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Dive into the research topics where Giovanna Lollo is active.

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Featured researches published by Giovanna Lollo.


Biomacromolecules | 2009

Chitosan-alginate blended nanoparticles as carriers for the transmucosal delivery of macromolecules.

Francisco M. Goycoolea; Giovanna Lollo; Carmen Remuñán-López; Fabiana Quaglia; María J. Alonso

Nanoparticles intended for use in the transmucosal delivery of macromolecules were prepared by the ionic gelation of chitosan (CS) hydrochloride with pentasodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) and concomitant complexation with sodium alginate (ALG). The incorporation of a small proportion of ALG of increasing molecular weight (M(w); from 4 to 74 kDa) into the nanoparticles led to a monotonic increase in colloidal size from ∼260 to ∼525 nm. This increase in size was regarded as a consequence of the formation of gradually more expanded structures. Insulin, taken as a model peptide, was associated to CS-TPP-ALG nanoparticles with efficiencies in the range of ∼41 to ∼52%, irrespective of the M(w) of the ALG incorporated in the formulation. These CS-TPP-ALG nanoparticles exhibited a capacity to enhance the systemic absorption of insulin after nasal administration to conscious rabbits. Interestingly, it was observed that the duration of the hypoglycaemic response was affected by the ALGs M(w). Briefly, this work describes a new nanoparticulate composition of potential value for increasing nasal insulin absorption.


Biomaterials | 2016

Low dose gemcitabine-loaded lipid nanocapsules target monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells and potentiate cancer immunotherapy.

Maria Stella Sasso; Giovanna Lollo; Marion Pitorre; Samantha Solito; Laura Pinton; Sara Valpione; Guillaume Bastiat; Susanna Mandruzzato; Vincenzo Bronte; Ilaria Marigo; Jean-Pierre Benoit

Tumor-induced expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) is known to impair the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Among pharmacological approaches for MDSC modulation, chemotherapy with selected drugs has a considerable interest due to the possibility of a rapid translation to the clinic. However, such approach is poorly selective and may be associated with dose-dependent toxicities. In the present study, we showed that lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) loaded with a lauroyl-modified form of gemcitabine (GemC12) efficiently target the monocytic (M-) MDSC subset. Subcutaneous administration of GemC12-loaded LNCs reduced the percentage of spleen and tumor-infiltrating M-MDSCs in lymphoma and melanoma-bearing mice, with enhanced efficacy when compared to free gemcitabine. Consistently, fluorochrome-labeled LNCs were preferentially uptaken by monocytic cells rather than by other immune cells, in both tumor-bearing mice and human blood samples from healthy donors and melanoma patients. Very low dose administration of GemC12-loaded LNCs attenuated tumor-associated immunosuppression and increased the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy. Overall, our results show that GemC12-LNCs have monocyte-targeting properties that can be useful for immunomodulatory purposes, and unveil new possibilities for the exploitation of nanoparticulate drug formulations in cancer immunotherapy.


International Journal of Pharmaceutics | 2015

Development of multifunctional lipid nanocapsules for the co-delivery of paclitaxel and CpG-ODN in the treatment of glioblastoma

Giovanna Lollo; Marie Vincent; Gabriela Ullio-Gamboa; Laurent Lemaire; Florence Franconi; Dominique Couez; Jean-Pierre Benoit

In this work, multifunctional lipid nanocapsules (M-LNC) were designed to combine the activity of the cytotoxic drug paclitaxel (PTX) with the immunostimulant CpG. This nanosystem, consisting of modified lipid nanocapsules coated with a cationic polymeric shell composed of chitosan (CS), was able to allocate the hydrophobic drug PTX in the inner oily core, and to associate onto the surface the genetic material CpG. The CS-coated LNC (CS-LNC), showed a narrow size distribution with an average size of 70 nm and a positive zeta potential (+25 mV). They encapsulated PTX in a high amount (98%), and, due to the cationic surface charge, were able to adsorb CpG without losing stability. As a preliminary in vitro study, the apoptotic effect on GL261 glioma cells was investigated. The drug-loaded CS-LNC exhibited the ability to interact with glioma cells and induce an important apoptotic effect in comparison with blank systems. Finally, the M-LNC made of CS-LNC loaded with both CpG and PTX were tested in vivo, injected via convention enhanced delivery (CED) in GL261-glioma-bearing mice. The results showed that the overall survival of mice treated with the M-LNC was significantly increased in comparison with the control, Taxol(®), or the separated injection of PTX-loaded LNC and CpG. This effect was also confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which revealed the reduction of tumor growth in the animals treated with CpG and PTX-loaded M-LNC. All these findings suggested that the developed M-LNC could potentiate both CpG immunopotency and PTX antitumor activity by enhancing its delivery into the tumor microenvironment.


