Alquilação redutiva da quitosana a partir do glutaraldeído e 3-amino-1-pr

Chitosan derivatives were prepared by reductive alkylation using glutaraldehyde and 3-amino-1-propanol. The reducing agent used was the sodium borohydride. Tests of solubility, stability and viscosity were performed in order to evaluate these parameters effects in the reaction conditions (molar ratio of the reactants and presence of nitrogen in the reaction system). The molecular structure of commercial chitosan was determined by infrared (IR) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR). The intrinsic viscosity and average molecular weight of the chitosan were determined by viscosimetry in 0.3 M acetic acid aqueous solution 0.2 M sodium acetate at 25 ºC. The derivatives of chitosan soluble in aqueous acidic medium were characterized by 1H NMR. The rheological behavior of the chitosan and of the derivative of chitosan (sample QV), which presented the largest viscosity, were studied as a function of polymer concentration, temperature and ionic strength of the medium. The results of characterization of the commercial chitosan (the degree of deacetylation obtained equal 78.45 %) used in this work confirmed a sample of low molar weight (Mv = 3.57 x 104 g/mol) and low viscosity (intrinsic viscosity = 213.56 mL/g). The chemical modification of the chitosan resulted in derivatives with thickening action. The spectra of 1H NMR of the soluble derivatives in acid aqueous medium suggested the presence of hydrophobic groups grafted into chitosan in function of the chemical modification. The solubility of the derivatives of chitosan in 0.25 M acetic acid aqueous solution decreased with increase of the molar ratio of the glutaraldehyde and 3-amino-1-propanol in relation to the chitosan. The presence of nitrogen and larger amount of reducing agent in reaction system contributed to the increase of the solubility, the stability and the viscosity of the systems. The viscosity of the polymeric suspensions in function of the shear rate increased significantly with polymer concentration, suggesting the formation of strong intermolecular associations. The chitosan presented pseudoplastic behavior with the increase in polymer concentration at a low shear rate. The derivative QV presented pseudoplastic behavior at all concentrations used and in a large range of shear rate. The viscosity of chitosan in solution decreased with an increase of the temperature and with the presence of salt. However, there was an increase of the viscosity of the chitosan solution at higher temperature (65 ºC) and ionic strength of the medium which were promoted by hydrophobic associating of the acetamide groups. The solutions of the chitosan derivatives (sample QV) were significantly more viscous than chitosan solution and showed higher thermal stability in the presence of salt as a function of the hydrophobic groups grafted into chitosan backbone

Avaliação da estabilidade térmica e oxidativa dos biodieseis de algodão, girassol, dendê e sebo bovino

The search for new sources of environmentally friendly energy is growing every day. Among these alternative energies, biodiesel is a biofuel that has had prominence in world production. In Brazil, law 11.097, determine that all diesel sold in the country must be made by mixing diesel/biodiesel. The latter called BX, , where X represents the percent volume of biodiesel in the diesel oil, as specified by the ANP. In order to guarantee the quality of biodiesel and its mixtures, the main properties which should be controlled are the thermal and oxidative stability. These properties depend mainly of the chemical composition on the raw materials used to prepare the biodiesel. This dissertation aims to study the overall thermal and oxidative stability of biodiesel derived from cotton seed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil and beef tallow, as well as analyze the properties of the blends made from mineral oil and biodiesel in proportion B10. The main physical-chemical properties of oils and animal fat, their respective B100 and blends were determined. The samples were characterized by infrared and gas chromatography (GC). The study of thermal and oxidative stability were performed by thermogravimetry (TG), pressure differential scanning calorimeter (PDSC) and Rancimat. The obtained biodiesel samples are within the specifications established by ANP Resolution number 7/2008. In addition, all the blends and mineral diesel analyzed presented in conformed withthe ANP Regularion specifications number 15/2006. The obtained results from TG curves data indicated that the cotton biodiesel is the more stable combustible. In the kinetic study, we obtained the following order of apparent activation energy for the samples: biodiesel from palm oil > sunflower biodiesel > tallow biodiesel > cotton biodiesel. In terms of the oxidative stability, the two methods studied showed that biodiesel from palm oil is more stable then the tallow. Within the B100 samples studied only the latter were tound to be within the standard required by ANP resolution N° 7. Testing was carried out according to the EN14112. This higher stability its chemical composition

