Fortified chocolate mousse with powder and extract from Moringa oleifera leaves for nutritional value improvement.

This study focuses on the characterisation and incorporation of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOP) from Luanda (Angola) and its extract (MOE) in fortified chocolate mousse. Dark green (DG) leaves presented superior nutritional values compared to other leaves. DG contained a higher concentration of mineral salts (10 ± 1 mg/100 g of dry leaves), phenolic compounds (267 ± 4 mg GAE/g), vitamins (1.

A review of conventional and emerging technologies for hydrogels sterilization.

Hydrogels are extensively used in the biomedical field, as drug delivery systems, wound dressings, contact lenses or as scaffolds for tissue engineering. Due to their polymeric nature and the presence of high amounts of water in their structure, hydrogels generally present high sensitivity to terminal sterilization. The establishment of an efficient sterilization protocol that does not compromise the functional properties of the hydrogels is one of the challenges faced by researchers when developing a hydrogel for a specific application.

Juglone and 1,4-Naphthoquinone-Promising Nematicides for Sustainable Control of the Root Knot Nematode .

The scarce availability of efficient and eco-friendly nematicides to control root-knot nematodes (RKN), spp., has encouraged research toward the development of bionematicides. Naphthoquinones, juglone (JUG) and 1,4-naphthoquinone (1,4-NTQ), are being explored as alternatives to synthetic nematicides to control RKN.

Development of levofloxacin-loaded PLGA microspheres of suitable properties for sustained pulmonary release.

Aerosol antibiotics are an interesting alternative to oral or intravenous therapy in Cystic Fibrosis lung infections. Levofloxacin (LVX) inhaled solution is already an effective option. In this study, the aim was the development of LVX-loaded PLGA microspheres (MS) for pulmonary administration as a dry powder.

Polyphenolic characterisation and bioactivity of an Oxalis pes-caprae L. leaf extract.

The present work is focused on the characterisation of the polyphenolic content of an Oxalis pes-caprae L. leaf extract and on the evaluation of its bioactivity with particular interest on its vascular activity and antioxidant potential. The polyphenolic content was characterised by HPLC-DAD and LC-MS/MS.

Pulmonary pharmacokinetics of levofloxacin in rats after aerosolization of immediate-release chitosan or sustained-release PLGA microspheres.

A comparative pharmacokinetic study was conducted in rats after intratracheal aerosolization of levofloxacin, as a solution, as immediate-release chitosan microspheres or as sustained-release PLGA microspheres. A pharmacokinetic model was constructed to model levofloxacin concentrations both in plasma and in the lung epithelial lining fluid (ELF). The plasma and ELF experimental concentration profiles versus time were similar for the intravenous and intratracheal levofloxacin solutions and for the intratracheal levofloxacin-loaded chitosan microsphere dry powder, indicating that levofloxacin diffused almost instantaneously through the broncho-alveolar barrier and that the chitosan microspheres released levofloxacin very rapidly, as anticipated from in vitro release studies.

Optimization of levofloxacin-loaded crosslinked chitosan microspheres for inhaled aerosol therapy.

The aim of this work was the development of innovative levofloxacin-loaded swellable microspheres (MS) for the dry aerosol therapy of pulmonary chronicPseudomonas aeruginosainfections in Cystic Fibrosis patients. In a first step, a factorial design was applied to optimize formulations of chitosan-based MS with glutaraldehyde as crosslinker. After optimization, other crosslinkers (genipin, glutaric acid and glyceraldehyde) were tested.