European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics | 2014

Polyglutamic acid–PEG nanocapsules as long circulating carriers for the delivery of docetaxel

Giovanna Lollo; Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez; Jérôme Bejaud; Tristan Montier; Catherine Passirani; Jean-Pierre Benoit; Marcos Garcia-Fuentes; María J. Alonso; Dolores Torres

Recently we reported for the first time a new type of nanocapsules consisting of an oily core and a polymer shell made of a polyglutamic acid-polyethylene glycol (PEG-PGA) grafted copolymer with a 24% w/w PEG content. The goal of the work presented here has been to develop a new version of these nanocapsules, in which the shell is made of a di-block PEG-PGA copolymer with a 57% w/w PEG content and to evaluate their potential for improving the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of the anticancer drug docetaxel (DCX). A comparative analysis of the biodistribution of fluorescently labeled PGA-PEG nanocapsules versus PGA nanocapsules or a control nanoemulsion (containing the same oil than the nanocapsules) showed that the nanocapsules, and in particular PEGylated nanocapsules, have significantly higher half-life, MRT (Mean Residence Time) and AUC (Area under the Curve) than the nanoemulsion. On a separate set of experiments, PGA-PEG nanocapsules were loaded with DCX and their antitumor efficacy was evaluated in a xenograft U87MG glioma mouse model. The results showed that the survival rate for mice treated with DCX-loaded nanocapsules was significantly increased over the control Taxotere®, while the antitumoral effect of both formulations was comparable (60% tumor growth inhibition with respect to the untreated mice). These results highlight the potential use of these novel nanocapsules as a new drug delivery platform in cancer therapy.


International Journal of Pharmaceutics | 2015

Enhanced in vivo therapeutic efficacy of plitidepsin-loaded nanocapsules decorated with a new poly-aminoacid-PEG derivative

Giovanna Lollo; Pablo Hervella; Pilar Calvo; Pablo Avilés; Maria Jose Guillen; Marcos Garcia-Fuentes; María J. Alonso; Dolores Torres

The focus of this study is to disclose a new delivery carrier intended to improve the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the anticancer drug plitidepsin and to favor its accumulation within the tumor. These nanocarriers named as nanocapsules, consist of an oily core surrounded by a highly PEGylated polyglutamic acid (PGA-PEG) shell loaded with plitidepsin. They showed a size of around 190 nm, a zeta potential of -24 mV and were able to encapsulate a high percentage (85%) of plitidepsin. In vivo studies, following intravenous injection in healthy mice, indicated that the encapsulation of the drug within PGA-PEG nanocapsules led to an important increase in its area under the curve (AUC) which is related to the important decrease of the clearance, as compared to the values observed for the drug dissolved in a Cremophor(®) EL solution. This improvement of the pharmacokinetic profile of the encapsulated plitidepsin was accompanied by a high increase (2.5-fold) of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in comparison to that of plitidepsin Cremophor(®) EL solution. The efficacy study performed in a xenograft tumor mice model evidenced the capacity of PGA-PEG nanocapsules to significantly reduce tumor growth. These promising results highlight the potential of PGA-PEG nanocapsules as an effective drug delivery system for cancer therapy.


