

Characterization Methods for Nanoparticle-Skin Interactions: An Overview.

Research progresses have led to the development of different kinds of nanoplatforms to deliver drugs through different biological membranes. Particularly, nanocarriers represent a precious means to treat skin pathologies, due to their capability to solubilize lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs, to control their release, and to promote their permeation through the stratum corneum barrier. A crucial point in the development of nano-delivery systems relies on their characterization, as well as in the assessment of their interaction with tissues, in order to predict their fate under in vivo administration.

Microfluidic Fabricated Liposomes for Nutlin-3a Ocular Delivery as Potential Candidate for Proliferative Vitreoretinal Diseases Treatment.

Purpose: Proliferative vitreoretinal diseases (PVDs) represent a heterogeneous group of pathologies characterized by the presence of retinal proliferative membranes, in whose development retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is deeply involved. As the only effective treatment for PVDs at present is surgery, we aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic activity of Nutlin-3a, a small non-genotoxic inhibitor of the MDM2/p53 interaction, on ARPE-19 cell line and on human RPE primary cells, as in vitro models of RPE and, more importantly, to formulate and evaluate Nutlin-3a loaded liposomes designed for ophthalmic administration.

Methods: Liposomes were produced using an innovative approach by a microfluidic device under selection of different conditions.

Prenylation Defects and Oxidative Stress Trigger the Main Consequences of Neuroinflammation Linked to Mevalonate Pathway Deregulation.

The cholesterol biosynthesis represents a crucial metabolic pathway for cellular homeostasis. The end products of this pathway are sterols, such as cholesterol, which are essential components of cell membranes, precursors of steroid hormones, bile acids, and other molecules such as ubiquinone. Furthermore, some intermediates of this metabolic system perform biological activity in specific cellular compartments, such as isoprenoid molecules that can modulate different signal proteins through the prenylation process.