Physicochemical Properties of Zinc and Lactose in Solid Mixtures: Influence of Trituration Process

Homeopathy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa Fontes ◽  
Adriana P. Oliveira ◽  
João V.C. Batista ◽  
Cleo Martins ◽  
André Rossi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Recent experimental results supporting the dynamization process show modification in the characteristics of solid mixtures. Objective The present work aims to evaluate the physicochemical properties of metallic zinc and lactose, evidencing the interactions between all chemical components presented in dynamized solid mixtures by analytical techniques. Methods Mixtures of zinc and lactose (1:9 w/w) were successively triturated at the same proportion according to the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia, receiving the designation of 10−1 – 10−6 (1dH – 6dH). All samples were submitted to the following characterization techniques: Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetry (TG), and Raman Spectroscopy (RS). Results AAS results detected 97.0% of zinc in the raw material, and the triturated zinc lactose system (ZnMet) presented mean values similar to those expected for the physical mixtures: i.e., 9.94%, 1.23%, and 0.11% in the three first proportions (10−1, 10−2, 10−3), respectively. SEM images showed particle size reduction due to the trituration process. The XRD assays of ZnMet 10−3 and 10−6 indicated peak changes at 12.3° and 43.26°, probably associated with modifications of inter-atomic crystalline spacing. The thermal analysis results of dynamized samples suggest modifications in the chemical interaction between zinc and lactose induced by the physical forces applied. RS experiments showed variation in vibration frequencies due to the dynamization procedure, in which marked ZnMet 10−6 spectral modifications were detected at 357, 477, 1086 and 1142 cm−1, and in the wavelength range 860–920 cm−1. Conclusion These results highlight the importance of applying suitable characterization methods to improve our understanding of the properties of homeopathic solid mixtures, whereas the uses of sensitive tools evidence the influence of trituration on the crystalline properties and in the enthalpy variation of dynamized samples.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katayoun Morteza-Semnani ◽  
Majid Saeedi ◽  
Jafar Akbari ◽  
Maryam Moazeni ◽  
Houman Seraj ◽  
...  

Background: Recently, nanoparticles were widely used in drug delivery. Fluconazole (FLZ) is a lipid-soluble antifungal, which is utilized in treating fungal infections. The current work aimed to investigate the characteristics and antifungal activity of FLZ nanosuspension. Methods: FLZ nanosuspensions were prepared by Ultrasonication (simple and containing polymer). Surfactants in various concentrations were dissolved in the deionized water, and the drug powder was dispersed in the surfactant solution by a high-speed homogenizer to achieve nanosuspension. The polymer was added to the selected formula. FLZ nanosuspension characteristics, including polydispersity, mean particle size, entrapment efficacy, and zeta potential, were assessed. The release profile via dialysis membrane, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and TEM were performed for nanosuspension evaluation. Antifungal activity against resistant strains of C. albicans was defined according to the CLSI document guideline. To analyze the results, one-way ANOVA was used, followed by Tukey test. Results: The results showed that increased sonication time and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) significantly affected particle size reduction. Moreover, modification in the formulation components had a significant effect on the drug release process, furthermore affecting the properties of the nanoparticles. ATR-FTIR showed no chemical interaction between FLZ and formulation components. Compare to FLZ, a significant reduction (p < 0.05) was detected in the MIC values of both FLZ-resistant and FLZ-susceptible strains of C. albicans against FLZ nanosuspension. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the ratio and amount of surfactants, the HLB, and the sonication process have effects on the properties of the nanoparticle’s characteristics, and selected nanoparticles show suitable antifungal effect against resistant strains of C. albicans.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chem Int

