Fiber Spinning from Cellulose Solutions in Imidazolium Ionic Liquids: Effects of Natural Antioxidants on Molecular Weight, Dope Discoloration, and Yellowing Behavior

Spinning of cellulosic fibers requires the prior dissolution of cellulose. 3-Alkyl-1-methylimidazolium ionic liquids have proven to be suitable solvents for that purpose, but the degradation of cellulose in the spinning dope can be severe. Suitable stabilizers are therefore required that prevent cellulose degradation, but do not adversely affect spinnability or the long-term yellowing behavior of the fibers. A group of twelve renewables-based antioxidants was selected for stabilizing 5% cellulose solutions in the ionic liquids and their effects on cellulose integrity, dope discoloration, and aging behavior were tested by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and ISO brightness measurements. Propyl gallate (a gallic acid derivative), hydroxytyrosol (from olives), and tocopheramines (a vitamin E derivative) performed best in the three test categories, minimizing both cellulose degradation, chromophore formation in the spinning dope, and yellowing upon accelerating aging of the spun fibers. The use of these stabilizers for cellulose solutions in the imidazolium-based solvent system can therefore be recommended from the point of view of both performance and sustainability.

Low-Molecular-Weight Synthetic Antioxidants: Classification, Pharmacological Profile, Effectiveness and Trends

Mounting research has been performed and published on natural antioxidants, more so than on synthetic ones, as key molecules that control oxidative damage and its pathway to disease. Since the discovery of vitamins, various fully synthetic or natural-identical compounds have been developed as stable small molecules translated into constantly active and completely controlled products which are widely exploited in the food and pharmaceutical industries. There is currently a debate within the literature about their mechanism of action, bioavailability, safety and real benefit for human health. Using a semiquantitative method and eligible criteria of selection, this review aimed to provide a very useful classification of antioxidants and a comprehensive cross-disciplinary description of 32 approved synthetic/natural-identical antioxidants, in terms of regulatory, antioxidant mechanism of action, safety issues, pharmacological properties, effectiveness in human health, timeline and future trends. Enriched interpretation of the data was obtained from summary bibliometrics, useful to portray the “good antioxidant” within the period 1966–2021 and, hopefully, to encourage further research.

Cosm-nutraceutical nanovesicles for acne treatment: Physicochemical characterization and exploratory clinical experimentation

The full exploration of the 'nutraceuticals' therapeutic potential in cosmetics has been hindered by their poor stratum corneum permeation. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to formulate a nutraceutical; quercetin, in novel vitamin C based nanovesicles (aspasomes), and to explore their beneficial effects in the treatment of acne. Aspasomes were characterized for their particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE%), 3-months storage stability, skin deposition/permeation, antioxidant potential, and morphology. Aspasomes antibacterial efficacy on Propionibacterium acnes using the zone of inhibition assay was also tested, whilst their safety on skin fibroblastic cells was assessed in vitro using 3T3 CCL92 cell lines. An exploratory clinical trial was conducted in acne patients, and the percentage reduction of inflammatory, non-inflammatory and total acne lesions was taken as the evaluation criterion. Results revealed that quercetin-loaded aspasomes displayed a desirable nanometer size (125-184 nm), negative charge with good storage stability, and high skin deposition reaching 40%. Aspasomes managed to preserve the antioxidant activity of quercetin, and exhibited a significantly higher antibacterial effect (15 ± 1.53 mm) against Propionibacterium acnes than quercetin alone (8.25 ± 2.08 mm), and were safe on skin fibroblastic cells. Upon clinical examination in 20 acne patients (14 females, 6 males), quercetin aspasomes exhibited reduction percentages of 77.9%, 11.8% and 55.3% for inflammatory lesions, comedones and total lesions respectively. This opens vast applications of the presented formulation in the treatment of other oxidative skin diseases, and delineates the nutraceuticals and nanoformulations prepared from natural materials as promising dermatological treatment modes.

