Construção e aplicação de biossensores usando diferentes procedimentos de imobilização da peroxidase de vegetal em matriz de quitosana

Biosensors were developed by immobilization of gilo (Solanum gilo) enzymatic extract on chitosan biopolymers using three different procedures: glutaraldehyde, carbodiimide/glutaraldehyde and epichlorohydrin/glutaraldehyde. The best biosensor performance was obtained after the immobilization of peroxidase on chitosan with epichlorohydrin/glutaraldehyde. Linear analytical curves for hydroquinone concentrations from 2.5x10-4 to 4.5x10-3 mol L-1 with a detection limit of 2.0x10-6 mol L-1 and recovery of hydroquinone ranging from 95.1 to 105% were obtained. The relative standard deviation was < 1.0 % for a solution of 3.0x10-4 mol L-1 hydroquinone and 2.0x10-3 mol L-1 hydrogen peroxide in 0.1 mol L-1 phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0 (n=8). The lifetime of this biosensor was 6 months (at least 300 determinations).

Extração, estruturas e propriedades de alfa- e beta-quitina

The fact that alpha- and beta-chitin adopt different arrays in the solid state is explored to emphasize their different properties and distinct spectral characteristics and X ray diffraction patterns. The methods for their extraction from the biomass in view of the preservation of their native structures and aiming to fulfill the claims of purity and uniformity for potential applications are discussed. The different arrays adopted by alpha- and beta-chitin also result in distinct reactivities toward the deacetylation reaction. Thus, the deacetylation of beta-chitin is more efficient owing to the better accessibility to amide groups due to the lower crystallinity of this polymorph.

Adsorção de íons cobre(II) pela quitosana usando coluna em sistema sob fluxo hidrodinâmico

The adsorption of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution by chitosan using a column in a closed hydrodynamic flow system is described. The adsorption capacities as a function of contact time of copper(II) ions and chitosan were determined by varying the ionic strength, temperature and the flow of the metal solution. The Langmuir model reproduced the adsorption isothermal data better than the Freundlich model. The experimental kinetic data correlate properly with the second-order kinetic reaction for the whole set of experimental adsorption conditions. The rate constants exercise great influence on the time taken for equilibrium to be established by complexation or electrostatic interaction between the amino groups of chitosan and the metal.

Desenvolvimento de um método empregando quitosana para remoção de íons metálicos de águas residuárias

In this work a method was developed for removing metallic ions from wastewaters by co-precipitation of Cu2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, Cr3+ and Hg2+ with chitosan and sodium hydroxide solution. Solutions of these metallic ions in the range from 0.55 to 2160 mg L-1 were added to chitosan dissolved in 0.05 mol L-1 HCl. For the co-precipitation of metal-chitosan-hydroxide a 0.17 mol L-1 NaOH solution was added until pH 8.5-9.5. A parallel study was carried out applying a 0.17 mol L-1 NaOH solution to precipitate those metallic ions. Also, a chitosan solid phase column was used for removing those metallic ions from wastewaters.

Determinação voltamétrica por redissolução anódica de Cu(II) em águas residuárias empregando um eletrodo de pasta de carbono modificado com quitosana

The electrochemical applications of a CPE modified with chitosan for the determination of Cu(II) in wastewater samples using anodic stripping voltammetry are described. The best voltammetric response was observed for a paste containing 25% m/m of chitosan. A 0.10 mol L-1 NaNO3 solution (pH 6.5) as supporting electrolyte, a pre-concentration potential of -0.20 V, pre-concentration time of 270 s and a scan rate of 25 mV s-1 were selected. The calibration graph was linear in the Cu(II) concentration range from 2.0 x 10-7 to 7.4 x 10-6 mol L-1, with a detection limit of 8.3 x 10-8 mol L-1.

Um sistema simples para preparação de microesferas de quitosana

This article describes the construction and optimization of an inexpensive apparatus for the production of uniform and porous chitosan microspheres. It also describes the control of the main operational parameters and strategies for the production of uniform chitosan microspheres.

Avaliação de géis obtidos a partir da acetilação da quitosana em meio heterogêneo

Chitosan was acetylated during 2, 5 and 10h and physical gels were obtained at different polymer concentrations in N,N-dimethylacetamide containing 5% of LiCl. Acetylation was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and 13C NMR, and degrees of acetylation in the range of 0.82-0.91 were determined by NMR. The O-acetylation degree (0.12-0.15) was exclusively determined by a volumetric method. Rheological studies showed that the storage modulus values were smaller for the more acetylated samples and increased with the temperature and the polymer concentration. All the gels presented storage modulus superior to loss modulus, evidencing more elastic than viscous characteristics. The results obtained in this work suggest a gelation process based on a balance between O and N-acetylation and intermolecular bonds.

Adsorção de arsênio(V) pela quitosana ferro - III reticulada

The removal of As(V) by a crosslinked iron(III)-chitosan adsorbent was evaluated under various conditions. The adsorption capacity of CH-FeCL was around 54 mg/g of As(V). The kinetics of adsorption obeys a pseudo-first-order model with rate constants equal to 0.022, 0.028, and 0.033 min-1 at 15, 25 and 35 ºC respectively. Adsorption data were well described by the Langmuir model, although they could be modeled also by the Langmuir-Freundlich equation. The maximum adsorption capacity, calculated with the Langmuir model, was 127 mg g-1 of As(V). The inhibition by competing anions is dependant on their kind and valence.

