RAQUEL DO CARMO SANTOS

IIndicated for the treatment of severe hypertension, the drug Minoxidil is also recommended for reversing baldness, as it causes the growth of hair on the body. The problem, however, is that taking it without diuretics can even cause a heart attack. Because of the side effects, chemist Adriana Calderini began studies to encapsulate the drug in cyclodextrins – a molecule used as a carrier of substances in the body –, with the intention of reducing the adverse effects of ingesting the medication, through its sustained release, reducing direct contact with gastric mucous membranes. This is a trend in the pharmaceutical industry to seek alternatives so that taking medications does not affect other organs in the body.

According to Adriana Calderini, her study constitutes an initial step towards characterizing the vasodilator in this carrier. She explains that the first conclusions point to a more gradual degradation of the drug when inserted into the cyclodextrin cavity, increasing its protection without losing its original properties. The chemist evaluated the results on three different types of cyclodextrin, and the one that proved to be most compatible was the one called Beta, precisely on which there were no studies in the literature.

The master's thesis “Encapsulation and physicochemical characterization of the vasodilator drug Minoxidil in cyclodextrins” was supervised by professor Francisco Benedito Teixeira Pessine, from the Institute of Chemistry.