Degradation study of tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate with TiO2 immobilized on aluminum meshes employing artificial neural networks.

This work presents the study of tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate advanced oxidation in TiO2-containing systems. Titania was immobilized on aluminum surfaces from recyclable materials and the results were compared with the suspension system. The initial concentration of photocatalyst and the oxidizing agent was optimized in a 23 experimental design and a kinetic study of the reactions was performed in the selected conditions. The experimental data were fitted to the pseudo-first-order model (rate constants estimated at 0.0129 ± 0.0009 and 0.0079 ± 0.0006 min-1 for the systems with TiO2 in suspension and immobilized, respectively). Artificial neural networks were also employed to model the experimental data and they presented correlation coefficients superior to 0.98 in all the training operations. After five cycles of degradation, the TiO2-aluminum meshes exhibited a very low decrease in photocatalytic activity (inferior to 2%). Acute phytotoxicity assays demonstrated that the byproducts of the oxidation of TBEP molecules are less toxic than the raw samples regarding lettuce seeds. For both TiO2 systems, COD decreased considerably as a consequence of the degradation. The immobilized TiO2 system achieved similar degradation rates when compared with the suspension system.

Saline extract from Malpighia emarginata DC leaves showed higher polyphenol presence, antioxidant and antifungal activity and promoted cell proliferation in mice splenocytes.

Currently, the research of new natural compounds with biological potential demonstrates great ethnopharmacological importance. In this study, we evaluated the biological properties promoted by saline extract from Malpighia emarginata DC leaves, whose objective is to evaluate the antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxicity potential. Phytochemical characterization was performed by UPLC-MS chromatography to identify the chemical compounds. For the antioxidant potential, DPPH, ATT and FRAP methods were used. The antibacterial and antifungal tests were performed evaluating the MIC50, MIC90, CMB and CMF parameters. Moreover, antibiofilm action was evaluated. Cytotoxicity and proliferation were performed using splenocytes from Balb/c mice and were evaluated by cytometry. We found a list of phenolic compounds among other bioactive compounds in the M. emarginata saline extract. In addition, higher antioxidant profile and antifungal activity against different strains of Candida spp. was promoted by the saline extract. Splenocytes showed greater cell viability (more than 90%) and showed higher proliferate index in 24 and 48 hours of incubation with the extract. Saline extract from Malpighia emarginata DC has potential action like antioxidant and antifungal agent without promote animal cell damage.

Screening of endophytic fungi stored in a culture collection for taxol production.

In this work, four isolates of endophytic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloesporioides, Glomerella cingulata and Nigrospora sphaerica), deposited in the culture collection 'University Recife Mycologia' (URM) at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, were characterized for the genes ITS 1 and 4 (region 5.8 S) and evaluated for taxol production.

Screening of endophytic fungi stored in a culture collection for taxol production

Abstract In this work, four isolates of endophytic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloesporioides, Glomerella cingulata and Nigrospora sphaerica), deposited in the culture collection 'University Recife Mycologia' (URM) at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, were characterized for the genes ITS 1 and 4 (region 5.8 S) and evaluated for taxol production.

Screening of endophytic fungi stored in a culture collection for taxol production

Abstract In this work, four isolates of endophytic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloesporioides, Glomerella cingulata and Nigrospora sphaerica), deposited in the culture collection University Recife Mycologia (URM) at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, were characterized for the genes ITS 1 and 4 (region 5.8 S) and evaluated for taxol production.