Keywords: Zingiber officinale; supercritical fluid extraction; steam distillation; hydrodistillation; mathematical modeling

Aiming to target vitamin D receptors (VDR) expressed in melanoma cells, vitamin D₃ functionalized hybrid lipid-polymer nanoparticles (HNP-VDs) comprising a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) core and a lipid shell composed of hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine (HSPC), cholesterol (CHOL) and 1,2-disteroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphaethanolamine-N[succinyl(polyethyleneglycol)-2000 (DSPE-PEG₂₀₀₀) were synthesized. The nanocarriers were optimized to a lipid surface area coverage of 97%. In vitro drug release studies showed an initial burst release in the first 24 h followed by diffusive transport. Finally, cellular uptake experiments demonstrated that the HNP-VDs efficiently targeted B16 melanoma cells, thus resulting in a promising vehicle to deliver therapeutics for the melanoma treatment.

This work investigates the antimicrobial activity of the Schinus molle L. leaves extracts obtained under supercritical conditions using carbon dioxide and co-solvents. Antimicrobial qualitative evaluation was carried out through the bioautography technique and the microorganisms studied were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosas, Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, and Salmonella choleraesuis. The supercritical fluid extraction was carried out in a pilot scale equipment using carbon dioxide modified by the addition of co-solvents, such as ethanol and water at 150 bar and 333 K. A mathematical modeling of the process was also performed.