Microencapsulação do agente quelante sulfoxina em microesferas de quitosana preparadas por spray drying como novo adsorvente para íons metálicos

In this work, a new adsorbent was prepared by microencapsulation of sulfoxine into chitosan microspheres by the spray drying technique. The new adsorbent was characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and microanalysis of energy dispersive X-rays. The Cu(II) adsorption was studied as a function of pH, time and concentration. The optimum pH was found to be 6.0. The kinetic and equilibrium data showed that the adsorption process followed the pseudo second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model over the entire concentration range. An increase of 8.0% in the maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent (53.8 mg g-1) was observed as compared to chitosan glutaraldehyde cross-linked microspheres.

Preparação e caracterização de blendas de quitosana/poli(álcool vinílico) reticuladas quimicamente com glutaraldeído para aplicação em engenharia de tecido

In this study, novel Chitosan/PVA based films were chemically crosslinked by glutaraldehyde, under pH=(4,00 ±0,05), in order to achieve structures tailored for wound tissue engineering applications. Both precursors and developed films were characterized by FTIR, SEM and XRD in order to determine the presence of chemicals groups and nanostructural order, respectively. The results have shown that the glutaraldehyde crosslinking have altered the crystallinity of pure chitosan and the increase on the C=N bands and simultaneous decrease on NH2 bands suggested that Chitosan/GA crosslinking has preference to occur in carbon-2 of the saccharide ring by the Schiff's base reaction. Also, FTIR spectroscopy clearly showed that crosslinking has also taken place with blends of PVA and chitosan. The mechanical properties presented high degree dependence with on the increase of the content of chitosan and glutaraldehyde. The results have indicated that, by controlling the ratio [PVA]/[chitosan] in the blends and the extent of chemical crosslinking, it was possible to tailor the hybrid network produced aiming to obtain properties of interest for the specific application.

Obtenção e caracterização de α-quitina e quitosanas de cascas de Macrobrachium rosembergii

The shells of Macrobrachium rosenbergii were submitted to deproteinization (Dp) and demineralization (Dm) aiming the extraction of α-chitin. The different parts of the shells were processed independently by carrying out sequence 1 (Dp/Dm) and sequence 2 (Dm/Dp). Both sequences allowed the extraction of chitins with low contents of calcium and magnesium, regardless of the part being processed. The sequence 1 lead to higher extraction yields while sequence 2 resulted in lower contents of inorganic compounds. Extensively deacetylated chitosans (GA<10%) of medium molecular weight (0,9 x 10(5) < Mv < 2 x 10(5) g/mol) resulted from the deacetylation of chitin.

Quitosana: biopolímero funcional com potencial industrial biomédico

The importance of chitosan has grown significantly over the last two decades due to its renewable and biodegradable source, and also because of the recent increase in the knowledge of its functionality in the technological and biomedical applications. The present article reviews the biopolymer chitosan and its derivatives as versatile biomaterials for potential drug delivery systems, as well as tissue engineering applications, analgesia and treatment of arthritis.

Imobilização da lacase em micropartículas de quitosana obtidas por spray drying e usadas na construção de biossensores

Biosensors based on laccase immobilized on microparticles of chitosan crosslinked with tripolyphosphate (biosensor I) and glyoxal (biosensor II) obtained by spray drying for the determinations of rutin in pharmaceutical formulations were developed. Under optimized operational conditions (pH 4.0, frequency of 30 Hz, pulse amplitude of 40 mV and scan increment of 2.0 mV) two analytical curves were obtained for both biosensors showing a detection limit of 6.2x10-8 mol L-1 for biosensor (I) and 2.0x10-8 mol L-1 for biosensor (II). The recovery of rutin from pharmaceutical sample ranged from 90.7 to 105.0% and the lifetime of these biosensors were 4 months (at least 400 determinations).

Preparação, caracterização e propriedades de filmes poliméricos com potencial aplicação no recobrimento de sementes

Films of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium alginate and their mixture were evaluated in terms of interactions between the polymers, morphology, water absorption and application as seed coatings. FTIR analysis suggested that only hydrophobic interactions occurred between the polymers. The coating of bean seeds was confirmed by microscopy, indicating the formation of dense and homogeneous films with 7 μm thickness. The obtained films did not affect the germination capacity of the seeds. In summary, the characteristics and properties of the films formed and the water absorption capacity, indicate that these systems are viable for use in seed coating processes.

Efeitos da incorporação de peneiras moleculares 3A, 4A, 5A e 13X em membranas compósitas de quitosana/poli(vinil álcool)

The composite membranes prepared via incorporation of 12.5% of molecular sieves 3A, 4A, 5A and 13X into chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (1:1). The composite membranes were immersed in the cross-linker sulfuric acid in order to acquire high proton conductivity for applications in electrolytes in PEMCF and DMF. The influence of the molecular sieves on the structural, optical, thermal, mechanical, morphologic and protonic conductivity properties and water/methanol swelling degree of membranes were investigated.