Chitosan is a plentiful organic polysaccharide, which can be relatively easily obtained by chemical modification of animal or fungal source materials. Chitosan and its derivatives have been shown to exhibit direct anti-viral activity, to be useful vaccine adjuvants and to have potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. This thorough and timely review looks at the recent history of investigations into the role of chitosan and its derivatives as an antiviral agent and proposes a future application in the treatment of endemic SARS-CoV-2.
In the present work, insulin-chitosan polyelectrolyte complexes associated to lecithin liposomes were investigated as a new carrier for oral delivery of insulin. The preparation was characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency. Surface tension measurements revealed that insulin-chitosan polyelectrolyte complexes have some degree of hydrophobicity and should be added to lecithin liposomal dispersion and not the vice versa to prevent their adsorption on the surface. Stability of insulin was enhanced when it was associated to liposomes. Significant reduction of blood glucose levels was noticed after oral administration of liposomal preparation to streptozotocin diabetic rats compared to control. The hypoglycemic activity was more prolonged compared to subcutaneously administered insulin.
Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) are a new class of green solvents, which can solubilize natural and synthetic chemicals of low water solubility. NADES are mixtures of two or three compounds of hydrogen bond acceptors and hydrogen bond donors. Many NADES’ components are of natural origin and therefore, NADES are presumed to be nontoxic and often exhibit antimicrobial activity. This work aimed to investigate the potential antimicrobial effect of menthol, capric acid and Solutol™, and their associated eutectic system on two Gram‐positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633), two Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027) and one fungus (the yeast Candida albicans ATCC 10231). The results obtained showed a stronger antimicrobial effect for the NADES when compared to their individual components and that they exhibit a promising antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and C. albicans and good activity against P. aeruginosa. NADES exhibited no observable antimicrobial activity against spore‐forming B. subtilis.
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