Encapsulação de nanopartículas de magnetita em matriz de poli(metacrilato de metilacoácido metacrílico) por processo de polimerização em miniemulsão

Magnetic particles are systems with potential use in drug delivery systems, ferrofluids, and effluent treatment. In many situations, such as in biomedical applications, it is necessary to cover magnetic particles with an organic material, as polymers. In this work, magnetic particles were obtained through covering magnetite particles with poly(methyl methacrylate‐comethacrylic acid) via miniemulsion polymerization process. The resultant materials were characterized X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), zeta potential (��) measurements and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). XRD results showed magnetite as the predominant cristalline phase in all samples and that cristallites had nanometric dimensions. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed an increase in polymer thermal stability as a result of magnetite encapsulation. TGA results showed also that the encapsulation efficiency was directly related to nanoparticles s hidrofobicity degree. VSM measurements showed that magnetic polymeric particles were superparamagnetic, so that they may be potentially used for magnetic (bio)separation

Obtenção de polímeros graftizados de quitosana e estudo das propriedades físico-químicas para aplicação na indústria do petróleo

Chitosan is a biopolymer derived from the shells of crustaceans, biodegradable, inexpensive and renewable with important physical and chemical properties. Moreover, the different modifications possible in its chemical structure generate new properties, making it an attractive polysaccharide owing to its range of potential applications. Polymers have been used in oil production operations. However, growing concern over environmental constraints has prompted oil industry to search for environmentally sustainable materials. As such, this study sought to obtain chitosan derivatives grafted with hydrophilic (poly(ethylene glycol), mPEG) and/or hydrophobic groups (n-dodecyl) via a simple (one-pot) method and evaluate their physicochemical properties as a function of varying pH using rheology, small-angle Xray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. The chitosan derivatives were prepared using reductive alkylation under mild reaction conditions and the chemical structure of the polymers was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and CHN elemental analysis. Considering a constant mPEG/Chitosan molar ratio on modification of chitosan, the solubility of the polymer across a wide pH range (acidic, neutral and basic) could only be improved when some of the amino groups were submitted to reacetylation using the one-pot method. Under these conditions, solubility is maintained even with the simultaneous insertion of n-dodecyl. On the other hand, the solubility of derivatives obtained only through mPEG incorporation using the traditional methodology, or with the ndodecyl group, was similar to that of its precursor. The hydrophilic group promoted decreased viscosity of the polymer solutions at 10 g/L in acid medium. However, at basic pH, both viscosity and thermal stability increased, as well as exhibited a pronounced pseudoplastic behavior, suggesting strong intermolecular associations in the alkaline medium. The SAXS results showed a polyelectrolyte behavior with the decrease in pH for the polymer systems. DLS analyses revealed that although the dilute polymer solutions at 1 g/L and pH 3 exhibited a high density of protonated amino groups along the polymer chain, the high degree of charge contributed significantly to aggregation, promoting increased particle size with the decrease in pH. Furthermore, the hydrophobic group also contributed to increasing the size of aggregates in solution at pH 3, whereas the hydrophilic group helped reduce their size across the entire pH range. Nevertheless, the nature of aggregation was dependent on the pH of the medium. Zeta potential results indicated that its values do not depend solely on the surface charge of the particle, but are also dependent on the net charge of the medium. In this study, water soluble associative polymers exhibit properties that can be of great interest in the petroleum industry

Avaliação das propriedades físico-químicas de sistemas a base de carboximetilcelulose e poli (N-isopropilacrilamida) em soluções aquosas para aplicação na indústria do petróleo

