Abstract Composite films of chitosan, fish gelatin and microbial transglutaminase (MTgase) were developed. Films were produced by the casting method and dried at room temperature for 30 h, conditioned for 7 days at 30 °C at a relative humidity (RH) from 11 to 90%, and characterized. Chitosan:fish gelatin films in different proportions (100:0, 75:25, 50:50) with MTgase, were subjected to tensile properties and water vapor transmission (WVT) testing. The results showed that tensile strength decreased with an increase in RH and with an increase in gelatin content. Percent of elongation also increased with increasing RH and gelatin concentration. Water vapor transmission showed an increase proportional to an increase in RH with the presence of gelatin being unfavorable for reducing WVT. Results in this work allowed studying the effect of relative humidity on tensile and water vapor properties of chitosan and fish gelatin films.

Abstract: Tuberculosis is a major infectious disease in the world, which causes high mortality. The treatment consists of drugs of first and second line; however, its effectiveness is limited by several factors, mainly the presence of resistant and/or multi-drug resistant strains. This work reviews compounds derived from quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide with antimycobacterial activity in in vitro and in vivo models as an option for the development of new drugs against tuberculosis.

Resumen: La tuberculosis es una de las principales enfermedades infecciosas en el mundo, la cual causa una alta mortalidad. Su tratamiento consta de fármacos de primera y segunda línea, sin embargo, su eficacia se ve limitada por diversos factores, principalmente la presencia de cepas resistentes o multi-resistentes a los fármacos empleados. En este trabajo se revisó una serie de compuestos derivados de 1,4-dióxido de quinoxalina con actividad antimicobacteriana en modelos in vitro e in vivo como una opción para el desarrollo de nuevos fármacos contra la tuberculosis.

This paper briefly describes the progress that our research group has achieved in the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of new potential therapeutic molecules for public health problems such as obesity, cancer, tuberculosis, and American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease. We briefly reviewed the relevance of each of these diseases, the drugs that have been used for treatment and those that are in development. Furthermore, we describe the rational design and synthesis strategies conducted by our research group, which have been focused on the development of new compounds with biological activity as potential anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-tuberculosis, and anti-trypanosomiasis agents.

En este artículo se describe de manera breve el trabajo que ha desarrollo nuestro grupo de investigación en el diseño, síntesis y evaluación biológica de moléculas con potencial terapéutico para problemas de salud pública tales como la obesidad, cáncer, tuberculosis y la tripanosomiasis americana o enfermedad de Chagas. Se realizó una revisión concisa de la relevancia de cada una de las enfermedades, los fármacos que se han usado para su tratamiento y aquellos que se han desarrollado recientemente. Además, se describen las estrategias de diseño racional y síntesis conducidas por nuestro grupo de investigación, las cuales se han enfocado en el desarrollo de nuevos compuestos con actividad biológica como potenciales agentes anti-obesidad, anti-cáncer, anti-tuberculosis y anti-tripanosomiasis.

The aims of this study were to formulate calcium-alginate beads containing glibenclamide, characterize the resulting microparticles, evaluate the release characteristics of this type of delivery system in an in vitro dissolution test, and compare it with two commercially available trademarks (Daonil® and Glibetab®). We obtained glibenclamide loaded calcium-alginate beads with a rough surface and a particle size between 150-200 µm. For the in vitro dissolution test Daonil® at 45 min showed a Q > 70%, whereas Glibetab® and glibenclamide calcium-alginate beads a Q < 70%; in spite of that glibenclamide calcium-alginate beads showed significant release properties.