Pós-colheita de mangas 'Tommy Atkins' recobertas com quitosana

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência de cobertura de quitosana na pós-colheita de mangas 'Tommy Atkins', colhidas de vez e armazenadas a 23 ºC (65% UR). As mangas foram adquiridas na CEAGESP de Ribeirão Preto-SP, e transportadas ao Laboratório de Tecnologia de Produtos Agrícolas da UNESP de Jaboticabal. Após a seleção, os frutos foram higienizados em solução de dicloro s. triazinatriona sódica di-hidratada (Sumaveg®) a 200 mg 100g-1 de cloro livre por 10 minutos, secadas, imersas nas soluções a 0%; 1,0%; 1,5% e 2,0% de quitosana por 1 minuto, secadas sob ventilação, acondicionadas em bandejas e armazenadas a 23±2 °C e 65±5% UR, por 9 dias. Foram utilizados três repetições com dois frutos cada. Avaliaram-se, a cada três dias, a perda de massa fresca, a cor, a firmeza, os teores de ácido ascórbico, de sólidos solúveis, de acidez titulável e sólidos solúveis / acidez titulável. O recobrimento com quitosana retarda o amadurecimento de mangas 'Tommy Atkins' de vez, durante nove dias de armazenamento a 23 ºC, sendo que a concentração de 1,5% propicia melhor manutenção da cor da polpa, dos teores de sólidos solúveis, de acidez titulável, de ácido ascórbico, dos valores de SS/AT e de firmeza.

Uso de embalagens plásticas e cobertura de quitosana na conservação pós-colheita de lichias

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação de quitosana, aplicada em pós-colheita, na proteção de uva 'Itália' contra Botrytis cinerea

Perdas significativas ocorrem durante o armazenamento e a comercialização de uvas de mesa devido, principalmente, à ocorrência do mofo cinzento (Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr.) e, para o controle de patógenos emprega-se, geralmente, o dióxido de enxofre (SO2). Diante da restrição crescente ao uso de produtos químicos em pós-colheita, tem ocorrido considerável interesse em métodos alternativos de controle. Este trabalho teve como principal objetivo avaliar os efeitos da quitosana, na proteção pós-colheita de uva 'Itália' contra B. cinerea. In vivo, avaliou-se o efeito direto e indireto da quitosana pelo tratamento dos cachos de uva, antes e após a inoculação com o patógeno. Utilizou-se quitosana nas concentrações de 0,00; 0,25; 0,50; 1,00; 1,50 e 2,00 % (v/v). Para inoculação, em 10 bagas de cada cacho de uva foram feitos ferimentos de ±2 mm de profundidade, procedendo-se em seguida, a aspersão da suspensão de conídios (±10(5) conídios.mL-1) de B. cinerea. Após os tratamentos, os cachos foram mantidos a 25±1 °C / 80-90 % UR e avaliados diariamente quanto à incidência e severidade da podridão. Avaliações in vitro do efeito do produto sobre o patógeno também foram realizadas analisando-se o crescimento micelial e a germinação dos conídios de B. cinerea. A solução de quitosana, nas concentrações de 1,5 e 2,0 % (v/v), quando empregada após a inoculação com B cinerea, reduziu significativamente o índice de doença no entanto, quando os cachos foram tratados antes da inoculação, não houve efeito significativo do tratamento sobre o desenvolvimento da doença. Nos ensaios in vitro, a solução de quitosana, nas maiores concentrações, suprimiu o crescimento micelial do patógeno e retardou a germinação dos conídios.

Wine classification by taste sensors made from ultra-thin films and using neural networks

This paper reports on a sensor array able to distinguish tastes and used to classify red wines. The array comprises sensing units made from Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of conducting polymers and lipids and layer-by-layer (LBL) films from chitosan deposited onto gold interdigitated electrodes. Using impedance spectroscopy as the principle of detection, we show that distinct clusters can be identified in principal component analysis (PCA) plots for six types of red wine. Distinction can be made with regard to vintage, vineyard and brands of the red wine. Furthermore, if the data are treated with artificial neural networks (ANNs), this artificial tongue can identify wine samples stored under different conditions. This is illustrated by considering 900 wine samples, obtained with 30 measurements for each of the five bottles of the six wines, which could be recognised with 100% accuracy using the algorithms Standard Backpropagation and Backpropagation momentum in the ANNs. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AC Biosusceptometry as a Tool for Monitoring the Gastrointestinal Transit of Multiparticulate Drug Delivery System