Biodiesel produced by transesterification process from vegetable oils or animal fats is viewed as a promising renewable energy source. Now a day’s diminishing of petroleum reserves in the ground and increasing environmental pollution prevention and regulations have made searching for renewable oxygenated energy sources from biomasses. Biodiesel is non-toxic, renewable, biodegradable, environmentally benign, energy efficient and diesel substituent fuel used in diesel engine which contributes minimal amount of global warming gases such as CO, CO2, SO2, NOX, unburned hydrocarbons, and particulate matters. The chemical composition of the biodiesel was examined by help of GC-MS and five fatty acid methyl esters such as methyl palmitate, methyl stearate, methyl oleate, methyl linoleate and methyl linoleneate were identified. The variables that affect the amount of biodiesel such as methanol/oil molar ratio, mass weight of catalyst and temperature were studied. In addition to this the physicochemical properties of the biodiesel such as (density, kinematic viscosity, iodine value high heating value, flash point, acidic value, saponification value, carbon residue, peroxide value and ester content) were determined and its corresponding values were 87 Kg/m3, 5.63 Mm2/s, 39.56 g I/100g oil, 42.22 MJ/Kg, 132oC, 0.12 mgKOH/g, 209.72 mgKOH/g, 0.04%wt, 12.63 meq/kg, and 92.67 wt% respectively. The results of the present study showed that all physicochemical properties lie within the ASTM and EN biodiesel standards. Therefore, mango seed oil methyl ester could be used as an alternative to diesel engine.


The quality, safety, and suitability of animal fat for processing of a specific meat product is a critical issue. Increasing the human awareness about the health aspects associated with increased intake of animal fat, makes camel fat a suitable raw material for meat processing due to its excellent nutritional contribution. Therefore, the target of this study is examination of the sensory, physicochemical, fat oxidation, fatty acid profile, and other quality parameters of camel fat to evaluate the feasibility for processing of different meat products. To achieve this goal, 30 fat samples each from the hump, renal, and mesentery of Arabian male camels were investigated. The results showed that both the renal and mesenteric fat had honey color and medium-soft texture, while the hump had greyish-white color and hard texture. The sensory panel scores were significantly different between the hump and other fats. Hump fat had significantly (P<0.05) higher moisture, protein, and collagen content, while higher fat content was recorded in mesenteric fat. The fatty acid analysis showed that hump had high SFA and very low PUFA in comparison with both renal and mesenteric fat. Camel fat had high oxidation stability, and the mean values were very low in comparison with the levels of quality and acceptability. The ultrastructural analysis showed that hump fat had high elastin fibers which increase its hardness. The results indicated that both renal and mesenteric fat were more suitable for the production of various meat products than the hump.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-256
Author(s):  
Kriti Soni ◽  
Ali Mujtaba ◽  
Md. Habban Akhter ◽  
Kanchan Kohli

Aim: The intention of this investigation was to develop Pemetrexed Diacid (PTX)-loaded gelatine-cloisite 30B (MMT) nanocomposite for the potential oral delivery of PTX and the in vitro, and ex vivo assessment. Background: Gelatin/Cloisite 30 B (MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by blending gelatin with MMT in aqueous solution. Methods: PTX was incorporated into the nanocomposite preparation. The nanocomposites were investigated by Fourier Transmission Infra Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Confocal Laser Microscopy (CLSM). FT-IR of nanocomposite showed the disappearance of all major peaks which corroborated the formation of nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were found to have a particle size of 121.9 ± 1.85 nm and zeta potential -12.1 ± 0.63 mV. DSC thermogram of drug loaded nanocomposites indicated peak at 117.165 oC and 205.816 oC, which clearly revealed that the drug has been incorporated into the nanocomposite because of cross-linking of cloisite 30 B and gelatin in the presence of glutaraldehyde. Results: SEM images of gelatin show a network like structure which disappears in the nanocomposite. The kinetics of the drug release was studied in order to ascertain the type of release mechanism. The drug release from nanocomposites was in a controlled manner, followed by first-order kinetics and the drug release mechanism was found to be of Fickian type. Conclusion: Ex vivo gut permeation studies revealed 4 times enhancement in the permeation of drug present in the nanocomposite as compared to plain drug solution and were further affirmed by CLSM. Thus, gelatin/(MMT) nanocomposite could be promising for the oral delivery of PTX in cancer therapy and future prospects for the industrial pharmacy.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 447
Author(s):  
Miguel Alfonso Quiñones-Reveles ◽  
Víctor Manuel Ruiz-García ◽  
Sarai Ramos-Vargas ◽  
Benedicto Vargas-Larreta ◽  
Omar Masera-Cerutti ◽  
...  

