Development and Optimization of Solanum Lycocarpum Polyphenol Oxidase-Based Biosensor and Application towards Paracetamol Detection.

Purpose: The development biosensing technologies capable of delivering fast and reliable analysis is a growing trend in drug quality control. Considering the emerging use of plant-based polyphenol oxidases (PPO) as biological component of electrochemical biosensors, this work reports the first Solanum lycocarpum PPO biosensor and its use in the pharmaceutical analysis of paracetamol in tablet formulations. Methods: The biosensor was optimized regarding fruit maturation (immature and mature-ripe), vegetal extract volume to be used in biosensor construction as well as optimal pH of electrochemical cell fluid. Results: Results evidenced that the extract which rendered the biosensor with best analytical performance was from immature fruits, and the biosensor produced using 100 µL of crude plant extract promoted better faradaic signal gathering. Moreover, when neutral pH media was used in the electrochemical cell, the biosensor showcased best faradaic signal output from the used redox probe (catechol), suggesting thence that the method presents high sensibility for phenolic compounds detection. Furthermore, the biosensor was able to quantify paracetamol in a linear range from 50 to 300 µM, showcasing LoD and LoQ of 3 µM and 10 µM, respectively. Conclusion: after careful evaluation, this biosensor might be a low-cost alternative for conventional pharmaceutical quality control methods.

Parasitoses intestinais: prevalência e aspectos epidemiológicos em moradores de rua / Intestinal parasites: prevalence and epidemiological aspects in homeless people

Objetivo: Analisar as parasitoses intestinais em moradores de rua da cidade de Anápolis-GO e identificar os principais sinais e sintomas. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo com base nos dados laboratoriais, em que se utilizaram dois métodos para o diagnóstico parasitológico: a sedimentação espontânea ­ técnica de Hoffman, Pons e Janner e o método de Baermann-Moraes. Aplicou-se também um questionário com informações referentes à sintomatologia e aspectos epidemiológicos. Resultados: Participaram da pesquisa 43 indivíduos. A prevalência de parasitoses intestinais na população estudada foi de 67,44% (29/43); desses, 62,07% (18/29) poliparasitados. Houve uma predominância de protozoários (67,30%;35/52) em relação aos helmintos (32,70%;17/52). Os parasitos mais prevalentes foram: Entamoeba histolytica (21,15%;11/52), Entamoeba coli (17,31%;9/52) e Endolimax nana (15,38%;8/52). Entre os sinais e sintomas destacaram-se dor abdominal (86,20%; 25/29), irritabilidade nervosa (75,86%;22/29) e diarreia (68,96%;20/29). Conclusão: A frequência de parasitoses intestinais foi elevada e houve associação das infecções parasitárias com as características condicionais como estilo de vida e condições de saúde, além de apresentar uma possível contribuição para futuros trabalhos que relatem a importância da prevenção e tratamento das doenças parasitárias em humanos.

Objective: Analyze intestinal parasites in homeless people in the city of Anápolis-GO and identify the main signs and symptoms. Methods: The study was carried out based on laboratory data, in which two methods were used for the parasitological diagnosis, spontaneous sedimentation ­ Hoffman, Pons and Janner technique and the Baermann-Moraes method. A questionnaire with information related to symptoms and epidemiological aspects was also applied. Results: 43 individuals participated in the research. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in the population studied was 67.44% (29/43), of which 62.07% (18/29) had multiple parasites. There was a predominance of protozoa (67.30%; 35/52) in relation to helminths (32.70%; 17/52). The most prevalent parasites were: Entamoeba histolytica (21.15%; 11/52), Entamoeba coli (17.31%; 9/52) and Endolimax nana (15.38%; 8/52). Among the signs and symptoms, abdominal pain (86.20%; 25/29), nervous irritability (75.86%; 22/29) and diarrhea (68.96%; 20/29) stood out. The data demonstrated that there is a relationship between intestinal parasitosis and the signs and symptoms presented. Conclusion: The frequency of intestinal parasites was high and there was an association of parasitic infections with conditional characteristics such as lifestyle and health conditions, in addition to presenting a possible contribution to future studies that report the importance of preventing and treating parasitic diseases in humans.

Determination of Methyldopa and Paracetamol in Pharmaceutical Samples by a Low Cost Genipa americana L. Polyphenol Oxidase Based Biosensor.