Drug delivery systems based on natural polysaccharides, such as chitosan (CS) and pectin (PC), rather than on synthetic polymers, have been widely studied. Some reasons for that are low toxicity and costs and high biodegradability of the formers. A multiparticulate system based on CS and PC was developed in our laboratories, including the addition of an enteric polymer, cellulose acetate phtalate (CAP). Such improvement promoted stronger gastric and enteric resistances, as assessed in vitro, making the systems more selective to enzymatic degradation in the colon. Although in vitro dissolution tests can simulate some properties concerning the gastrointestinal transit (GT), collaborating to characterize the systems behavior in the biological fluids, frequently they do not result in satisfactory in vitro/in vivo correlations. The objective of this work was to follow in vivo the GT of the particles developed by means of AC biosusceptometry (ACB), a non-invasive and of low cost methodology. The particles containing ferrite in powder form were prepared by complex coacervation using an ideal 3:1:1 mass ratio for PC:CS:CAP. The magnetic particles were administered to healthy volunteers by oral route. The GT was monitored by using multi-sensor ACB system and the signal acquisition was performed every IS min until the colonic region was reached. By means of ACB technique, it was possible to acquiring images generated by the magnetic particles within the whole gastrointestinal tract including the colonic region. Variable particles transit times were observed among the volunteers, but without interference on the mapping of the particles until the colonic region. The particles were able to produce magnetic field strong enough to generate signals adequate for mapping the particles. The results suggest that integral particles reached the colon, after they resisted against gastric and enteric media. Studies associating transit time and in vivo drug release are in development in order to confirm the efficiency of the systems.

Inclusões de quitosana no subcutâneo de rato: avaliação clínica, histológica e morfométrica

FUNDAMENTOS: A quitosana é polímero derivado da quitina, com vários tipos de aplicação na área médica. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a biocompatibilidade de membranas de quitosana no subcutâneo de ratos. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 20 ratos Wistar machos, nos quais foram implantadas membranas de quitosana, na região mediana dorsal. Os animais foram sacrificados: sete, 15, 30 e 60 dias após a cirurgia, tendo sido avaliados clinicamente durante o período experimental e com fotodocumentação no momento do sacrifício. Após o sacrifício, as membranas e tecidos adjacentes foram removidos e preparados para exame histológico e morfométrico. RESULTADOS: Nenhum animal apresentou efeitos adversos que pudessem ser atribuídos à implantação das membranas. O exame histológico mostrou que as inclusões são lisas e homogêneas e não são colonizadas por células do hospedeiro, sendo circundadas por pseudocápsula composta por fibroblastos e células inflamatórias. A morfometria da pseudocápsula revelou espessura semelhante durante todo o período experimental (P>0,05). CONCLUSÃO: A quitosana pode ser opção para uso como implante não integrado. Novos estudos devem ser realizados para comprovar a biocompatibilidade a longo prazo.

Avaliações clínica e morfométrica da capacidade angiogênica da membrana de quitosana em córneas de coelhos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Physicochemical characterization of nanoparticles formed between DNA and phosphorylcholine substituted chitosans

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Crystallization of bothrombin, a fibrinogen-converting serine protease isolated from the venom of Bothrops jararaca

Bothrombin, a snake-venom serine protease, specifically cleaves fibrinogen, releasing fibrinopeptide A to form non-crosslinked soft clots, aggregates platelets in the presence of exogeneous fibrinogen and activates blood coagulation factor VIII. Bothrombin shares high sequence homology with other snake-venom proteases such as batroxobin (94% identity), but only 30 and 34% identity with human alpha-thrombin and trypsin, respectively. Single crystals of bothrombin have been obtained and X-ray diffraction data have been collected at the Laboratorio Nacional de Luz Sincrotron to a resolution of 2.8 Angstrom. The crystals belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 94.81, b = 115.68, c = 155.97 Angstrom.