Sustainable development is a major challenge in the oil industry and has aroused growing interest in research to obtain materials from renewable sources. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is a polysaccharide derived from cellulose and becomes attractive because it is water-soluble, renewable, biodegradable and inexpensive, as well as may be chemically modified to gain new properties. Among the derivatives of carboxymethylcellulose, systems have been developed to induce stimuli-responsive properties and extend the applicability of multiple-responsive materials. Although these new materials have been the subject of study, understanding of their physicochemical properties, such as viscosity, solubility and particle size as a function of pH and temperature, is still very limited. This study describes systems of physical blends and copolymers based on carboxymethylcellulose and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), with different feed percentage compositions of the reaction (25CMC, 50CMC e 75CMC), in aqueous solution. The chemical structure of the polymers was investigated by infrared and CHN elementary analysis. The physical blends were analyzed by rheology and the copolymers by UV-visible spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. CMC and copolymer were assessed as scale inhibitors of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) using dynamic tube blocking tests and chemical compatibility tests, as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermothickening behavior was observed for the 50 % CMC_50 % PNIPAM and 25 % CMC_75 % PNIPAM physical blends in aqueous solution at concentrations of 6 and 2 g/L, respectively, depending on polymer concentration and composition. For the copolymers, the increase in temperature and amount of PNIPAM favored polymer-polymer interactions through hydrophobic groups, resulting in increased turbidity of polymer solutions. Particle size decreased with the rise in copolymer PNIPAM content as a function of pH (3-12), at 25 °C. Larger amounts of CMC result in a stronger effect of pH on particle size, indicating pH-responsive behavior. Thus, 25CMC was not affected by the change in pH, exhibiting similar behavior to PNIPAM. In addition, the presence of acidic or basic additives influenced particle size, which was smaller in the presence of the additives than in distilled water. The results of zeta potential also showed greater variation for polymers in distilled water than in the presence of acids and bases. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM determined by DLS corroborated the value obtained by UV-visible spectroscopy. SAXS data for PNIPAM and 50CMC indicated phase transition when the temperature increased from 32 to 34 °C. A reduction in or absence of electrostatic properties was observed as a function of increased PNIPAM in copolymer composition. Assessment of samples as scale inhibitors showed that CMC performed better than the copolymers. This was attributed to the higher charge density present in CMC. The SEM micrographs confirmed morphological changes in the CaCO3 crystals, demonstrating the scale inhibiting potential of these polymers

Desenvolvimento de sistema magnético polimérico contendo antimicrobianos para tratamento de infecções por Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The most recommended treatment for eradication of this bacteria often leads to side effects and patient poor compliance, which induce treatment failure. Magnetic drug targeting is a very efficient method that overcomes these drawbacks through association of the drug with a magnetic compound. Such approach may allow such systems to be placed slowed down to a specific target area by an external magnetic field. This work reports a study of the synthesis and characterization of polymeric magnetic particles loaded with the currently used antimicrobial agents for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections, aiming the production of magnetic drug delivery system by oral route. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms and vibrating sample magnetometry revealed that the magnetite particles, produced by the co-precipitation method, consisted of a large number of aggregated nanometer-size crystallites (about 6 nm), creating superparamagnetic micrometer with high magnetic susceptibility particles with an average diameter of 6.8 ± 0.2 μm. Also, the polymeric magnetic particles produced by spray drying had a core-shell structure based on magnetite microparticles, amoxicillin and clarithromycin and coated with Eudragit® S100. The system presented an average diameter of 14.2 ± 0.2 μm. The amount of magnetite present in the system may be tailored by suitably controlling the suspension used to feed the spray dryer. In the present work it was 2.9% (w/w). The magnetic system produced may prove to be very promising for eradication of Helicobacter pylori infections

Estudo paramétrico da injeção de polímeros em reservatórios de petróleo

Developing an efficient methodology for oil recovery is extremely important . Within the range of enh anced oil recovery, known as EOR, the injection of polymer solutions becomes effective in controlling the mobility of displacing fluid . This method consists of adding polymers to the injection water to increase its viscosity, so that more water diffuses in to the porous medium and increasing the sweep efficiency in the reservoir. This work is studied by numerical simulation , application of the injection polymer solution in a homogeneous reservoir , semisynthetic with similar characteristics to the reservoirs of the Brazilian Northeast , numerical simulations were performed using thermal simulator STARS from CMG (Computer Modelling Group ). The study aimed to analyze the influence of some parameters on the behavior of reservoir oil production, with the response to cumulative production. Simulations were performed to analyze the influence of water injection, polymer solution and alternating injection of water banks and polymer solution, comparing the results for each simulated condition. The primary outcomes were: oil viscosity, percentage of injected polymer, polymer viscosity and flow rate of water injection. The evaluation of the influence of variables consisted of a complete experimental design followed a Pareto analysis for the purpose of pointing out which va riables would be most influential on the response represented b y the cumulative oil production . It was found that all variables significantly influenced the recovery of oil and the injection of polymer solution on an ongoing basis is more efficient for the cumulative production compared to oil recovery by continuous water injection. The primary recovery show ed low levels of oil production , water injection significantly improves the pro duction of oil in the reservoir , but the injection of polymer solution em erges as a new methodology to increase the production of oil, increasing the life of the well and possible reduction of water produced.

