The term biorefinery is related to the sustainable production of value-added bioproducts and bioenergy from biomass. Esters from fatty acids are important compounds synthesized from by-products of the oleochemical industry. In agreement with the biorefinery concept, it is important to search for catalysts that reduce the consumption of energy and water, using moderate operation conditions and low reaction times. In this work, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the enzymatic synthesis of pentyl oleate using Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) immobilized on a polyethylene-aluminum structured support. A factorial design was employed to evaluate the effects of several parameters on the ester yield. To obtain a model with a good fit, an approach to reaction mechanism and enzyme kinetics was taken into consideration. Experimental findings were correlated and explained using equations of a ping-pong bi-bi kinetic model and considering the inhibitory effects of both substrates. The developed model was consistent with the experimental data predicting an increase in pentyl oleate production with increasing temperature and a decrease with higher oleic acid amounts and alcohol to acid molar ratios. This model could be useful in a future industrial application of CALB/LLDPE/Al to minimize the costs in oleochemical biorefineries.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors constitute a pharmacotherapeutic strategy for AD treatment. Resveratrol has anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticarcinogenic, and antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate the AChE inhibitory properties and the protective role against oxidative stress damage of five resveratrol analogs (M1 to M5) in SH-SY5Y cells. The studied compounds were not cytotoxic in a wide range of concentrations. The treatment of SH-SY5Y cells at the AChE’s IC50s concentration significantly decreased the AChE enzyme activity in live cells. Through the dichlorofluorescein (DCF) assay, three compounds decreased the endogenous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results demonstrate that, in addition to their action as biologically active AChE inhibitors, some resveratrol derivatives exhibit neuroprotective effects against endogenous ROS production.