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Polymeric-based drug delivery systems have become versatile and valuable candidates in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, health, medicine, etc [...]

An innovative colloidal approach is proposed here to carry out the customized functionalization of TEMPO-Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibers (CNF) incorporating non-noble inorganic nanoparticles. A heterocoagulation process is applied between the delignified CNF and as-synthetized CuO nanoparticles (CuO NPs) to formulate mixtures which are used in the preparation of aerogels with antibacterial effect, which could be used to manufacture membranes, filters, foams, etc. The involved components of formulated blending, CNF and CuO NPs, were individually obtained by using a biorefinery strategy for agricultural waste valorization, together with an optimized chemical precipitation, assisted by ultrasounds. The optimization of synthesis parameters for CuO NPs has avoided the presence of undesirable species, which usually requires later thermal treatment with associated costs. The aerogels-based structure, obtained by conventional freeze-drying, acted as 3D support for CuO NPs, providing a good dispersion within the cross-linked structure of the nanocellulose and facilitating direct contact of the antibacterial phase against undesirable microorganisms. All samples showed a positive response against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. An increase of the antibacterial response of the aerogels, measured by agar disk diffusion test, has been observed with the increase of CuO NPs incorporated, obtaining the width of the antimicrobial “halo” (nwhalo) from 0 to 0.6 and 0.35 for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. Furthermore, the aerogels have been able to deactivate S. aureus and E. coli in less than 5 h when the antibacterial assays have been analyzed by a broth dilution method. From CNF-50CuO samples, an overlap in the nanoparticle effect produced a decrease of the antimicrobial kinetic.

The present study shows that barley straw (Hordeum vulgare) can be a supplementary raw material of softwoods and hardwoods such as Pinus sylvestris and Eucalyptus camaldulensis, respectively, for the production of cellulose and paper, reducing an agricultural residue that has no added value. Barley straw has a lower content of cellulose at 36.4% than P. sylvestris and E. camaldulensis, but it contains a lower quantity of lignin, 15.9%. After pulping with soda anthraquinone (AQ), high contents of cellulose (56.5 to 67.5%) and holocellulose (>80%) were attained. Paper sheet properties were able to reach, and even improve upon, those of wood species (Pinus and Eucalyptus) pulped with kraft. Better values of total yield (56.5%), Kappa number (8.9), and ISO brightness (36.4%), were attained for paper sheets from barley straw pulp versus E. camaldulensis and P. sylvestris, respectively, and comparable values for viscosity, tensile, and burst index were obtained.

Extensive efforts are being made to find alternative uses for lignin (LIG). In the present work the use of this biopolymer as excipient to prepare tablets was studied. For this purpose, LIG was combined with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and used as excipients to prepare directly compressed tablets containing a model drug, tetracycline (TC). The excipients contained different concentrations of LIG: 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 0% (w/w). Two different compression forces were used (two and five tonnes). When formulations were prepared using LIG as the only excipient, tablets were formed, but they showed lower densities and crushing strength than the ones obtained with only MCC or LIG/MCC blends. Moreover, tablets prepared using five tonnes of compression force showed TC releases ranging from 40% to 70% of the drug loading. On the other hand, the tablets prepared using two tonnes of compression force showed a faster and more efficient TC release, between 60% and 90%. The presence of LIG in the tablets modified significantly the release profile and the maximum amount of TC released. Finally, a DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrozyl) assay was performed to confirm that the presence of LIG provided antioxidant properties to the formulations. Accordingly, LIG has potential as a pharmaceutical excipient.

The aim of this work was to study the potential application of four types of cereal straws: oats, maize, rapeseed, and barley, in order to obtain cellulose pulp through the Specel® process for use in the manufacture of 100% biodegradable and ecological packaging. Raw materials were chemically characterized to determine alcohol-extractives, ash, lignin, holocellulose, and α-cellulose. Cellulosic pulps obtained from raw materials were characterized to determine yield, Kappa number, and viscosity. Paper sheets made from cellulosic pulps were characterized to determine beating degree, tensile index, stretch, burst index, tear index, and brightness. Finally, the results were compared to the raw material used in the industrial manufacturing of packaging (wheat). The four studied raw materials (oats, maize, rapeseed, and barley) were judged to be suitable for use in the Specel® process to obtain cellulosic pulp suitable for production of ecological containers.