Desenvolvimento de bionanocompósitos: nano e microcristais de celulose com poli (álcool vinílico) e poli (ácido lático)

This work has the main objective to obtain nano and microcrystals of cellulose, extracted from the pineapple leaf fibres (PALF), as reinforcement for the manufacture of biocomposite films with polymeric matrices of Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and Poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The polymer matrices and the nano and microcrystals of cellulose were characterised by means of TGA, FTIR and DSC. The analysis was performed on the pineapple leaves to identify the macro and micronutrients. The fibers of the leaves of the pineapple were extracted in a desfibradeira mechanical. The PALF extracted were washed to remove washable impurities and subsequently treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) in the removal of impurities, such as fat, grease, pectates, pectin and lignin. The processed PALF fibers were hydrolysed in sulfuric acid (H2SO4) at a concentration of 13.5 %, to obtain nano and microcrystals of cellulose. In the manufacture of biocomposite films, concentrations of cellulose, 0 %, 1 %, 3 %, 6 %, 9% and 12% were used as reinforcement to the matrices of PVA and PLA. The PVA was dissolved in distilled water at 80 ± 5 oC and the PLA was dissolved in dichloromethane at room temperature. The manufacture of biocompósitos in the form of films was carried out by "casting". Tests were carried out to study the water absorption by the films and mechanical test of resistance to traction according to ASTM D638-10 with a velocity of 50 mm/min.. Chi-square statistical test was used to check for the existence of significant differences in the level of 0.05: the lengths of the PALF, lengths of the nano and microcrystals of cellulose and the procedures used for the filtration using filter syringe of 0.2 μm or filtration and centrifugation. The hydrophilicity of biocompósitos was analysed by measuring the contact angle and the thickness of biocompósitos were compared as well as the results of tests of traction. Statistical T test - Student was also applied with the significance level (0.05). In biodegradation, Sturm test of standard D5209 was used. Nano and microcrystals of cellulose with lengths ranging from 7.33 nm to 186.17 nm were found. The PVA films showed average thicknesses of 0.153 μm and PLA 0.210 μm. There is a strong linear correlation directly proportional between the traction of the films of PVA and the concentration of cellulose in the films (composite) (0,7336), while the thickness of the film was correlated in 0.1404. Nano and microcrystals of cellulose and thickness together, correlated to 0.8740. While the correlation between the cellulose content and tensile strength was weak and inversely proportional (- 0,0057) and thickness in -0.2602, totaling -0,2659 in PLA films. This can be attributed to the nano and microcrystals of cellulose not fully adsorbed to the PLA matrix. In the comparison of the results of the traction of the two polymer matrices, the nano and microcrystals have helped in reducing the traction of the films (composite) of PLA. There was still the degradation of the film of PVA, within a period of 20 days, which was not seen in the PLA film, on the other hand, the observations made in the literature, the average time to start the degradation is above 60 days. What can be said that the films are biodegradable composites, with hydrophilicity and the nano and microcrystals of cellulose, contribute positively in the improvement of the results of polymer matrices used.

Micropartículas de quitosana estruturadas com aerosil®: estabilidade, adsorção, encapsulação e liberação de substâncias ativas

