Search

Cannabigerol's (CBG) therapeutic effects are limited by its poor water solubility and low dissolution rate. To improve these properties, supercritical CO 2 -assisted atomization (SAA) was applied to produce coprecipitates, i.e., CBG nanoparticles coprecipitated in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) microparticles. The experiments were performed by varying the CBG/PVP mass ratio (R) and the overall concentration of solutes CBG+PVP to study the influence of these parameters on particle morphology, particle size, and size distribution. Periodic dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis was performed at regular time intervals to measure the size of CBG nanoparticles in PVP microparticles. It showed that CBG nanoparticles down to 105 nm were successfully produced through SAA. Dissolution tests were used to verify that a reduction of CBG particle size significantly increased its dissolution rate. In the liquid medium adopted, untreated CBG powder was released in 210 min, whereas CBG nanoparticles of 105 nm were completely dissolved in only 15 min.

In this study, a two-stage cascade extraction process utilizing pulsed electric fields (PEF) (3 kV/cm, 10 kJ/kg) for initial extraction, followed by ultrasound (US) (200 W, 20 min)-assisted extraction (UAE) in a 50% ( v / v ) ethanol-water mixture (T = 50 °C, t = 60 min), was designed for the efficient release of valuable intracellular compounds from industrial cherry pomace. The extracted compounds were evaluated for total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid content (FC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), and antioxidant activity (FRAP), and were compared with conventional solid-liquid extraction (SLE). Results showed that the highest release of bioactive compounds occurred in the first stage, which was attributed to the impact of PEF pre-treatment, resulting in significant increases in TPC (79%), FC (79%), TAC (83%), and FRAP values (80%) of the total content observed in the post-cascade PEF-UAE process. The integration of UAE into the cascade process further augmented the extraction efficiency, yielding 21%, 49%, 56%, and 26% increases for TPC, FC, TAC, and FRAP, respectively, as compared to extracts obtained through a second-stage conventional SLE. HPLC analysis identified neochlorogenic acid, 4-p-coumaroylquinic, and cyanidin-3- O -rutinoside as the predominant phenolic compounds in both untreated and cascade-treated cherry pomace extracts, and no degradation of the specific compounds occurred upon PEF and US application. SEM analysis revealed microstructural changes in cherry pomace induced by PEF and UAE treatments, enhancing the porosity and facilitating the extraction process. The study suggests the efficiency of the proposed cascade PEF-UAE extraction approach for phenolic compounds from industrial cherry pomace with potential applications to other plant-based biomasses.

Clary Sage extracts are of industrial interest: in particular, sclareol shows a strong pharmaceutical potential. Supercritical fluid extraction was used to recover compounds of interest from a Salvia sclarea L. waxy n -hexane extract ("concrete"), using semi-continuous fractionation and a multi-step extraction strategy. Multi-step extraction experiments were carried out in two phases: the first one operated at 90 bar and 50 °C; the second one at 100 bar and 40 °C. GC-MS traces showed that during the first extraction step, only lighter compounds (e.g., monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and derivatives) were collected, whereas, in the second step, only sclareol and related compounds were recovered. By adjusting operating conditions (temperature and pressure), selective extraction of different families of compounds was accomplished, with no further need for post-processing of the products. Moreover, using two separators in series, the compounds of interest were fractionated from paraffins and, by changing the operating conditions, the extraction yield increased from about 6.0% to 9.3% w / w as CO 2 density increased.

Traditional and supercritical CO 2 assisted processes are frequently used to produce microparticles formed by a biopolymer containing an active principle to improve the bioavailability of the active principle. However, information about the internal organization of these microparticles is still scarce. In this work, a suspension of dextran + Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (model system) and a solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) + curcumin were used to produce spherical microparticles by supercritical CO 2 processing. Periodic dynamic light scattering measurements were used to analyze the evolution of the microparticles dissolution, size, and size distribution of the guest active principle in the polymeric matrix. It was found that curcumin was dispersed in the form of nanoparticles in the PVP microparticles, whose size largely depended on its relative concentration. These results were validated by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the PVP microparticles and curcumin nanoparticles, before and after the dissolution tests.

In this study, a cascaded cell disintegration process, based on pulsed electric fields (PEF - 20 kV/cm, 100 kJ/kg SUSP. ) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH - 150 MPa, 5 passes) was designed for the efficient and selective release of intracellular compounds (water-soluble proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) from C. vulgaris suspensions during extraction in water (25 °C, 1 h) and ethyl acetate (25 °C, 3 h). Recovery yields of target compounds from cascaded treatments (PEF + HPH) were compared with those observed when applying PEF and HPH treatments individually. Particle size distribution and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that PEF treatment alone did not induce any measurable effect on cell shape/structure, whereas HPH caused complete cell fragmentation and debris formation, with an undifferentiated release of intracellular matter. Spectra measurements demonstrated that, in comparison with HPH alone, cascaded treatments increased the selectivity of extraction and improved the yields of carbohydrates and lipids, while higher yields of water-soluble proteins were measured for HPH alone. This work, therefore, demonstrates the feasibility of sequentially applying PEF and HPH treatments in the biorefinery of microalgae, projecting a beneficial impact in terms of process economics due to the potential reduction of the energy requirements for separation/purification stages.

