The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of nanoemulsions using combined synthetic anthelmintics, thiabendazole (TBZ), levamisole (LEV), and ivermectin (IVM), with carvacryl acetate (CA) against Haemonchus contortus, and also tested the presence and absence of alginate (ALG). The anthelmintic effect of the CA/TBZ nanoemulsion was evaluated in the egg hatch test (EHT). The effects of CA/IVM and CA/LEV nanoemulsions were evaluated in the larval development test (LDT). The emulsions CA/TBZ/ALG and CA/TBZ showed a multimodal profile, with most particles on the nanometric scale. The encapsulation efficiency in CA/TBZ/ALG was 80.25%, and that in CA/LEV/ALG was 89.73%. In the EHT, CA/TBZ and CA/TBZ/ALG showed mean combination indices (CIs) of 0.55 and 0.36, respectively, demonstrating synergism in both. In LDT, CA/IVM had an average CI of 0.75, and CA/LEV and CA/LEV/ALG showed CI values of 0.4 and 0.93, respectively. It was concluded that CA/TBZ showed a synergistic interaction, and CA/TBZ/ALG showed an enhanced effect. In addition, the matrix brought stability to the product, encouraging its improvement to obtain higher efficacy.

Gums Arabic (GA) and Xanthan (GX) are natural polysaccharides that can be extracted by natural means for applications, such adsorption of pollutants. Structural modifications such as carboxymethylation on bio-adsorbent materials, can be performed to improve its adsorptive properties. Development of polymeric nanoparticles is an economical and favorable option for the adsorption of Congo red dye, which has high toxicity and is resistant to traditional removal processes. In this work, it was developed nanoparticles (NPs) of natural GA (NPGA) and GX (NPGX) and their carboxymethylated forms (NPCMGA and NPCMGX) aiming to evaluate the adsorption of Congo red (CR) dye. NPs are sized from 133 to 1099 nm at an average zeta potential of -13 mV, suggesting stability to absorb dyes. NPGX and NPCMGX absorbed a substantially higher amount of dye than the other NPs. The kinetic studies showed that adsorption process follow pseudo-second order model, suggesting that chemisorption control the process, and the isotherm test revealed that samples fit Langmuir model, with a homogeneous adsorption profile for the two carboxymethylated samples with a maximum adsorption capacity of 182,82 mg/g for NPCMGX and 757,58 mg/g for NPGX. These findings indicate that NPs from Xanthan Gum can be used for removal CR in contaminated water and wastewater.

Nanoemulsões óleo em água são sistemas de administração de fármacos que consistem na formação de partículas anfipáticas para encapsulamento de moléculas oleosas. Neste trabalho desenvolveu-se Nanoemulsões de goma xantana e goma arábica com óleo de Eucalyptus citriodora L. através da técnica de alta energia, onde variou-se o tipo de matriz, o teor de surfactante e o teor de óleo essencial a fim de produzir formulações estáveis. As nanoemulsões foram avaliadas em relação às suas características físico-químicas: estabilidade macroscópica, Viscosidade e tamanho de partícula. As viscosidades das formulações corroboraram os resultados de tamanho de partícula, onde apresentaram um aumento da viscosidade em função do tamanho. O estudo realizado demonstrou que as amostras que possuíam as menores proporções, goma/óleo de 1:1 e surfactante/óleo de 1:2, apresentaram melhores resultados na formação de micelas nanométricas. Essas variações nas composições mostram como a quantidade de surfactante, de fase oleosa e do polímero natural influenciam no desenvolvimento do sistema coloidal. Com tais resultados pode-se mostrar a influência da goma arábica (100 mg) e goma xantana (100 mg), tween 80 (50 mg) e do óleo (100 mg) na estabilidade das formulações E1-GA e E2-GX, e o potencial uso em uma formulação de liberação controlada na administração farmacológica do óleo de Eucalyptus citriodora.

