SCHEME OF RESEARCH CARRIED OUT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY
 

 

    The scientific researches carried out in this department concern the synthesis and spectroscopic characterisation of drugs, the study of their biological activity and the development of new drug delivery systems. Moreover, thematics concerning archeological, artistic and historical goods are treated.

In particular the research programs in progress concern:

1. Studies and applications of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance.
2. Isolation and synthesis of natural substances with potential bioactivity.
3. Synthesis and characterisation of biocompatible polymers and development of new non viral vectors for gene  therapy.
4. Macromolecular prodrugs and polymeric micelles for modificated and targeted drug delivery.
5. Synthesis of new prodrugs with ipnotic and sedative activity.
6. Synthesis of eterocycles with potential biological activity.
7. Synthesis, chemical properties and therapeutic benefits of eterocycles compounds
   Nano- and Micro- systems swellable in biological fluids as Drug Delivery Systems.
8. Micromatrices for controlled release of drugs.
9. Investigations on identification and determination of organic components in archaeological, artistic and historical goods.

    The established research programs concern synthesis, spectroscopic characterisation and evaluation of biological activity in vitro and in vivo of new drugs with potential antiinflammatory, antitumoral and ipnotic-sedative activity; their use in new therapeutic systems and the interaction of drugs and of therapeutic systems obtained with biomembrane models.
The aim of the development of these thematics is that to improve the knowledge on the chemistry of drug, on the correlation between structure and biological activity, on the increase of pharmacological activity and reduction of toxic side effects.

In particular it is expected:

1. To obtain information about non covalent interactions of indolic structure drugs with systems mimicking biological membranes such as micelles, inverse micelles, cyclodestrins and modified cyclodestrins.
2. To isolate and characterise by advanced spectroscopic techniques (NMR, MS, raggi X, ecc.) natural substances used in traditional medicine.
3. To synthesise and modify molecular structure of natural substances having biological activity.
4. To synthesise and assay, for antitumoral or antimicrobial activity, new molecules of pharmaceutical interest to study the correlations between structure and activity in order to obtain a good therapeutic index and a minimal capacity to induce drug resistance.
5. To synthesise new polyaminoacidic biopolymers with specific organotropism. To prepare and characterise macromolecular prodrugs with antiviral and antitumoral agents. To introduce in these prodrugs proper targeting groups able to induce drug accumulation in a specific site. To evaluate the interaction of prodrugs with biomembrane models such as liposomal vesicles and micelles. In the field of gene therapy to prepare polycations able to complex DNA fragments by electrostatic interactions and then develop non viral vectors for gene delivery.
6. To prepare nano- and micro- systems swellable in biological fluids able to give a prolonged and controlled release of drug.
7. To evaluate the use of essential aminoacids as carriers of drugs for the synthesis of prodrugs of antiparkinson agents active on S.N.C. To identify the better way of synthesis of these new prodrugs in high yield. To study the chemical, physical and biological properties of obtained compounds and to project suitable compartimental models to simulate the blood-brain barrier.
8. To identify and determine by GC-MS and HPLC-MS techniques organic residues in goods of archaeological, artistic and historical interest.