Resumo:
Violacein (Viol) is a purple biodye produced by Chromobacterium violaceum and other microorganisms that display many beneficial therapeutic properties including anticancer activity. However, Viol is a very hydrophobic molecule (XLogP3-aa= 2.7) which is a serious limitation for its prospective application as a therapeutic agent because of molecular aggregation (i.e., π-π stacking) and low bioavailability. Thus, Viol could be a promising new drug, and an excellent therapeutic agent if a suitable drug delivery system is developed. Viol was produced, purified, and spectroscopically characterized in our laboratory. Since Viol is a hydrophobic molecule, stable hydrophobic systems able to encapsulate and or entrap the dye and be compatible under physiological conditions with a proper release kinetic, and lack of toxicity can be considered as a potential drug carrier. Different strategies were developed in our laboratory to entrap Viol: 1) micelles composed of poloxamer 188 coated with a pectin/gelatin coacervate; 2) solid lipid nanoparticles composed of myristyl myristate containing ionic liquids (SAILs) based on the cation 1-alkylimidazolium ([CnHim]) with n= 10 to 16 alkyl carbon side chain lengths and four counterions, and 3) in a novel Stimuli-Responsive Controlled Release System platform composed of nanostructured lipid carrier and lipase loaded into a 3D-scaffold made of chitosan and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose produced by 3D-bioprinter designed, constructed and operated in our laboratory. All Viol systems were characterized by spectroscopic, thermogravimetric, and diverse microscopies. Also, the developed systems displayed high anticancer activity against HCT-116, A549, and HeLa cancer cell lines. These results could open novel strategies for the delivery of hydrophobic molecules and particularly some biodyes showing biocide activities.

*The results of the present work are part of the PhD Thesis of MSc. Ignacio Rivero Berti