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the relationship between chemical properties, energy efficiency, and emissions of wood and pellets from madroño Arbutus xalapensis Kunth, tázcate Juniperus deppeana Steud, and encino colorado Quercus sideroxyla Humb. & Bonpl. in two gasifiers (top-lit-up-draft (T-LUD) and electricity generation wood camp stove (EGWCS)) in order to determine the reduction of footprint carbon. In accordance with conventional methodologies, we determined the extracts and chemical components (lignin, cellulose, holocellulose), and the immediate analyses were carried out (volatile materials, fixed carbon, ash content and microanalysis of said ash), as well as the evaluation of emission factors (total suspended particulate matter (PM2.5), CO, CO2, CH4, black carbon (BC), elemental carbon (EC), and organic carbon (OC)). The results were statistically analyzed to compare each variable among species and gasifiers. The raw material analyzed showed how the pH ranged from 5.01 to 5.57, and the ash content ranged between 0.39 and 0.53%. The content values of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg, and Ca ranged from 0.08 to 0.22, 0.18 to 0.19, 0.38 to 0.84, 1.75 to 1.90, and 3.62 to 3.74 mg kg−1, respectively. The extractive ranges from cyclohexane were 2.48–4.79%, acetone 2.42–4.08%, methanol 3.17–7.99%, and hot water 2.12–4.83%. The range of lignin was 18.08–28.60%. The cellulose content ranged from 43.30 to 53.90%, and holocellulose from 53.50 to 64.02%. The volatile material range was 81.2–87.42%, while fixed carbon was 11.30–17.48%; the higher heating value (HHV) of raw material and pellets presented the ranges 17.68–20.21 and 19.72–21.81 MJ kg−1, respectively. Thermal efficiency showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between pellets and gasifiers, with an average of 31% Tier 3 in ISO (International Organization for Standardization) for the T-LUD and 14% (ISO Tier 1) for EGWCS, with Arbutus xalapensis being the species with the highest energy yield. The use of improved combustion devices, as well as that of selected raw material species, can reduce the impact of global warming by up to 33% on a cooking task compared to the three-stone burner.


2012 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuj Chawla ◽  
Pooja Sharma ◽  
Pravin Pawar

The aim of the study was to prepare site specific drug delivery of naproxen sodium using sodium alginate and Eudragit S-100 as a mucoadhesive and pH-sensitive polymer, respectively. Core microspheres of alginate were prepared by a modified emulsification method followed by cross-linking with CaCl2, which was further coated with the pH dependent polymer Eudragit S-100 (2.5 or 5 %) to prevent drug release in the upper gastrointestinal environment. Microspheres were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis, drug loading efficiency, in vitro mucoadhesive time study and in vitro drug release study in different simulated gastric fluids. Stability studies of the optimized formulation were carried out for 6 months. SEM images revealed that the surface morphology was rough and smooth for core and coated microspheres, respectively. Core microspheres showed better mucoadhesion compared to coated microspheres when applied to the mucosal surface of freshly excised goat colon. The optimized batch of core microspheres and coated microspheres exhibited 98.42 ± 0.96 and 95.58 ± 0.74 % drug release, respectively. Drug release from all sodium alginate microsphere formulations followed Higuchi kinetics. Moreover, drug release from Eudragit S-100 coated microspheres followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas equation with a Fickian kinetics mechanism. Stability study suggested that the degradation rate constant of microspheres was minimal, indicating 2 years shelf life of the formulation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 454 ◽  
pp. 324-328
Author(s):  
Yan He ◽  
Ya Jing Liu ◽  
Yong Lin Cao ◽  
Li Xia Zhou

Infra-red absorption spectrometry, X-ray diffraction observations and characterization tests based on silicon molybdenum colorimetric method were used to investigate the optimal pH value controlling the stability of the silicic acid form. The experiment process was done by using sodium silicate as raw material. The results showed that the solution of silicate influenced the polymerization. The active silicic acid solution with a certain degree of polymerization was obtained by controlling the pH values.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1150
Author(s):  
Aigul S. Istomina ◽  
Tatyana V. Yaroslavtseva ◽  
Olga G. Reznitskikh ◽  
Ruslan R. Kayumov ◽  
Lyubov V. Shmygleva ◽  
...  

