RESUMO
Dibucaine (DBC) is among the more potent long-acting local anesthetics (LA), and it is also one of the most toxic. Over the last decades, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) have been developed as promising carriers for drug delivery. In this study, SLN formulations were prepared with the aim of prolonging DBC release and reducing its toxicity. To this end, SLN composed of two different lipid matrices and prepared by two different hot-emulsion techniques (high-pressure procedure and sonication) were compared. The colloidal stability of the SLN formulations was tracked in terms of particle size (nm), polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (mV) for 240 days at 4 °C; the DBC encapsulation efficiency was determined by the ultrafiltration/centrifugation method. The formulations were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and release kinetic experiments. Finally, the in vitro cytotoxicity against 3T3 fibroblast and HaCaT cells was determined, and the in vivo analgesic action was assessed using the tail flick test in rats. Both of the homogenization procedures were found suitable to produce particles in the 200 nm range, with good shelf stability (240 days) and high DBC encapsulation efficiency (~72â»89%). DSC results disclosed structural information on the nanoparticles, such as the lower crystallinity of the lipid core vs. the bulk lipid. EPR measurements provided evidence of DBC partitioning in both SLNs. In vitro (cytotoxicity) and in vivo (tail flick) experiments revealed that the encapsulation of DBC into nanoparticles reduces its intrinsic cytotoxicity and prolongs the anesthetic effect, respectively. These results show that the SLNs produced are safe and have great potential to extend the applications of dibucaine by enhancing its bioavailability.
RESUMO
Enormous amounts of pesticides are manufactured and used worldwide, some of which reach soils and aquatic systems. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide that is effective against all types of weeds and has been used for many years. It can therefore be found as a contaminant in water, and procedures are required for its removal. This work investigates the use of biopolymeric membranes prepared with chitosan (CS), alginate (AG), and a chitosan/alginate combination (CS/AG) for the adsorption of glyphosate present in water samples. The adsorption of glyphosate by the different membranes was investigated using the pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models, as well as the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The membranes were characterized regarding membrane solubility, swelling, mechanical, chemical and morphological properties. The results of kinetics experiments showed that adsorption equilibrium was reached within 4 h and that the CS membrane presented the best adsorption (10.88 mg of glyphosate/g of membrane), followed by the CS/AG bilayer (8.70 mg of glyphosate/g of membrane). The AG membrane did not show any adsorption capacity for this herbicide. The pseudo-second order model provided good fits to the glyphosate adsorption data on CS and CS/AG membranes, with high correlation coefficient values. Glyphosate adsorption by the membranes could be fitted by the Freundlich isotherm model. There was a high affinity between glyphosate and the CS membrane and moderate affinity in the case of the CS/AG membrane. Physico-chemical characterization of the membranes showed low values of solubility in water, indicating that the membranes are stable and not soluble in water. The SEM and AFM analysis showed evidence of the presence of glyphosate on CS membranes and on chitosan face on CS/AG membranes. The results showed that the glyphosate herbicide can be adsorbed by chitosan membranes and the proposed membrane-based methodology was successfully used to treat a water sample contaminated with glyphosate. Biopolymer membranes therefore potentially offer a versatile method to eliminate agricultural chemicals from water supplies.