Piper aduncum essential oil rich in dillapiole : development of hydrogel-thickened nanoemulsion and nanostructured lipid carrier intended for skin delivery

The essential oil extracted from the leaves of Piper aduncum, an aromatic plant from the Amazon region, is rich in dillapiole and presents anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, nanoemulsions (NE) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), which are biocompatible nanostructured systems of a lipid nature, were prepared by high-pressure homogenization for the yet unexplored skin delivery of dillapiole. The addition of hydroxyethylcellulose produced hydrogel-thickened NE or NLC in view to improving the viscosity and skin adherence of the nanoformulations. Formulations were characterized with respect to dillapiole content, droplet size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, morphology, rheological behavior, bioadhesion, skin permeation profile, and in vitro irritancy (HETCAM). The formulations developed presented spherical, homogeneous nanometric particle size (around 130 nm), narrow polydispersity index (<0.3), and negative zeta potential (around 40 mV). Dillapiole content was slightly lower in NLC compared to NE since the production process involves heating. The hydrogels containing nanocarriers showed pseudoplastic behavior with bioadhesive characteristics. The developed formulations exhibited a controlled release profile, dillapiole delivery up to the dermis, the layer of interest for anti-inflammatory potential, and low irritant potential in the chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM). Both hydrogels-thickened NE and NLC seemed to be promising formulations for skin delivery of Piper aduncum essential oil

Correlation between the skin permeation profile of the synthetic sesquiterpene compounds, beta-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide, and the antiedematogenic activity by topical application of nanoemulgels

Sesquiterpene compounds are applied as permeation promoters in topical formulations. However, studies exploring their impact on nanostructured systems, changes in permeation profile, and consequently, its biological activity are restricted. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the skin permeation of the major sesquiterpenes, beta-caryophyllene, and caryophyllene oxide from the oleoresin of Copaifera multijuga, after delivery into topical nanoemulgels, and the in vivo antiedematogenic activity. First, ten nanoemulgels were prepared and characterized, and their in vitro permeation profile and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity were evaluated. In equivalent concentrations, -caryophyllene permeation was greater from oleoresin nanoemulgels, resulting in greater in vivo antiedematogenic activity. However, an inverse relationship was observed for caryophyllene oxide, which showed its favored permeation and better in vivo anti-inflammatory effect carried as an isolated compound in the nanoemulgels. These results suggest that the presence of similar compounds may interfere with the permeation profile when comparing the profiles of the compounds alone or when presented in oleoresin. Furthermore, the correlation results between the permeation profile and in vivo antiedematogenic activity corroborate the establishment of betacaryophyllene as an essential compound for this pharmacological activity of C. multijuga oleoresin

Inclusion complexes of β and HPβ-cyclodextrin with α, β amyrin and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity

α, β amyrin (ABAM) is a natural mixture of pentacyclic triterpenes that has a wide range of biological activities. ABAM is isolated from the species of the Burseraceae family, in which the species Protium is commonly found in the Amazon region of Brazil. The aim of this work was to develop inclusion complexes (ICs) of ABAM and β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) by physical mixing (PM) and kneading (KN) methods. Interactions between ABAM and the CD's as well as the formation of ICs were confirmed by physicochemical characterization in the solid state by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Physicochemical characterization indicated the formation of ICs with both βCD and HPβCD. Such ICs were able to induce changes in the physicochemical properties of ABAM. In addition, the formation of ICs with cyclodextrins showed to be an effective and promising alternative to enhance the anti-inflammatory activity and safety of ABAM

Essential oils and isolated terpenes in nanosystems designed for topical administration : a review

Essential oils are natural products with a complex composition. Terpenes are the most common class of chemical compounds present in essential oils. Terpenes and the essential oils containing them are widely used and investigated by their pharmacological properties and permeation-enhancing ability. However, many terpenes and essential oils are sensitive to environmental conditions, undergoing volatilization and chemical degradation. In order to overcome the chemical instability of some isolated terpenes and essential oils, the encapsulation of these compounds in nanostructured systems (polymeric, lipidic, or molecular complexes) has been employed. In addition, nanoencapsulation can be of interest for pharmaceutical applications due to its capacity to improve the bioavailability and allow the controlled release of drugs. Topical drug administration is a convenient and non-invasive administration route for both local and systemic drug delivery. The present review focuses on describing the current status of research concerning nanostructured delivery systems containing isolated terpenes and/or essential oils designed for topical administration and on discussing the use of terpenes and essential oils either for their biological activities or as permeation enhancers in pharmaceutic formulations

DIFERENCIAÇÃO DE PROCESSSAMENTO DE PÓS-COLHEITA DE CAFÉS CRUS BRASILEIROS

O laboratorio LAROMA do Instituto de Química da UFRJ vem trabalhando com cafés brasileiros há aproximadamente 10 anos, na tentativa de colaborar para um melhor conhecimento desta matriz, buscando marcadores químicos para processos, regiões geográficas, entre outros aspectos, e empregando principalmente a  espectrometria de massas, técnicas cromatográficas e a análise metabolômica. O Brasil é o maior produtor mundial de café e o segundo em consumo da bebida. A pós-colheita dos grãos de café envolve três processos, que são a via seca, semi-seca e úmida,  as quais convertem o fruto recém-colhido no café verde cru, como é conhecido antes da torra. A composição química dos grãos é profundamente influenciada pelo tipo de processo de pós-colheita, levando a diferenças no teor de óleo e na concentração de ácidos graxos, diterpenos, ácido clorogênico e açúcares, entre outros. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os constituintes químicos do óleo de café Arábica brasileiro, bruto e metanolizado, quanto a sua capacidade de diferenciação  dos processos de pós-colheita, usando uma única técnica analítica, que foi a cromatografia gasosa com detetor de ionização por chama (CG-DIC), a mais simples entre todas as empregadas na CG. As amostras de café verde foram obtidas de produtores do Paraná e do Rio de Janeiro (n = 9) e submetidas à extração por aparelhagem de Soxhlet, sendo o óleo  metanolizado com carbonato de sódio/metanol  via irradiação assistida por microondas. As amostras foram injetadas no CG-DIC e analisadas em condições otimizadas através de um estudo prévio do nosso grupo, utilizando injeção por divisão pulsada e coluna capilar DB-17HT (10 m X 0,25 mm X 0,15 mm ). As amostras também foram injetadas em cromatógrafo líquido acoplado a detetor de massas (CL-EM), a fim de confirmar a identidade das substâncias e avaliar se algumas delas não estaria apta à análise pelo CG, o que não ocorreu. A concentração dos compostos foi calculada com base nas áreas normalizadas referidas ao padrão interno (n-tridecano) para FAMEs (ésteres metílicos de ácidos graxos), diterpenos cafestol e caveol e esteróis, em uma única corrida. Para essas principais classes de compostos, observaram-se diferenças (p &lt;0,05) em relação aos processos de pós-colheita. A análise de dados por ACP (análise de componentes principais)  permitiu diferenciar os três processos através dos dois primeiros componentes PC1 (70,3%) e PC2 (29,7%), indicando que estas substancias contribuem efetivamente para a diferenciação dos processos. Os constituintes químicos com maior impacto na diferenciação foram os diterpenos (cafestol e kahweol) para o processo seco; esteróis para o semi-seco e os FAMEs para o processo úmido. Esta é a primeira descrição de um método capaz de avaliar FAMEs, diterpenos e esteróis simultaneamente em óleo de café bruto e que se mostram dependentes do processamento de pós-colheita