The use of dipolar aprotic solvents to swell lithiated Nafion ionomer membranes simultaneously serving as electrolyte and separator is of great interest for lithium battery applications. This work attempts to gain an insight into the physicochemical nature of a Li-Nafion ionomer material whose phase-separated nanostructure has been enhanced with a binary plasticiser comprising non-volatile high-boiling ethylene carbonate (EC) and sulfolane (SL). Gravimetric studies evaluating the influence both of mixing temperature (25 to 80 °C) and plasticiser composition (EC/SL ratio) on the solvent uptake of Li-Nafion revealed a hysteresis between heating and cooling modes. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) revealed that the saturation of a Nafion membrane with such a plasticiser led to a re-organisation of its amorphous structure, with crystalline regions remaining practically unchanged. Regardless of mixing temperature, the preservation of crystallites upon swelling is critical due to ionomer crosslinking provided by crystalline regions, which ensures membrane integrity even at very high solvent uptake (≈200% at a mixing temperature of 80 °C). The physicochemical properties of a swollen membrane have much in common with those of a chemically crosslinked polymer gel. The conductivity of ≈10−4 S cm−1 demonstrated by Li-Nafion membranes saturated with EC/SL at room temperature is promising for various practical applications.


2010 ◽  
Vol 148-149 ◽  
pp. 1152-1162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Zhi Zheng ◽  
Li Chen ◽  
Xiang Hua Huang ◽  
Lei Fu

Under microwave radiation and using trimethyl chlorosilane as modifier, hydrophobic SiO2 aerogel was prepared through fractional hydrophobic modification and ambient pressure drying of the raw material, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), in the process of sol-gel and acid-base catalysis. Hydrophilic SiO2 aerogels were also prepared using the microwave method and water bath heating method. The SiO2 aerogels prepared using the three methods, including their morphology and chemical composition, were analyzed and compared using scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis method, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and themogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicate that by adopting the microwave reaction, the specific surface area of the SiO2 aerogels was effectively increased and the structure of the internal nanoscale pores of petal-coated shape was found to exist under the dense external surface of the SiO2 aerogels. Thermal stability of the hydrophobic SiO2 aerogels prepared through fractional modification assisted by the microwave method was increased with the hydrophobic angle at153°, which showed super hydrophobicity.


Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Mohammed Badwelan ◽  
Mohammed Alkindi ◽  
Osama Alghamdi ◽  
Waseem Sharaf Saeed ◽  
Abdel-Basit Al-Odayni ◽  
...  

Two poly(δ-valerolactone)/poly(ethylene-co-vinylalcohol)/β-tricalcium phosphate (PEVAL/PDVAL/β-TCP) composites containing an equal ratio of polymer and filled with 50 and 70 wt% of β-TCP microparticles were prepared by the solvent casting method. Interconnected pores were realized using the salt leached technique, and the porosity of the resulted composites was evaluated by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method. The homogeneity of the hybrid materials was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The prepared materials’ SEM images showed interconnected micropores that respond to the conditions required to allow their uses as scaffolds. The porosity of each scaffold was determined from micro computed tomography (micro-CT) data, and the analysis of the mechanical properties of the prepared materials was studied through the stress-strain compressive test. The proliferation test results used human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to grow and proliferate on the different types of prepared materials, reflecting that the hybrid materials were non-toxic and could be biologically acceptable scaffolds. The antibacterial activity test revealed that incorporation of amoxicillin in the specimens could inhibit the bacterial growth of S. aureus. The in vitro study of the release of amoxicillin from the PEVAL/PDVAL/amoxicillin and PEVAL/PDVAL/β-TCP/amoxicillin drug carrier systems in pH media 7.4, during eight days, gave promising results, and the antibiotic diffusion in these scaffolds obeys the Fickian model.


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