Iron is a fundamental microelement for human life; however, deficiencies or excesses of these metal ions can cause severe complications and mortality. Chelators are compounds that bind and inhibit iron. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometric methods are key analytical tools in the identification of chemical entities, with the benefits of having good precision and accuracy, and the equipment being easily available as well as quick and simple to implement. In this study, we aimed to provide an alternative, cheaper method for the quantification of iron ion chelation by substituting ferrozine for gallic acid and validating its use with UV-vis according to official ANVISA and ICH guidelines. The parameters assessed were specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, and finally, the percentage of iron ions chelating was calculated. The results demonstrated that this method was accurate, simple, specific, selective, precise, and reproducible, and was successfully validated for the determination of iron ions chelating. The percentage of iron ions chelating, promoted by the standard chelator EDTA, was 45% and 47% for Fe2+ and Fe3+, respectively. It is concluded that this new method is beneficial in terms of its simplicity, rapidness, low cost, and the fact that it produces very low levels of dangerous residues.
The physicochemical and microbiological stability of a hyaluronic acid-based nanostructured topical delivery system containing P. pubescens fruit oil was evaluated, and the in vitro antileishmanial activity of the nanoemulsion against Leishmania amazonensis and the cytotoxicity on macrophages was investigated. The formulation stored at 5 ± 2 °C, compared with the formulation stored at 30 and 40 ± 2 °C, showed a higher chemical and physical stability during the period analyzed and in the accelerated physical stability study. The formulation stored at 40 °C presented a significant change in droplet diameter, polydispersity index, zeta potential, pH, active compound, and consistency index and was considered unstable. The microbiological stability of the formulations was confirmed. The leishmanicidal activity of the selected system against intracellular amastigotes was significantly superior to that observed for the free oil. However, further research is needed to explore the use of the hyaluronic acid-based nanostructured system containing P. pubescens fruit oil for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Plant tissue culture has emerged as an important tool to produce bioactive compounds from various plant species, including the sustainable production of limonoids that are receiving considerable attention due to the benefits associated with human health such as anticancer activities. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the capacity of limonoids aglycone production from callus culture from sweet orange cv. Pera (Citrus sinensis) seeds and identify the compounds produced in this cell line. Callus induction occurred in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4-D), malt extract, agar and coconut water. For the analysis and identification of the limonoids, CG-MS-EI ion-positive mode and UPLC-QTOF-ESI were used operating in positive and negative mode. An intense peak corresponding to limonin appeared in the callus extracts at a retention time of 58.1 min. in CG-MS-EI and four major limonoids aglycone by positive ion mode UPLC-QTOF-ESI: limonin, nomilin, deacetylnomilin, and nomilinic acid. The culture medium was efficient at the bioproduction of limonoids aglycone in callus cultures of C. sinensis seeds. Therefore, data obtained from UPLC-QTOF-ESI proved its importance at identifying new compounds that benefit human health, and may assist future work in the identification of known or new limonoids in Citrus species and related genera.
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