| Grant number: | 16/18788-1 |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| Start date: | August 01, 2017 |
| End date: | July 31, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering |
| Principal Investigator: | Milena Martelli Tosi |
| Grantee: | Milena Martelli Tosi |
| Host Institution: | Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil |
| City of the host institution: | Pirassununga |
| Associated researchers: | Antonio Claudio Tedesco ; Odilio Benedito Garrido de Assis |
Abstract
Nowadays, biocompatible polymers have been widely studied as carriers of active/photoactive compounds, such as essential vitamins and phthalocyanines (FC). Vitamins are widely added to food products and dietary supplements in order to enhance health benefits, while FC are photosensitizing agents employed in the photodynamic therapy. FC are activated by visible radiation in order to promote apoptosis or necrosis of tumor cells by different photophysical and photobiological events. Despite their different applications, biopolymers have been studied as carrier systems in order to achieve common objectives: to maintain stability and control of active release. However, few studies have explored the microspectroscopic characterization of these materials. Thus, the main objectives of this study are (i) to obtain biopolymeric carrier systems (chitosan micro/nanoparticles-MQ and/or cellulose micro/nanofibers-MC) as active compound carriers (folic acid or vitamin B6, cholecalciferol or vitamin D3 and FC), and (ii) the Raman microspectroscopic study in order to identify and map the regions of interaction between the components, determining heterogeneities and conformation changes between the substances. By means of chemometrics, the spectral data will be correlated to material properties. In this study, we have chosen MQ and MC due to their functional differences: MQ are essentially cationic in acid aqueous solution, and MC are essentially anionic. These features should change significantly the biological behavior of the photoactives. The relevance of this study is based on the importance of better understanding the material interactions for improving technological applications. Moreover, the approval of this project will allow the implementation of a new line of research in the department. (AU)
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