Biodegradable microspheres used as controlled release systems are important in pharmaceutics. Chitosan biopolymer represents an attractive biomaterial alternative because of its physicochemical and biological characteristics. Chitosan microspheres are expected to become promising carrier systems for drug and vaccine delivery, especially for non-invasive ways oral, mucosal and transdermal routes. Controlling the swelling rate and swelling capacity of the hydrogel and improving the fragile nature of microspheres under acidic conditions are the key challenges that need to be overcomed in order to enable the exploration of the full pharmaceutical potential use of these microparticles. Many studies have focused on the modification of chitosan microsphere structures with cross-linkers, various polymers blends and new organic-inorganic hybrid systems in order to obtain improved properties. In this work, microspheres made of chitosan and nanosized hydrophobic silica (Aerosil R972) were produced by a method consisting of two steps. First, a preparation of a macroscopically homogeneous chitosan-hydrophobic silica dispersion was prepared followed by spray drying. FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the microspheres. Also, the were conducted acid stability, moisture sorption capacity, release properties and biological assays. The chitosan-hydrophobic silica composite microspheres showed improved thermal degradation, lower water affinity, better acid stability and ability to retard rifampicin and propranolol hydrochloride (drug models) release under simulated physiological conditions. In vitro biocompatibility studies indicated low cytotoxicity and low capacity to activate cell production of the pro-inflammatory mediator nitric oxide. The results show here encourage further studies on the use of the new chitosan-hydrophobic silica composite microspheres as drug carrier systems via oral or nasal routes.

Aplicação de géis de goma guar no processo de clarificação de salmouras e águas produzidas

Produced water is considered the main effluent of the oil industry, due to their increased volume in mature fields and its varied composition. The oil and grease content (TOG) is the main parameter for the final disposal of produced water. In this context, it is of great significance to develop an alternative method based on guar gum gel for the treatment of synthetic produced water, and using as the differential a polymer having high hydrophilicity for clarifying waters contaminated with oil. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the efficiency of guar gum gels in the remotion of oil from produced water. Guar gum is a natural polymer that, under specific conditions, forms three-dimensional structures, with important physical and chemical properties. By crosslinking the polymer chains by borate ions in the presence of salts, the effect salting out occurs, reducing the solubility of the polymer gel in water. As a result, there is phase separation with the oil trapped in the collapsed gel. The TOG was quantified from the spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and visible region. The system was proven to be highly efficient in the removal of dispersed oil from water produced synthetically, reaching removal percentages above 90%.

Influência do retardante de chamas nas propriedades mecânicas e flamabilidade em compósitos poliméricos de epóxi/fibra de curauá

Currently, there is a great search for materials derived from renewable sources. The vegetable fibers as reinforcement for polymer matrixes, has been used as an alternative to replace synthetic fibres, being biodegradable and of low cost. The present work aims to develop a composite material with epoxy resin reinforced with curauá fibre with the addition of alumina trihydrate (aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3) as a flame retardant, which was used in proportions of 10 %, 20% and 30% of the total volume of the composite. The curauá fibers have gone through a cleaning process with an alkaline bath of sodium hydroxide (NaOH ), parallelized by hand and cut carding according to the default length . They were molded composites with fibers 30cm. Composites were molded in a Lossy Mold with unidirectional fibres in the proportion of 20% of the total volume of the composite. The composites were prepared in the Chemical Processing Laboratory of the Textile Engineering Department at UFRN. To measure the performance of the material, tests for the resistance to traction and flexion were carried out. with samples that were later analyzed in the Electronic Microscopy Apparatus (SEM ). The composites showed good mechanical properties by the addition of flame retardant and in some cases, leaving the composite more vulnerable to breakage. These mechanical results were analyzed by chi-square statistical test at the 5% significance level to check for possible differences between the composite groups. Flammability testing was conducted based on the standard Underwriters Laboratory 94 and the material showed a satisfactory result taking their average burn rate (mm / min) decreasing with increasing addition of the flame retardant composite.

Efeito da força iônica nas propriedades de fluidos de perfuração aquosos à base de polímeros carboxilados e sulfatados

In the well drilling operations problems caused by contamination of the drilling fluid are common. The dissolution of ions from the geological formations affects the rheological and filtration properties of the fluids. These ions shield the charges of ionic polymers, leading to its precipitation. In this work was performed a detailed study on the stability of the properties of aqueous solutions and aqueous drilling fluids in the presence of sulphated and carboxylated polymers, using carboxymethylcellulose and kappa-carrageenan as polymer compounds carboxylated and sulfated model, respectively. The effects of ionic strength of the aqueous medium containing Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ on rheological properties of the polymer and drilling fluids solutions were evaluated by varying the concentration of salts, pH and temperature. It was observed that the fluids with κ-carrageenan suffered less influence against the contamination by the ions at pH 9 to 10, even at higher concentrations, but higher influence on pH> 11. The fluids containing carboxymethylcellulose were more sensitive to contamination, with rapid reduction in viscosity and significant increase of the filtrate volume, while the fluid based polymer sulfated kappa-carrageenan showed evidence of interaction with cations and preserve the rheological properties and improved stability the volume of filtrate.

