Rhamnolipids and essential oils in the control of mosquito-borne tropical diseases.

The diseases transmitted by mosquito vectors are a great public health issue. Thus, effective vector control becomes the main strategy to reduce their prevalence. However, insecticide resistance has become a huge concern for the mitigation of mosquitoes; here, we propose the use of rhamnolipids in emulsion with clove oil against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus.

Silver nanoparticles stabilized by ramnolipids: Effect of pH.

Rhamnolipids are glycolipid biosurfactants that have remarkable physicochemical characteristics, such as the capacity for self-assembly, which makes these biomolecules a promising option for application in nanobiotechnology. Rhamnolipids produced from a low-cost carbon source (glycerol) were used to stabilize silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been the subject of studies due to their physical chemical as well as biological properties, which corroborate their catalytic and antimicrobial activity.

Biodiesel byproduct bioconversion to rhamnolipids: Upstream aspects.

This study focused on two important aspects of the upstream process: the appropriate use of crude glycerol as a low-cost carbon source, and strain selection. The effect of different crude glycerol concentrations on rhamnolipid biosynthesis by two strains (wild type LBI and mutant LBI 2A1) was studied. Finally, the synthesized rhamnolipids were characterized by mass spectrometry.

Rhamnolipids: solution against Aedes aegypti?

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the primary transmitters of dengue fever, urban yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses. This mosquito has developed resistance to the insecticides currently used to control their populations. These chemical insecticides are harmful to the environment and can have negative effects on human health.

Rhamnolipid emulsifying activity and emulsion stability: pH rules.

Rhamnolipids have excellent emulsifying power with a variety of hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds and vegetable oils. This paper evaluates the effect of pH ranging from 3 to 9 on the emulsifying activity and stability of rhamnolipids and hydrophobic substrates (benzene, soybean oil and kerosene). Sodium dodecyl sulfate was used as a reference to compare the level of chemical and biological surfactant activity after 24 h (E(24)).