Synthesis with Immobilized Lipases and Downstream Processing of Ascorbyl Palmitate

Ascorbyl palmitate is a fatty acid ester endowed with antioxidant properties, used as a food additive and cosmetic ingredient, which is presently produced by chemical synthesis. Ascorbyl palmitate was synthesized from ascorbic acid and palmitic acid with a Pseudomonas stutzeri lipase immobilized on octyl silica, and also with the commercial immobilized lipase Novozym 435. The latter was selected for optimizing the reaction conditions because of its high reactivity and stability in the solvent 2-methyl-2-butanol used as reaction medium. The reaction of the synthesis was studied considering temperature and molar ratio of substrates as variables and synthesis yield as response parameter. The highest yield in the synthesis of ascorbyl palmitate was 81%, obtained at 55 °C and an ascorbic acid to palmitic acid molar ratio of 1:8, both variables having a strong effect on yield. The synthesized ascorbyl palmitate was purified to 94.4%, with a purification yield of 84.2%. The use of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) certified solvents with a polarity suitable for the solubilization of the compounds made the process a viable alternative for the synthesis and downstream processing of ascorbyl palmitate.

Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity Assessment of Ascorbyl Palmitate (AP) Food Additive

Purpose: Ascorbyl palmitate (AP) is a widely used food additive in food industry. In this study, AP was evaluated for potential cyto-genotoxicity on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs).

Methods: MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis was used for cytotoxicity evaluation, while genotoxicity was carried out using DAPI staining assays and real time PCR.

Results: The growth of HUVECs was decreased upon treatment with AP in dose-and time-dependent manner. Early/late apoptosis percentage in HUVECs treated with this additive was detected using flow cytometry analysis. Also morphology of DAPI stained HUVECs clearly showed chromatin fragmentation. Furthermore, real time PCR results showed that AP induces apoptosis by up-regulation of caspase-3, 9 and down-regulation of Bcl-2 ratio.

Conclusion: The present results indicated that AP has capability to induce apoptosis in HUVECs and its better to make a thorough analysis about its extensive application in food industry.

Spectroscopic, thermodynamic and molecular docking studies of bovine serum albumin interaction with ascorbyl palmitate food additive

Introduction: Ascorbyl palmitate (AP) is an example of natural secondary food antioxidant, which has been used for oxidative rancidity prevention in food industry. In this study, the interaction of AP with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated.

Methods: The mechanism of BSA interaction with AP was investigated using spectroscopic methods (UV-Vis, fluorescence). The thermodynamic parameters including enthalpy change (ΔH), entropy change (ΔS), and Gibb’s free energy (ΔG) were calculated using Van’t Hoff equation at different temperatures.

Results: The experimental results showed that UV-Vis absorption spectra of BSA decreased upon increasing AP concentration, indicating that the AP can bind to BSA. Formation of the AP-BSA complex was approved by quenching of fluorescence and the quenching mechanism was found to be resultant from dynamic procedure. The positive values of both ΔH and ΔS showed that hydrophobic forces were the major binding forces. The negative value of ΔG demonstrated that AP interacts with BSA spontaneously. Molecular docking results confirmed that AP binds to BSA through hydrophobic forces.

Conclusion: The attained results showed that AP can bind to BSA and effectively distributed into the bloodstream.

A new approach for increasing ascorbyl palmitate stability by addition of non-irritant co-antioxidant

The aim of this work was to test innovative approach for enhancing ascorbyl palmitate stability in microemulsions for topical application by addition of newly synthesized co-antioxidant 4-(tridecyloxy)benzaldehyde oxime (TDBO) and to investigate its antioxidant activity and finally to evaluate cytotoxicity of TDBO-loaded microemulsions on keratinocyte cells. TDBO significantly increased ascorbyl palmitate stability in oil-dispersed-in-water (o/w) microemulsions, most presumably due to reduction of ascorbyl palmitate radical back to ascorbyl palmitate, since TDBO free-radical scavenging activity was confirmed. Cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated no significant change in cell viability or morphology in the presence of TDBO-loaded microemulsions regarding unloaded microemulsions, although greater cytotoxicity was observed with increased microemulsion concentrations. Therefore, the incorporation of TDBO as non-cytotoxic co-antioxidant in o/w microemulsions is a promising new strategy for enhancing ascorbyl palmitate stability that could be used to support antioxidant network in the skin.