Novel alginate-chitosan aerogel fibres for potential wound healing applications.

Aerogels produced from marine polymers, such as chitosan and alginate, are of interest for wound healing applications due to their attractive properties. These properties can be the aerogel's high porosity along with the antimicrobial activity of chitosan or the capacity to provide a moist environment of alginate. The aim of this work was to develop a new route towards hybrid alginate-chitosan aerogel fibres and to evaluate their potential for wound healing applications. The influence of chitosan molecular weight and its content on the fibres characteristics was evaluated. To produce the fibres, the formation of polyelectrolyte complex hydrogels of both polymers was performed by the emulsion-gelation method. Hydrogels were converted in alcogels through a solvent exchange followed by drying with supercritical CO2. Resulting aerogels were observed to be light-weight, fluffy mesoporous fibres with a specific surface area of 162-302 m2/g and specific pore volume of 1.41-2.49 cm3/g. Biocompatibility of the fibres was evaluated, and the result showed that they were non-cytotoxic. Bioactivity of the fibres regarding the ability to close a wound on an in vitro scale and antibacterial activity were also evaluated. Aerogel fibres presented percentages of recovered scratch area of about 75%, higher than the untreated control (~50%) and a clear antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The obtained results suggest that these alginate-chitosan aerogel fibres could be good candidates for wound healing applications.

Hematologia de tilápia-do-nilo alimentada com suplemento à base de algas frente a desafios de estresse agudo e crônico / Hematology of Nile tilapia fed supplementation with algae challenged by acute and chronic stress

Avaliou-se o efeito da suplementação com produto à base de algas, ergosan, em dietas para tilápias Oreochromis niloticus, submetidas ao desafio de estresse agudo e crônico sobre as características hematológicas. O ensaio foi realizado com tilápias jovens (15g) em caixas de 500L de capacidade de estocagem, em sistema com recirculação da água, com fluxo constante, na densidade de 35 peixes por caixa. Os peixes foram alimentados com as dietas-teste durante 10 dias e, ao final deste período, voltaram a receber dieta isenta de ergosan, quando foram submetidos aos desafios de estresses agudo e crônico. Utilizou-se o delineamento inteiramente ao acaso (DIC), em esquema fatorial 4x2, sendo testados: quatro porcentagens do suplemento 0; 0,25; 0,5 e 1 por cento de ergosan na ração em dois tipos de estresse, agudo e crônico. Os resultados permitem concluir que os estímulos de estresse aplicados foram capazes de provocar alterações fisiológicas nos peixes, incluindo redução no número de eritrócitos, eritroblastos e leucócitos e aumento do volume corpuscular médio dos eritrócitos. A administração oral de 1 por cento de suplemento durante 10 dias para juvenis de tilápia-do-nilo, em condição de estresse agudo, induz o incremento de 69 por cento no número de trombócitos circulantes.

The aim of this trial was to evaluate hematological parameters of tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fed diet supplemented with ergosan, an algae product, in a chronic and acute stress challenge. The experiment was carried out with juvenile tilapias Oreochromis niloticus (15g), in 500 L-tanks linked at a water recirculation system, with constant water flow and controlled temperature, stoking 35 fish/tank. Fish were fed test-diets during 10 days and, at the end of this period, received a diet without supplementation, when they were submitted to chronic and acute stress challenge. Fish were distributed in a completely randomized design, in a factorial scheme 4x2: four supplement levels (0; 0.25; 0.5 and 1 percent supplement in the diet) with two stresses (chronic and acute). Results showed the stress stimulus applied were able to induce physiologic changes on fish, including reduction of erythrocytes, erythroblasts and leucocytes number and increasing medium corpuscular volume. Oral administration of 1 percent supplement during 10 days for Nile tilapia juveniles under acute stress induces a higher thrombocyte number (69 percent) in the blood.