Sharif Digital Repository

Microfluidic systems create great development in diseases and drug delivery in various organs of the body. In this study, human pulmonary alveolar cell performance was evaluated from the perspective of the cell culture using a microfluidic system. For this purpose, numerical simulations of the microchip channels flow field are very important to select appropriate models. So in the first step, the flow field and particle deposition were simulated. Then an optimal model was selected based on key parameters such as cell feeding, shear stress exerted on the cell, particles distribution and also the limitations and possibilities for constructing. The numerical results show that the shear stress,... 

Organ-on-chip microfluidic devices create a three-dimensional and dynamic model that allows researchers to model diseases and test different drug candidates. In this regard, using a lung-on-a-chip microfluidic device, Covid-19 disease was numerically modeled. Initially, the distribution of oxygen concentration in the blood and respiratory membrane in the healthy state; when the respiratory membrane is the only barrier between air and blood; was found and observed that in this case, the length that the blood had to travel to reach full saturation was the same in the alveolar capillaries and the lung-on-a-chip microdevice. Then, to simulate the different phases of the disease, the formation of... 

In this study a mathematical model for intravitreal injection and depositing controlled release systems in the eye to treat posterior segment deseases is developed. The effects of important parameters that play a critical role in drug distribution are also studied.
Geometrical model is constructed using COMSOL software and governing equations for a 3-D model of drug distribution are solved by finite element method. The geometry is based on the exact dimensions of human eye and retina, choroid and sclera are considered separately. Choroidal losses to the circulatory system and active transport by the retinal pigment epithelium are incorporated as well. Moreover, two types of implant... 

The tumor is a collection of cells (cell mass) caused by the lack or ineffectiveness of cellular proliferation inhibitors. Many types of cancers are associated with the emergence of a tumor, a tissue with specific physiological characteristics. The tumors grow very fast so researchers try to prevent their growth and eventually destroy them. Thermal ablation by MWA(microwave ablation) is a common and minimally-invasive treatment for primary and secondary liver tumors that can not be cured by surgery. During treatment, the tissue is heated by microwaves and at a temperature higher than 50 degree Celsius, destroyed by thermal ablation. In this study, two thermal models have been used to... 

As diseases of eye’s posterior segment has got widespread outbreak in the world, the selection of treatment is very important. Until now, intravitreal injecton has been the most common way of drug delivery to the posterior segment. Although this method is effective, halflife of some drugs in the vitreous cavity, especially those with low molecular weight, is just about some hours. Therefore, it is necessary to repeat injection in order to maintain drug concentration level of the posterior segment in the desired level. Intravitreal injection is invasive and may cause severe adverse effects such as vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, endophthalmitis and cataract. In order to decrease the... 

By studying change of ion concentrations in animal cells, researchers have reach to important information about cell cycles such as cell growth, muscle cell contraction and cell migration. Manner and amount of passage of ions through cell membrane are basic information that for studying the cell cycle is required. In this thesis, by using two methods, Forward-Reverse constant velocity Steered Molecular Dynamics (FR-cv-SMD) and classical Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (EMD), diffusion coefficient and Potential of Mean Force (PMF) of sodium and potassium permeation through their protein channels are obtained. For verification the molecular dynamics (MD) methods, diffusion coefficient of K+... 

With the increasing development of the pharmaceutical industry and producing drugs with specific performance, its transfer into cells is also very important. Cell membranes are effectively impermeable to hydrophilic compounds unless the permeation is facilitated by dedicated transport systems. This means that many hydrophilic compounds, including many promising drug candidates, fail to reach their intracellular target because they cannot spontaneously cross lipid membranes. As a consequence, there is much interest in finding ways to facilitate the transport of molecules across cell membranes. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) in particular have shown much promise as potential delivery agents... 

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and despite all the advances in medical science, there isn't any definitive cure for it, yet. Researchers have recently considered the presence of cancer stem cells with the capability of tumorigenesis, invasion, metastasis, self-renewal, etc. as the main cause of inefficiency of cancer treatment. It means current therapies are able to kill the tumor mass, but they are not successful in confront of cancer stem cells and this causes the disease to recur a while after the apparent recovery. To study these specific cells, in this project, first the population of cancer stem-like cells was increased in the cancer cell mass, in other words,... 

Despite the extensive research conducted so far to treat cancer, this disease is still one of the main causes of death worldwide. The results of recent studies reveal the importance of the tumor microenvironment in the growth, proliferation, and invasion of the primary tumor. Most common models in cancer research, such as 2-dimensional in vitro models and xenografts, do not have sufficient ability to mimic the interaction of tumors with human stromal tissue. Therefore, the implementation of 3-dimensional in vitro models with the ability to replicate tumor microenvironments is essential. In this study, a microfluidic platform has been introduced to create parallel models of the tumor... 

In recent decades, due to the significant growth of implants’ application and considering the infection of the implants as the most momentous factor in implantation failure, study on the controlled drug release and other biologically active agents in modern drug delivery systems has attracted many kinds of research throughout the world and efforts are being made to use regulated drug delivery systems for implantation which is also the purpose of this current scientific work.To achieve this, the anodizing process was used to fabricate titanium oxide nanotubes (TNTs) to increase the absorption capacity of the drug in the implants and these TNTs were formed regularly and uniformly in an organic... 