Biomaterials from olive tree pruning are an abundant agricultural residue in various Mediterranean regions. A suggested use of this residue is its separation in a main fraction (trunks and stems with diameter > 1 cm) and a residual fraction (leaves and stems with diameter 1 < cm), using biorefinery procedures. The main fraction is cooked with ethanol, giving rise to a pulp, which can be used either in paper or in bioethanol production if before pulping the main fraction is subjected to a hydrothermal treatment. Pulping with 70% ethanol concentration, 185 °C for 80 min resulted in a pulp with a yield of 46.30% and a content of holocellulose, α-cellulose, and lignin of 77.17%, 62.49%, and 21.73%, respectively. The paper sheets obtained had a breaking length of 1168 m, a burst index of 0.44 kN /g, a tear index of 2.25 mN.m2/g, and a brightness of 43.66%. The pulp converted into bioethanol (by simultaneous hydrolysis and fermentation) achieved a conversion of 70 g bioethanol/100 g potential bioethanol. The residual fraction of olive tree prunings was subjected to combustion to produce thermal energy. The heating value was 18700 kJ/kg, the flame temperature range was 1094 to 2013 ºC, and the dew point temperature range of the flue gases was 47 to 53 °C.

This work describes the use of fused deposition modelling (FDM) to prepare antiplatelet thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-based tubular grafts. FDM 3D-printing technology is widely available and provides the ability to easily design tubular grafts on demand, enabling the customisation of vascular prosthesis dimensions. An antiplatelet drug, dipyridamole (DIP), was combined with TPU using hot-melt extrusion to prepare filaments. DIP cargos ranged between 5 and 20% (w/w). The resulting filaments were used to prepare small diameter vascular grafts using FDM. These grafts were characterised. Moreover, DIP release kinetics, antiplatelet activity and in vitro hemo- and cytocompatibility were evaluated. The results suggested that the materials could provide sustained DIP release for 30 days. Moreover, the presence of 5% DIP in the material showed a clear antiplatelet effect compared with pristine TPU. Alternatively, higher DIP loadings resulted higher surface roughness leading to higher platelet adhesion. Therefore, the biocompatibility of 5% DIP samples was tested showing that this type of materials allowed higher HUVEC cell proliferation compared to pristine TPU samples. Finally, DIP loaded TPU was combined with rifampicin-loaded TPU to prepare double-layered tubular grafts. These grafts demonstrated a clear antimicrobial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

The hornification processes undergone by the fibers in the paper industry recycling processes lead to the loss of properties of the final products, which exhibit poor mechanical properties. Among the most promising solutions is the reinforcement of secondary fibers with cellulose nanofibers. The present work addresses two important issues: the efficient production of cellulose nanofibers from scarcely exploited agricultural wastes such as horticultural residues and vine shoots, and their application as a reinforcement agent in recycled linerboard recycling processes. The effect of the chemical composition and the pretreatment used on the nanofibrillation efficiency of the fibers was analyzed. Chemical pretreatment allowed a significantly higher nanofibrillated fraction (45–63%) than that produced by mechanical (18–38%), as well as higher specific surface areas (>430 m2/g). The application of the nanofibers as a reinforcing agent in the recycled linerboard considerably improved the mechanical properties (improvements of 15% for breaking length, 220–240% for Young’s modulus and 27% for tear index), counteracting the loss of mechanical properties suffered during recycling when using chemically pretreated cellulose nanofibers from horticultural residues and vine shoots. It was concluded that this technology surpasses the mechanical reinforcement produced by conventional mechanical refining used in the industry and extends the number of recycling cycles of the products due to the non-physical modification of the fibers.

Development of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as carriers for drug delivery systems has increased exponentially during the last decade. The present work is focused on the synthesis of silica carriers by sol–gel from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor of silica and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as pore generating agent. The synthesis conditions were modified varying the molar ratio of water/TEOS, NH3/TEOS and amount of CTAB. The silica particles were characterized by scan electron microscopy techniques (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, Zeta-potential and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results show that the specific surface area and the porosity of silica particles were strongly affected by the addition of CTAB and the amount of H2O. The dispersion and stability of silica mesoporous particles is achieved in spite of the high surface reactivity. The synthesis formulation affects considerably to the particle morphology, which changes from spheres to rods when the molar ratio of H2O increases. A maximum specific surface area of 1480 m2/g was obtained with pore sizes ranging 2.5–2.8 nm.