The objective of this study was to analyze the in vitro stability and toxicity of liposomes containing guarana in skin cell lines. The liposomes were produced by the reverse phase evaporation method containing 1 mg/mL guarana. The stability of the liposomes was evaluated by physical-chemical parameters for up to 90 days using three different storage conditions. The cytotoxicity of guarana (GL), liposomes (B-Lip), and guarana-loaded liposomes (G-Lip) was evaluated on spontaneously immortalized human keratinocyte cell lines (HaCaT), murine Swiss albino fibroblasts (3T3), and human fibroblasts (1BR.3.G). The evaluation was performed using cellular viability analysis. The techniques used were 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red capturing (NRU), and the analyses were conducted after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure of these cells to the different treatments. The G-Lip exhibited physical-chemical stability for 60 days when the samples were stored in a refrigerator. The GL, B-Lip, and G-Lip demonstrated low cytotoxicity in the three different cell cultures tested since a small reduction in cell viability was only observed at the highest concentrations. In addition, greater cell damage was observed for B-Lip; however, guarana protected the cells from this damage. Thus, G-Lip structures can be considered promising systems for topical applications.

Mayonnaise is one of the most consumed sauces in the world and beans have great technological functional properties. As a result, beans can be used in the production of mayonnaise as a partial substitute for egg yolk (EY), reducing cholesterol content, post-harvest losses and adding nutritional value to mayonnaise. This study evaluated the effect of the partial replacement of EY by landrace common bean flour (LCBF) on the parameters of rheology, chemical and physical composition of mayonnaise. Four mayonnaise formulations were developed: T1 (Standard), 100% egg yolk (EY); T2, 75% EY and 25% FFC; T3, 50% EY and 50% LCBF; T4, 25% EY and 75% LCBF. The partial substitution of EY for LCBF increased the protein content, decreased the content of lipids and cholesterol. The obtained mayonnaise continued to exhibit pseudoplastic behaviour, being a characteristic of non-Newtonian fluid. The water activity of the mayonnaise was not changed with the replacement of the partial of the egg yolk and the pH decreased during the storage. The substitution of EY can be carried out in quantities of up to 50% without prejudice to mayonnaise, the formulation with 50% substitution presented the best viscosity and remained stable, similar to the standard mayonnaise.

Our research group previously studied the effectiveness of lipid-core nanocapsules (LNC) containing simvastatin (SV-LNC) in treating cognitive impairment in rats. While our results were promising, we needed to evaluate the potential toxicity of the nanoparticles themselves. This study aimed to compare the biochemical and hematological parameters of adult Wistar rats receiving LNC or SV-LNC to those receiving low doses of simvastatin crystals dispersed in a saline solution over 45 days. We discovered that LNC and SV-LNC, which are both nanometers in size with low polydispersity index, negative zeta potential, and high SV encapsulation efficacy, were not more toxic than SV crystals based on various biochemical markers of hepatic, pancreatic, renal, mineral, bony, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, and uric acid damage. Furthermore, LNC exhibited no toxicity for hematological parameters, including red and white blood cell counts. Based on this animal model of toxicological study, our findings suggest that long-term administration of LNC is a safe and promising nanocarrier.