Transdermal drug delivery systems are products which are known to have ability to pass drugs through the skin and into the blood, so medicine effects appear as a result. During the past two decades, many scientists interested in drug delivery through the skin. Constant blood plasma level and avoiding first-pass metabolism are advantages of this system compared to oral and intravenous systems. The biggest problem in the development of these systems, is impermeability of Stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis. In this study, design and evaluation of in vitro transdermal drug delivery system for granisetron serve as treatment of nausea and vomiting was performed. For this... 

Since the development of various anti-cancer drugs, numerous attempts have been made to decrease their off-target adverse effects anhance their efficiency.Among these efforts developing novel drug delivery systems have been demonstrate promising potentials and lots of carriers have reached the market and clinical phases.Although plentiful researches on different drug carriers, lots of problems in drug loading, release and final efficiency are yet remaind.In recent decade, graphene oxide and graphene aerogel have been attracted remarkable intrest as drug carriers, due to their biodegradable and biocompatible characteristics.Accordingly, in this study graphene aerogel have been synthesized... 

Nowadays, there is no perfect drug delivery for cancer therapy; also the healthy tissues can be damaged more than tumor tissues. To resolve this problem, the new drug delivery system based on nanostructured materials is useful. Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most important graphene derivatives and a potential candidate for drug delivery system. It has high specific surface area so that it can load and deliver the drug in a good manner. Hydrophobicity of graphene restricts its application in nanomedicine. In order to improve its solubility in water, graphene should be modified by hydrophilic polymers. Therefore, in this study, in order to activate the graphene surface and increase its... 

In recent years, many efforts have been made in the field of drug delivery with hydrogel nanoparticles. This class of materials has been at the center of attention in medical science due to their improved physical and biological properties including high amount of water preservation, penetration, bio capampatibility and physical structure similar to outside matrices of tissue. Among various applications in medical sciences, drug delivery based on hydrogels is very attractive. Hydrogels can protect drugs from aggressive environmental factors such as pH and thermal changes, and presence of enzymes. The porosity of hydrogels facilitates drug loading into the gel matrix and provides a... 

The main goal of this study is to prepare and investigate stimuli responsive structures that respond to the light and other environmental triggers. Also, investigating their applications in biological fields such as: drug delivery and tissue engineering, in addition to the application of these materials in the field of chemical sensors that show color change with changes in solvent, electric field and metal ions. In the matter of drug delivery, guest-host interactions were used to release anticancer drugs, in such a way that with ultraviolet light irradiation and simultaneously with the formation of the cis isomer, the connections between azobenzene groups and cyclodextrin rings are... 

Some chemotherapy drugs have unpleasant side effects and use them due to the instability and low solubility in blood flow is associated with problems and limitations.To solve these problems, controlled drug delivery systems have been proposed. In this process, the polymer increased solubility, stability and low toxicity and the active drug realease in a particular tissue or controlled speed. Therefore be less adverse side effects. Dextran is the one of biocompatible and water-soluble polysaccharides that due to its unique characteristics, widely used as carriers in drug delivery. Dextran molecules can bind to drugs and increased solubility, stability, and reduce their side effects.... 

With the fast progress of nanotechnology, targeted drug delivery systems have been widely developed due to decreasing in the drug dosage and subsequently side effects of them into body. These smart systems are able to response to the surroundings stimuli. External stimuli in comparison with internal stimuli are more controllable, and can release drug at the targeted side in the desirable times. In the recent studies, there has been an increasing interest in the usage of LASER as an external stimulus due to high precision, short time response, and suitable practical function. For cancer therapy, several studies have been done by focusing on the hyperthermia effects of gold nanoparticles. In... 

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of vision loss in those aged over 50. There are two main types of AMD, Wet and Dry form. Wet AMD is more severe though more treatable. There are three conventional treatments for AMD including laser therapy, surgery and intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF into the eye. Delivery of drugs to the posterior segment of the eye is still challenging and several implants and devices are currently under investigation for their ability to stimulate the retina, producing visual percepts. The application of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) has expanded tremendously from the time of its introduction into ophthalmic care since 3 years ago.... 

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of vision loss in those aged over 50. There are two main types of AMD, Wet and Dry form. Wet AMD is more severe though more treatable. There are three conventional treatments for AMD including laser therapy, surgery and intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF into the eye. Delivery of drugs to the posterior segment of the eye is still challenging and several implants and devices are currently under investigation for their ability to stimulate the retina, producing visual percepts. The application of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) has expanded tremendously from the time of its introduction into ophthalmic care since 3 years ago.... 

In this work, pH sensitive supramolecular shuttles consisting of carbon nanotube-graft-pyrene (CNT-graft-PYR) and hyperbranched polyglycerol with β-cyclodextrin core (β-CD-graft-PG) were synthesized and characterized. Supramolecular systems (PG/CNT/S) were able to load and transport doxorubicin in aqueous solutions. While PG/CNT/S were soluble in phosphate buffer pH 7, they were divided to their individual moieties in pH 5 and therefore CNTs containing staked doxorubicin molecules were precipitated