The present study aims to develop thermosensitive membranes with an intelligent mechanism of adhesion/release and potent antimicrobial action for the treatment of wounds. The membranes were prepared by electrosynthesis of the thermosensitive hydrogel poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) in the presence of chitosan (CHI). The material obtained is constituted by a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (sIPN) of CHI and PNIPAm. The chitosan is a natural biopolymer with activity bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and healing action. The commercial chitosan used was previously characterized in terms of its average molar mass (0.9312 * 105 g mol-1) by viscosimetric method and degree of deacetylation (86.23%), through conductometric titration. The PNIPAm hydrogel was incorporated to CHI polymer chain by electrochemical method using cyclic voltammetry technique. The sIPN CHI-PNIPAm membrane obtained was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy using the Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). FTIR-ATR spectra confirmed the polymerization of PNIPAm in the presence of CHI. TGA curve showed that sIPN membrane obtained has a composition of 33% chitosan and 55% PNIPAm. DSC thermal analysis showed a lower Tg of sIPN CHI-PNIPAm membrane compared to Tg of PNIPAm hydrogel. The phase transition temperature (LCST) of the sIPN CHI-PNIPAm membrane was determined by Ultaviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) the value found was 32 ° C.
17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), an endocrine disruptor (ED) excreted by women and is found in contraceptive and hormone replacement pills used at menopause. An increase in EDs requires alternative means of water and sewage treatment, since these compounds threaten human health and the environment, even at trace levels. Phytotechnology stands out from other processes because it is sustainable, given that plants are used to recover the contaminated environment. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate rice grass performance in the removal of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and determine the effect of this hormone on the root anatomy and chlorophyll content of the species. A completely randomized design was used with 4 replications: EE2 concentration composed of 4 study treatments (420, 300, 180 and 60 μg L-1 EE2) and 2 control treatments (positive and negative). The effect of the treatments was evaluated over time (1, 7 and 15 days). EE2 removal from the solution was analyzed by HPLC. Chlorophyll was analyzed by UVvis spectrophotometry, showing that EE2 does not interfere with the photosynthetic activity of rice grass. Aerenchyma was analyzed by microphotographs of root sections, revealing a higher proportion in plants exposed to the hormone, indicating morpho-anatomical adaptations to survive in this medium. Thus, it can be concluded that rice grass has significant phytoremediation potential after 7 days’ exposure, surviving and adapting to the contaminated environment, and can be used to complement water and sewage treatments.
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