Macromolecular Bioscience | 2016

Physical Properties and Stability of Soft Gelled Chitosan‐Based Nanoparticles

Francisco M. Goycoolea; Fabrice Brunel; Nour Eddine El Gueddari; Anna Coggiola; Giovanna Lollo; Bruno M. Moerschbacher; Carmen Remuñán-López; Thierry Delair; Alain Domard; María J. Alonso

We addressed the role of the degree of acetylation (DA) and of Mw of chitosan (CS) on the physical characteristics and stability of soft nanoparticles obtained through either ionic cross-linking with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), or reverse emulsion/gelation. Each of these methods affords nanoparticles (NPs) or nanogels (NGs), respectively. The size of CS-TPP NPs comprising CS of high Mw (≈123-266 kDa) increases with DA (≈1.6%-56%), while it do not change for CS of low Mw (≈11-13 kDa); the zeta potential (ζ) decreases with DA regardless of Mw (ζ ≈+34.6 ± 2.6 to ≈+25.2 + 0.6 mV) and the NPs appear as spheres in transmission electron microscopy. Stability in various cell culture media (pH 7.4 at 37 °C) is greater for NPs made with CS of DA ≥ 27%. In turn, NGs exhibit larger sizes (520 ± 32 to 682 ± 27 nm) than do CS-TPP NPs, and can only be formed with CS of DA < 30%. The average diameter size for these NGs shows a monotonic increase with CSs Mw . The physical properties and stability of these systems in biological media depend mostly on the DA of CS and its influence on the balance between hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions.


Materials Science and Engineering: C | 2018

In vitro anti-cancer activity and pharmacokinetic evaluation of curcumin-loaded lipid nanocapsules

Giovanna Lollo; Gabriela Ullio-Gamboa; Edmundo Fuentes; Kevin Matha; Nolwenn Lautram; Jean-Pierre Benoit

In the present work, lipid nanocapsules (LNC) for curcumin (CCM) encapsulation have been developed and optimized. The objective was to increase drug cytotoxicity on 9L glioma cells and drug bioavailability following intravenous administration (IV). Using the phase inversion technique, we obtained 50 nm LNC loaded with CCM (4 and 6 mg/mL) and, due to the hydrophobic nature of the drug, the encapsulation efficiency was very high, being around 90%. Following 48 h of incubation with 9L cells, CCM-loaded LNC were able to reduce the viability of glioma cells resulting in significant twofold lower IC50 in comparison with the free drug solution. Moreover, CCM-loaded LNC induced both the apoptosis of 9L cells and a strong release of ATP. This suggests a cellular uptake of the LNC and an enhanced anti-proliferative effect. In order to evaluate any alteration in the pharmacokinetic behavior of the encapsulated drug, CCM-loaded LNC were injected IV into healthy rats, at a dose of 10 mg/kg. CCM pharmacokinetic studies were carried out quantifying the CCM concentration from the blood of rats, receiving either CCM-loaded LNC or free CCM solution as a control. The results demonstrated that loaded LNC exhibited a significantly higher AUC, Cmax and t1/2 in comparison with the control, while the clearance was strongly reduced. Globally, these results encouraged the use of CCM-loaded LNC to enhance the in vivo therapeutic activity of the drug after systemic administration.


Journal of Nanoparticle Research | 2013

Polyarginine nanocapsules: a new platform for intracellular drug delivery

M. V. Lozano; Giovanna Lollo; Marta Alonso-Nocelo; José Antonio Fraiz Brea; Anxo Vidal; Dolores Torres; María J. Alonso


Journal of Controlled Release | 2013

A new potential nano-oncological therapy based on polyamino acid nanocapsules

Teresa Gonzalo; Giovanna Lollo; Marcos Garcia-Fuentes; Dolores Torres; Juan Correa; Ricardo Riguera; Eduardo Fernandez-Megia; Pilar Calvo; Pablo Avilés; Maria Jose Guillen; María J. Alonso


International Journal of Pharmaceutics | 2013

In vivo evaluation of poly-l-asparagine nanocapsules as carriers for anti-cancer drug delivery.

Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez; Giovanna Lollo; Tristan Montier; Jean-Pierre Benoit; Catherine Passirani; María J. Alonso; Dolores Torres

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María J. Alonso

University of Santiago de Compostela

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Dolores Torres

University of Santiago de Compostela

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Marcos Garcia-Fuentes

University of Santiago de Compostela

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Pilar Calvo

University of Santiago de Compostela

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Carmen Remuñán-López

University of Santiago de Compostela

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Gustavo R. Rivera-Rodriguez

University of Santiago de Compostela

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Pablo Hervella

University of Santiago de Compostela

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