Interfacial properties rhamnolipids from an extract produced by a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were analyzed in this study. The extract of rhamnolipid was characterized by surface tension in different conditions; interfacial tension with different hydrocarbons; critical micelle concentration under different pH and temperatures; particle size and emulsification capacity using laser light profiling. It was observed that the rhamnolipids extract are sensitive to variations in pH, thermostable and function as good emulsificant for emulsification of methyl methacrylate. The emulsion stability order in function of the oil phase was methyl methacrylate > emulsions of castor oil > emulsion n-heptane > emulsion toluene > emulsion hexadecane > octane emulsion. The data presented show that rhamnolipid extracts may be used to formulate stable emulsions of methyl methacrylate. This process can be used to do nano/microsphere of polymethyl methacrylate.
Exposure to pesticides by the rural population is increasing worldwide. Pesticides can induce the development of different diseases such as cancer and diseases of the central nervous system. This study analysed the clinical symptoms and haematological changes of a rural population in Conceição do Castelo, Espirito Santo, Brazil. For evaluation of symptomatology exposure to pesticides, 142 rural workers were interviewed. Of these, 22 workers were selected for haematological tests randomly as to evaluate haematological changes during the period of exposure to pesticides. Haematological analyses showed that erythrocytes, haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean corpuscular (VCM) volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) are in accordance with the reference intervals in haematology. Variations in the concentrations of rods and neutrophils indicates that exposure to pesticides increases the amount of those cells. Haematological disorders in rural workers exposed to pesticides can be correlated with reported symptoms. The results described in this study are relevant to the health public and reinforce the concern about the indiscriminate use of pesticides.
This study aimed to synthesize and characterize nanoparticles (NPs) of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and evaluate their ability to incorporate plant extracts with antitumor activity and low dissolution in aqueous media. The extract used was
n
-hexane partition of the methanol extract of
Piper cabralanum
(PCA-HEX). PMMA NPs were obtained using the mini-emulsion method, which was able to encapsulate almost 100% of PCA-HEX. The synthesized polymeric particles presented with a size of 200 nm and a negative charge. Cytotoxicity tests by MTT and trypan blue assays showed that NPs without PCA-HEX did not kill leukemic cells (K562 cells). NPs containing PCA-HEX were able to enhance cell death when compared to pure extract. The results showed that PMMA NPs could be useful as a drug delivery system as they can enhance the antitumor activity of the PCA-HEX extract by more than 20-fold. PMMA NPs containing plant extracts with antitumor activities may be an alternative to control the evolution of diseases such as leukemia.
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