In this work, Class 2 and Class 3 solvents contained in two corticosteroids, flunisolide (Fluni) and fluticasone propionate (Fluti), were reduced to a few ppm by supercritical CO 2 extraction. The process was carried out at pressures from 80 to 200 bar, temperatures of 40 °C and 80 °C, and at a fixed CO 2 flow rate of 0.7 kg/h. The results demonstrated that CO 2 density is the key parameter influencing the extraction kinetics and the solvent final residue. In particular, in the range investigated, optimal pressure and temperature conditions for the extraction of residual organic solvents were found working at 200 bar and 40 °C, which corresponds to a CO 2 density of 0.840 g/cm 3 . Operating in this way, total organic solvent residues were reduced from 13,671 ppm and 326 ppm to 12 ppm and 10 ppm for Fluni and Fluti, respectively.

Supercritical CO2 phase inversion offers an alternative to obtain solvent free structures with short processing times and preservation of the morphology. We prepared cellulose acetate structures loaded with drug (ibuprofen) to perform experiments at pressures and temperatures ranging between 150 and 250 bars and 35 and 55 °C. The structures were properly characterized by SEM, EDX and DSC; drug controlled release experiments were also performed. Analyses showed that the operating conditions strongly influenced the structure morphology, porosity and drug release profiles. Indeed, connected microparticles, nanofibrous networks and cellular membranes were produced, which have generated different drug release profiles.

This study is aimed at assessing the essential oil composition, total phenolic content, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Thymus vulgaris collected in five different area of the Campania Region, Southern Italy. The chemical composition of the essential oils was studied by GC-flame ionization detector (FID) and GC/MS; the biological activities were evaluated through determination of MIC and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and evaluation of antioxidant activity. In total, 134 compounds were identified. The oils were mainly composed of phenolic compounds, and all oils belonged to the chemotype thymol. The antimicrobial activity of the five oils was assayed against ten bacterial strains. The oils showed different inhibitory activity against some Gram-positive pathogens. The total phenol content in the essential oils ranged from 77.6-165.1 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g. The results reported here may help to shed light on the complex chemotaxonomy of the genus Thymus. These oils could be used in many fields as natural preservatives of food and as nutraceuticals.

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of leaves, stems, and female cones of Cupressus arizonica Greene, grown in Tunisia, was studied by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. Altogether, 62 compounds were identified, 62 in the leaf oil, 19 in the cone oil, and 24 in the stem oil. The cone and stem oils were mainly composed by monoterpene hydrocarbons (96.6 and 85.2%, resp.). In the leaf oil, the total sesquiterpene fraction constituted 36.1% and that of the monoterpene hydrocarbons 33.8% of the total oil composition. The three oils were evaluated for their in vitro herbicidal activity by determining their influence on the germination and the shoot and root growth of the four weed species Sinapis arvensis L., Lolium rigidum Gaudin, Trifolium campestre Schreb., and Phalaris canariensis L. At the highest doses tested (0.8 and 1.0 mg/ml), the leaf essential oil inhibited either totally or almost completely the seed germination and the shoot and root growth of S. arvensis and T. campestre. The oils were also tested for their antifungal activity; however, their effects on the fungal growth were statistically not significant., (Copyright © 2014 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.)

The chemical composition of the essential oils of Melaleuca armillaris Sm., Melaleuca styphelioides Sm. and Melaleuca acuminata F. Muell., collected in Tunisia, was studied by means of GC and GC-MS analysis. In all, 46 compounds were identified, 38 for M. armillaris, 20 for M. acuminata and eight for M. styphelioides, respectively. The presence of a sesquiterpenic fraction (52.2%) characterized the oil from M. armillaris; M. sthypheliodes oil was rich in methyl eugenol, a phenolic compound (91.1%), while M. acuminata oil is mainly constituted by oxygenated monoterpenoids (95.6%). The essential oils were evaluated for their in vitro potentially phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radicle growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., Sinapis arvensis L., Triticum durum L. and Phalaris canariensis L. seeds. The radicle elongation of five seeds was inhibited at the highest doses tested, while germination of all seeds was not affected. Moreover, the essential oils showed low antimicrobial activity against eight selected microorganisms.

The volatile constituents of the flowers of Caralluma europaea (Guss.) N.E.Br (Apocynaceae) from Lampedusa Island were analyzed by a headspace GC method. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 41 compounds. The main components were, among the monoterpenoids, terpinolene (23.3%), alpha-terpinene (19.1%) and linalool (18.4%), whereas, among the carbonylic compounds the major constituents were heptanal (2.0%), octanoic acid (2.4%) and hexanoic acid (1.7%). The presence of a nitrogen containing compound, indole (0.8%) and of a sulphur containing compound, dimethylsulphide (t), noteworthy. The compounds found in the flowers of C. europaea have been compared with data available in the literature as regard to their odor, presence in other sapromyiophilous taxa, possible role as semiochemicals, and presence in decaying organic matter. 89.3% of total constituents have been described in other sapromyiophilous taxa. Some of the compounds are present in several types of decaying organic matter (excrements, decomposing bodies, and spoiled fish, etc). Several volatiles found in C. europaea flowers are used as semiochemicals by Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and other insects. Sixteen volatiles, accounting for 32.4% of the total constituents, are described as attractants of some Diptera families, with a biology linked to decaying organic matter. Our data thus confirm that C. europaea floral bouquet falls within the sapromyiophilous pollination syndrome.