a b s t r a c t N-Carboxybutyl chitosan (CBC), collagen/cellulose (Promogran ® ) and hyaluronic acid-based (Hyalofill ® ) polymeric matrices/dressings were loaded with an extract obtained from jucá (Libidibia ferrea) and in order to develop wound dressings endowed with anti-inflammatory activity. Jucá fruits were subjected to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using CO 2 at 25 MPa and 50• C and the resulting extract was later incorporated into the above referred wound dressings by a supercritical fluid impregnation/deposition method (SSI). GC analysis revealed that the obtained SFE extract is particularly rich in unsaturated (52%) and saturated (26%) fatty acids as well as in terpenoids (13%) such as lupenone and gamma-sitosterol. Extract loading yields depended on the affinity of the hydrophobic extract for the specifically employed wound dressing material and was almost 2-fold greater for CBC than for the other two commercial wound dressings. The prepared extract-loaded dressings were cytocompatible with RAW 264.7 macrophages (viability > 85% at 24 h) and down-regulated the expression of TNF-␣ and IL-1␣ proinflammatory cytokines as well as the production of nitric oxide, which confirms the anti-inflammatory capacity of the employed jucá extract. Nevertheless, such effect was somehow counteracted by a proinflammatory activity that was exhibited by CBC. Prepared dressings presented a wide range of water vapor ((2.9-14.7) × 10 14 kg/(s m Pa)) and oxygen permeability (150 up to 830 barrer) which make them potentially suitable for the management of various wound types at different healing stages.

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Industrial poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) plastisols are often formulated using phthalate plasticizers due to their costeffectiveness and high compatibility with PVC. However, there is a current need to replace these additives by plasticizers that (i) present reduced migration/leaching and volatilization profiles, (ii) can optimize production processes while maintaining the performance of the final plasticized materials, and (iii) reduce toxicological risks to consumers and to the environment. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of the partial replacement (15 and 30% (w/w)) of two conventional plasticizers (diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and acetyltri-2-ethylhexyl citrate (CITROFOL AHII)) by two low-volatility ionic liquids of the phosphonium-type (trihexyl(tetradecyl) phosphonium dicyanamide and trihexyl(tetradecyl) phosphonium bis-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) on the rheological and thermomechanical properties of an emulsion-grade PVC which is usually employed in the production of automotive industry upholsteries. Rheological profiles and plastisols' particle size distributions were monitored over time (up to 14 days) to study the effects of plastisols aging on the thermal stability and thermomechanical properties of PVC films obtained after gelation of the plastisols. Obtained results showed that the incorporation of these two phosphonium-type ionic liquids into DINP-and CITROFOL-based PVC plastisols significantly reduced their viscosities and changed their rheological profiles (from pseudoplastic to near-Newtonian behavior). Plastisols aging had a noticeable impact on the final thermomechanical properties of PVC films plasticized with DINP while no significant effects were observed for films plasticized with CITROFOL. These results are in good agreement with the correspondent timedependent rheological profiles.

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