Purpose: Jenipapo fruit (Genipa americana L) is a natural source of polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) whose potential in pharmaceutical analysis is noteworthy. Henceforth, this work reports the electrochemical study of a low-cost PPO-based biosensor produced from the crude extract of Jenipapo fruits and accounts a practical approach to employ this biosensor in the determination of methyldopa and paracetamol in pharmaceutical samples. Methods: In order to investigate the electrochemical properties of the biosensor, theoretical and practical approaches were employed, and both samples and the biosensor were analyzed through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and voltammetric techniques, namely: differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Results: showcased that the biosensor presented good analytical features, as well as low detection limits (8 µmol L-1 for methyldopa and 5 µmol L-1 for paracetamol). The relative standard deviation was less than 5% mid-assay. Conclusion: The use of this biosensor is a reliable, low cost and useful alternative in the pharmaceutic determination of phenolic drugs (e.g. methyldopa and paracetamol).

Correlação de alterações hematológicas em doenças parasitárias / Correlation of hematological changes in parasitic diseases

Os enteroparasitos causam aos seus portadores, entre outros agravos, desnutrição seguida por perda de peso, diarreias, vômitos, desidratação, anemia e enterites. Todos esses sintomas podem desencadear distúrbios dos índices hematológicos como contagem de hemácias, hematócrito, hemoglobina, leucócitos totais e eosinófilos. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar e analisar as alterações hematológicas em indivíduos com diagnóstico parasitológico positivo para enteroparasitos. Foi realizado um estudo com base nos dados laboratoriais, em que se analisou o hemograma de 412 indivíduos positivos para enteroparasitoses. Os dados demonstraram que existem relações entre as alterações hematológicas, principalmente a anemia, leucocitose e a eosinofilia, com as infecções parasitárias intestinais. Verificou-se também a frequência de poliparasitismo e suas alterações mais frequentes. O estudo apresentou uma possível contribuição para futuros trabalhos que relatem a importância da prevenção e tratamento das doenças parasitárias em humanos.

The enteroparasites cause to their carriers, among other damages, malnutrition followed by weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, anemia and enteritis. All these symptoms can trigger hematological indices disorders such as red blood cell count, hematocrit, hemoglobin, total leukocytes and eosinophils. This study aimed to evaluate and analyze the hematological alterations in individuals with positive parasitological diagnosis for enteroparasites. A study was carried out based on the laboratory data, in which the hemogram of 412 positive individuals for enteroparasitoses was analyzed. The data demonstrated that there are relationships between hematological changes, mainly anemia, leukocytosis and eosinophilia, with intestinal parasitic infections. The frequency of polyparasitism and its most frequent alterations were also verified. The study presented a possible contribution to future studies that report the importance of the prevention and treatment of parasitic diseases in humans

Development of a Polyphenol Oxidase Biosensor from Jenipapo Fruit Extract (Genipa americana L.) and Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Textile Industrial Effluents.

In this work, an innovative polyphenol oxidase biosensor was developed from Jenipapo (Genipa americana L.) fruit and used to assess phenolic compounds in industrial effluent samples obtained from a textile industry located in Jaraguá-GO, Brasil. The biosensor was prepared and optimized according to: the proportion of crude vegetal extract, pH and overall voltammetric parameters for differential pulse voltammetry. The calibration curve presented a linear interval from 10 to 310 µM (r² = 0.9982) and a limit of detection of 7 µM. Biosensor stability was evaluated throughout 15 days, and it exhibited 88.22% of the initial response. The amount of catechol standard recovered post analysis varied between 87.50% and 96.00%. Moreover, the biosensor was able to detect phenolic compounds in a real sample, and the results were in accordance with standard spectrophotometric assays. Therefore, the innovatively-designed biosensor hereby proposed is a promising tool for phenolic compound detection and quantification when environmental contaminants are concerned.

The Use of a Polyphenoloxidase Biosensor Obtained from the Fruit of Jurubeba (Solanum paniculatum L.) in the Determination of Paracetamol and Other Phenolic Drugs.

The vegetable kingdom is a wide source of a diverse variety of enzymes with broad biotechnological applications. Among the main classes of plant enzymes, the polyphenol oxidases, which convert phenolic compounds to the related quinones, have been successfully used for biosensor development. The oxidation products from such enzymes can be electrochemically reduced, and the sensing is easily achieved by amperometric transducers. In this work, the polyphenoloxidases were extracted from jurubeba (Solanum paniculatum L.) fruits, and the extract was used to construct a carbon paste-based biosensor for pharmaceutical analysis and applications. The assay optimization was performed using a 0.1 mM catechol probe, taking into account the amount of enzymatic extract (50 or 200 µL) and the optimum pH (3.0 to 9.0) as well as some electrochemical differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) parameters (e.g., pulse amplitude, pulse range, pulse width, scan rate). Under optimized conditions, the biosensor was evaluated for the quantitative determination of acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, methyldopa, and ascorbic acid. The best performance was obtained for acetaminophen, which responded linearly in the range between 5 and 245 µM (R = 0.9994), presenting a limit of detection of 3 µM and suitable repeatability ranging between 1.52% and 1.74% relative standard deviation (RSD).