The rise in microbial resistance has driven the search for sustainable alternatives, such as kraft lignin, an abundant biopolymer with antimicrobial potential. This study evaluated four methods of lignin solubilization (magnetic stirring with ultrasound, decoction in a rotary evaporator, decoction with ultrasound, and ethanolic extraction by Soxhlet) and their influence on the physicochemical, structural, and biological properties of the extracts obtained. The samples were characterized in terms of pH, solids content, molecular weight, polydispersity, morphology, functional composition, and phenolic hydroxyl content, as well as antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus, and cytotoxicity. FTIR analysis indicated the preservation of syringyl and guaiacyl structural units in all extracts. Soxhlet extraction with ethanol yielded the highest molecular weight (1103 g/mol) and phenolic hydroxyl content (3.253 mmol/g), which correlated with greater antifungal activity (MICs of 0.625 and 0.312 mg/mL). Decoction in a rotary evaporator showed lower activity against C. albicans, but demonstrated antibacterial action against S. aureus (MIC 0.625 and MBC 2.5 mg/mL). The extracts were considered non-toxic, and both showed significant cell viability. The results demonstrate that solubilization methods directly influence the bioactivity of kraft lignin, highlighting its potential as a bioactive agent in sustainable microbiological control strategies.

Para tornar o tratamento de água mais sustentável e econômico, biopolímeros têm sido estudados como biocoagulantes. Esses materiais demonstram excelentes resultados quando comparados aos coagulantes e floculantes convencionais. A goma do cajueiro surge como uma alternativa, devido às propriedades como abundância, fácil isolamento e atoxicidade. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência da goma do cajueiro como biocoagulante e floculante em água turva sintética, comparando seu desempenho com o coagulante convencional sulfato de alumínio em água turva com caulim. A eficiência das substâncias isoladas e combinadas foi analisada em um aparelho jar-test simulando a etapa de coagulação/floculação. Medidas de turbidez e pH foram realizadas para determinar a eficiência, as concentrações ideais e o tempo de sedimentação do processo. Os testes demonstraram que a goma possui uma eficiência de cerca de 90% em ampla faixa de pH; já com os materiais combinados, utilizando a dosagem de 2 mg/L de goma do cajueiro, foi possível reduzir a quantidade de sulfato de alumínio em 52%, necessitando de 12 mg/L para uma remoção de 98,43% de turbidez. Além disso, o tempo de sedimentação foi reduzido pela metade quando a Goma do Cajueiro foi aplicada em conjunto com o sulfato de alumínio, sendo necessários 10 minutos para alcançar uma turbidez residual de 3,1 UNT, com eficiência de 97,5%. Conclui-se que a goma do cajueiro possui elevada eficiência para a remoção de turbidez e pode atuar como floculante reduzindo a quantidade do coagulante metálico necessário e o tempo do processo.

Seriguela gum is a barely explored polysaccharide, whose carboxymethylation reaction can expand its applications for water treatment by the increase of negative charges in the chain. This work aimed to produce carboxymethyl derivatives, under different reaction condition, to apply as a flocculation aid in water treatment. The derivatives were characterized by titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and gel permeation chromatography techniques. The reaction condition parameters, sodium hydroxide concentration, and chloroacetic acid molar ratio significantly affected the degree of substitution, with values between 0.35 and 0.51. Optimal results were achieved using lower concentrations of sodium hydroxide and intermediate chloroacetic acid levels. The derivative produced with higher degree of substitution was used as flocculation aid combined with aluminum sulfate for the treatment of contaminated river water. The tests demonstrated that the use of 3 mg/L of carboxymethylated seriguela gum combined with 20 mg/L of aluminum sulfate removed 93.1% of turbidity, showing a 21.0% increase in efficiency and a 60.0% reduction in the use of aluminum sulfate alone. It also exhibited low toxicity to Artemia salina at high concentrations (100 mg/L) due to its biocompatibility. The study revealed that carboxymethylated seriguela gum with increased negative charges can be obtained with a high degree of substitution by a simple and high-yield process, and the tests showed high potential for application as a flocculation aid in water treatment processes.