Efeito de casca de camarão, hidrolisado de peixe e quitosana no controle da murcha de Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. chrysanthemi em crisântemo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

SAXS study of gelation, aging and drying of silica-polypropyleneglycol hybrid materials

New silica-polypropyleneglycol ormosils (organically modified silicates) with covalent bends between the organic (polymer) and inorganic (silica) phases have been prepared by the sol-gel process. Their structural evolution during sol formation, sol-gel transition, gel aging and drying has been studied in situ by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The experimental SAXS curves corresponding to sols and gels exhibit features expected from fractal objects. Clusters of size around 55 Angstrom with an initial fractal dimension D = 2.4 are formed in the sol. They are constituted of small primary silica particles chemically crosslinked at the end of the polymer chains. A strong liquid-like spatial correlation between the silica particles develops during drying due to the shrinkage of the polymeric network induced by water and ethanol evaporation. The continuous increase in SAXS intensity during drying, while the interparticle distance remains constant, is a consequence of the progressive growth of the dry fraction of the total volume. After drying, the gel structure consists of a rather compact arrangement of silica particles embedded in the polypropyleneglycol matrix.

Synthesis and characterization of phosphorylcholine-substituted chitosans soluble in physiological pH conditions

A polymer analogous synthesis involving the reductive amination of phosphorylcholine (PC)-glyceraldehyde with primary amines of deacetylated chitosan (M-w approximate to 57000 g mol(-1)) was used to prepare phosphorylcholine-substituted chitosans (PC-CH) with a degree of substitution (DS) ranging from similar to 11 to similar to 53 mol% PC-substituted glucosamine residues. The PC-CH derivatives were characterized by H-1 NMR spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and multiangle laser light scattering gel permeation chromatography (MALLS-GPC). The pKa of the PC-substituted amine groups (pKa approximate to 7.20) was determined by H-1 NMR titration. The PC-CH samples (1.0 g L-1) were shown to be nontoxic using an MTT assay performed with human KB cells. Aqueous solutions of PC-CH samples (4.0 g L-(1)) of DS g 22 mol% PC-substituted glucosamine residues remained clear, independently of pH (4.0 < pH < 11.0). The remarkable water solubility and nontoxicity displayed by the new PC-CH samples open up new opportunities in the design of chitosan-based biomaterials and nanoparticles.

Use of Biopolymeric Membranes for Adsorption of Paraquat Herbicide from Water

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Nanostructured films from phthalocyanine and carbon nanotubes: Surface morphology and electrical characterization

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Crystal structure of a novel myotoxic Arg49 phospholipase A(2) homolog (zhaoermiatoxin) from Zhaoermia mangshanensis snake venom: Insights into Arg49 coordination and the role of Lys122 in the polarization of the C-terminus

The venom of Zhaoermia mangshanensis, encountered solely in Mt Mang in China's Hunan Province, exhibits coagulant, phosphodiesterase, L-amino acid oxidase, kallikrein, phospholipase A(2) and myotoxic activities. The catalytically inactive PLA(2) homolog referred to as zhaoermiatoxin is highly myotoxic and displays high myonecrotic and edema activities. Zhaoermiatoxin possesses a molecular weight of 13,972 Da, consists of 121 amino-acid residues crosslinked by seven disulfide bridges and shares high sequence homology with Lys49-PLA(2)s from the distantly related Asian pitvipers. However, zhaoermiatoxin possesses an arginine residue at position 49 instead of a lysine, thereby suggesting a secondary Lys49 -> Arg substitution which results in a catalytically inactive protein. We have determined the first crystal structure of zhaoermiatoxin, an Arg49-PLA(2), from Zhaoermia mangshanensis venom at 2.05 A resolution, which represents a novel member of phospholipase A(2) family. In this structure, unlike the Lys49 PLA(2)s, the C-terminus is well ordered and an unexpected non-polarized state of the putative calcium-binding loop due to the flip of Lys122 towards the bulk solvent is observed. The orientation of the Arg-49 side chain results in a similar binding mode to that observed in the Lys49 PLA(2)s; however, the guadinidium group is tri-coordinated by carbonyl oxygen atoms of the putative calcium-binding loop, whereas the N zeta atom of lysine is tetra-coordinated as a result of the different conformation adopted by the putative calcium-binding loop. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.