Neglected tropical diseases are one of the most important public health problems in many countries around the world. Among them are leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and malaria, which contribute to more than 250 million infections worldwide. There is no validated vaccine to prevent these infections and the treatments available are obsolete, highly toxic, and non-effective due to parasitic drug resistance. Additionally, there is a high incidence of these diseases, and they may require hospitalization, which is expensive to the public health systems. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new treatments to improve the management of infected people, control the spread of resistant strains, and reduce health costs. Betulinic acid (BA) is a triterpene natural product which has shown antiparasitic activity against Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Plasmodium. Here, we review the main results regarding the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activity of BA and its derivatives against these parasites. Some chemical modifications of BA have been shown to improve its activities against the parasites. Further improvement on studies of drug-derived, as well as structure–activity relationship, are necessary for the development of new betulinic acid-based treatments.

The present work reports the development and application of a new carbon paste electrode modified with graphene and nanodiamond for the determination of nimesulide in biological and environmental samples. The morphology and electrochemical properties of the carbon nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The application of the proposed electrochemical sensor led to a significant improvement in the analytical signal and nimesulide oxidation was found to occur at a potential of +0.97 V (vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0 mol L−1 KCl)). The determination of nimesulide was performed based on the application of differential pulse voltammetry, and the results obtained showed a linear concentration range of 0.50–9.0 μmol L−1 (r=0.999) with limit of detection of 15 nmol L−1. The proposed analytical method was successfully applied for the determination of nimesulide in spiked river water, serum and synthetic urine samples, where recoveries close to 100 % were obtained.

No abstract

This study aimed to add value to two anthocyanin‐rich Brazilian berries by technological processes. Jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) and Jussara (Euterpe edulis) juices were pressurized at 200 MPa for 5 and 10 min. Jussara juice was microencapsulated by spray drying using Capsul® and Capsul® and inulin (1:1) as encapsulating agents. Jussara oils were obtained by cold extraction with either petroleum ether (JPO) or ethanol (JEO). Anthocyanin contents in products were determined by HPLC‐UV and tocopherols contents in oils were determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Jussara products contained both cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside and cyanidin‐3‐O‐rutinoside, whereas Jabuticaba juices contained only the former anthocyanin. Although pressurization of Jussara juice for 5 min led to a decrease of 19% in anthocyanins in comparison to control (3.87 g/L), the content was restored when the juice was pressurized for 10 min. In contrast, pressurization of Jabuticaba juice for 5 min led to an increase of 29% in anthocyanins in comparison to control (1.11 mg/L), but this increase was not maintained after pressurization for 10 min. Capsul®:inulin microcapsules showed higher contents of both cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside (7.14 g/kg) and cyanidin‐3‐O‐rutinoside (8.98 g/kg) than those prepared with Capsul® alone (5.00 and 5.73 g/kg, respectively). Although JPO extraction yield was higher (48.9%) than that of JEO (37.7%), the latter showed a 24‐fold higher anthocyanins content (21.1 and 22.1 mg/100 g of cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside and cyanidin‐3‐O‐rutinoside, respectively). Tocopherols contents in JEO were 1.6‐fold higher (150.9mg/100g) than in JPO, with alpha‐ and delta‐tocopherols corresponding to 56% and 40% of total tocols, respectively. As a whole, our results suggest that pressurization, microencapsulation and oil extraction are suitable technologies for Brazilian berries’ valorization. Grant Funding Source: FAPERJ, CNPq, CAPES, UFRJ

Resumo Diversos materiais podem ser usados como encapsulantes ou coadjuvantes do encapsulamento como é o caso da carragena, cujo objetivo desse trabalho está em verificar o efeito da carragena sobre as propriedades da solução encapsulante. Dessa forma o efeito foi testado quanto a variação do teor de sólidos solúveis, pH e cor dos tratamentos com 0 h e 24 h em proporções de 0% a 5% de carragena na mistura de açaí e whey protein. Também se avaliou a estabilidade da solução utilizando microscópio óptico com uma câmera digital acoplada em uma das lentes. Dimensionou-se o diâmetro médio das bolhas e sua variação com o tempo em função do teor de carragena. O efeito sobre os sólidos solúveis (SS) e o pH do meio, observou-se pequenas alterações que podem ter contribuído ao acaso para aumentar SS e elevar o pH da solução. As coordenadas de cor sofreram efeito do tempo em todas as concentrações de carragena e do teor de carragena apenas com o tempo da análise de 0 h para luminosidade, em 24 h para o h° e em 0 e 24 h para cromaticidade. A adição de carragena não apresentou contribuição significativa para manter a estabilidade das partículas. Palavras-Chaves: coadjuvantes, carragena, encapsulamento, material de parede, proteína.