Efeito da força iônica nas propriedades de fluidos de perfuração aquosos à base de polímeros carboxilados e sulfatados

In the well drilling operations problems caused by contamination of the drilling fluid are common. The dissolution of ions from the geological formations affects the rheological and filtration properties of the fluids. These ions shield the charges of ionic polymers, leading to its precipitation. In this work was performed a detailed study on the stability of the properties of aqueous solutions and aqueous drilling fluids in the presence of sulphated and carboxylated polymers, using carboxymethylcellulose and kappa-carrageenan as polymer compounds carboxylated and sulfated model, respectively. The effects of ionic strength of the aqueous medium containing Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ on rheological properties of the polymer and drilling fluids solutions were evaluated by varying the concentration of salts, pH and temperature. It was observed that the fluids with κ-carrageenan suffered less influence against the contamination by the ions at pH 9 to 10, even at higher concentrations, but higher influence on pH> 11. The fluids containing carboxymethylcellulose were more sensitive to contamination, with rapid reduction in viscosity and significant increase of the filtrate volume, while the fluid based polymer sulfated kappa-carrageenan showed evidence of interaction with cations and preserve the rheological properties and improved stability the volume of filtrate.

Nanopartículas catiônicas de poli (ácido lático) para liberação modificada de peptídios da peçonha do escorpião Tityus serrulatus

Reported accidents involving the poisoning scorpions are still frequent in Brazil, mainly caused by Tityus serrulatus, known as yellow scorpion. Although antivenom sera are produced routinely by various government laboratories, the effectiveness of its use depends on how quickly treatment is initiated and efficiency in the production of antibodies by the immunized animals. In this study, the development of cationic polymeric nanoparticles of poly(lactic acid) aimed to create a modified delivery system for peptides and proteins of T. serrulatus venom, able to enhance the production of serum antibodies against the scorpion toxins. The cationic nanoparticles were obtained by a low energy nanoprecipitation, after study of the parameters’ variations effects over the physicochemical properties of the particles. The surface functionalization of the nanoparticles with the hyperbranched polyethyleneimine was proved by zeta potential analysis and enabled the adsorption by electrostatic interaction of different types of proteins. The protein loading efficiency of 40-80 % to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 100 % to scorpion venom peptides evaluated by spectrophotometry and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis confirmed the success of the selected parameters established for obtainment of nanoparticles, produced with size between 100 to 250 nm. The atomic force microscopy analysis and in vitro release showed that the spherical nanoparticles provided a sustained release profile of proteins by diffusion mechanism, demonstrating the potential for application of the nanoparticles in vivo.

Nanopartículas catiônicas de poli (ácido lático) para liberação modificada de peptídios da peçonha do escorpião Tityus serrulatus

Reported accidents involving the poisoning scorpions are still frequent in Brazil, mainly caused by Tityus serrulatus, known as yellow scorpion. Although antivenom sera are produced routinely by various government laboratories, the effectiveness of its use depends on how quickly treatment is initiated and efficiency in the production of antibodies by the immunized animals. In this study, the development of cationic polymeric nanoparticles of poly(lactic acid) aimed to create a modified delivery system for peptides and proteins of T. serrulatus venom, able to enhance the production of serum antibodies against the scorpion toxins. The cationic nanoparticles were obtained by a low energy nanoprecipitation, after study of the parameters’ variations effects over the physicochemical properties of the particles. The surface functionalization of the nanoparticles with the hyperbranched polyethyleneimine was proved by zeta potential analysis and enabled the adsorption by electrostatic interaction of different types of proteins. The protein loading efficiency of 40-80 % to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 100 % to scorpion venom peptides evaluated by spectrophotometry and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis confirmed the success of the selected parameters established for obtainment of nanoparticles, produced with size between 100 to 250 nm. The atomic force microscopy analysis and in vitro release showed that the spherical nanoparticles provided a sustained release profile of proteins by diffusion mechanism, demonstrating the potential for application of the nanoparticles in vivo.