Abstract The form of drug administration affects the success of treatment, since it can influence adherence of the patient to the therapy. The use of orodispersible films has emerged as a way to overcome some drawbacks of conventional methods of drug delivery, especially for patients experiencing difficulty in swallowing. These films are prepared using a matrix that incorporates the drug and contains other substances that confer the properties of the system. The present work describes the use of thermoplastic starch as a carrier for the model drug diclofenac, including film preparation and testing of its orodispersible potential. Preparation of the film employed a microwave oven to gelatinize and plasticize corn starch, with incorporation of the model drug, followed by solvent-casting. The samples were characterized using mechanical tests, analyses of water uptake and water content, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that the film presented promising properties as an alternative system for oral drug administration, with good incorporation and distribution of the drug in the matrix. The material displayed satisfactory mechanical properties, which are crucial for this type of material, due to the need for oral administration and handling before use. treatment therapy delivery swallowing diclofenac potential solventcasting. solventcasting solvent casting. casting solvent-casting tests content spectroscopy

Abstract Autologous fibrin matrices derived from the Leukocyte and Platelet Rich Plasma (L-PRP) and Leukocyte and Platelet Rich Fibrin (L-PRF) techniques present great potential to act as a bioactive scaffold in regenerative medicine, contributing to the maintenance of cell viability, proliferation stimulus and differentiation. In contrast, there are few studies that characterize the bioactive potential of these fibrin scaffolds by considering the process of production. The objective of this work was to characterize the intrinsic potential of maintaining cell viability of different fibrin scaffolds containing platelets and leukocytes. In order to achieve that, blood samples from a volunteer were collected and processed to obtain fibrin clots using the suggested techniques. To characterize the potential for in vitro viability, mesenchymal stem cells from human infrapatellar fat were used. The scaffolds were cellularized (1x105 cells/scaffolds) and maintained for 5 and 10 days under culture conditions with Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium, without addition of fetal bovine serum, and subsequently subjected to analyses by Fourrier transform infra-red spectroscopy, circular dichroism and fluorescence microscopy. The results demonstrated distinct intrinsic potential viability between the scaffolds, and L-PRP was responsible for promoting higher levels of viability in both periods of analysis. No viable cells were identified in the fibrin matrix used as controls. These results allow us to conclude that both fibrin substrates have presented intrinsic potential for maintaining cell viability, with superior potential exhibited by L-PRP scaffold, and represent promising alternatives for use as bioactive supports in musculoskeletal regenerative medicine.

Pectin and starch are edible, non-toxic, biodegradable and obtained from renewable sources. Also, have the benefit to be easily cross-linked producing hydrogels. Reactive extrusion with edible citric acid and cross linking interactions was evaluated on extruded thermoplastic in natura and cationic starch-pectin blends. Materials water susceptibility and mechanical properties were characterised. Reactive extrusion decreased (up to 75% in natura starch) mechanical properties. Also have decreased (up to 32.4%) both starch polymers water absorption, indicating the possibility of increasing materials water barrier properties but had the opposite effect on the pectin-TPS material, probably related to a cationic-anionic cross linking, resulting in a hydrogel polymer. Reactive extrusion also have negatively affected mechanical properties of both starch polymers, however increased pectin-TPS blends stress and strain at rupture.

Bionanocomposites of thermoplastic starch (TPS) reinforced with microfibrilated cellulose (MFC) were prepared by melt processing. MFC was prepared from eucalyptus wood pulp by a process combining cryogenic milling in high shear mixers, chemical treatment with sodium hydroxide and ultrasound treatment. The never dried MFC was then dispersed in native starch and glycerol and processed in a single screw extruder. Two MFC contents were incorporated, 3 and 10 wt %, based on TPS. The MFC was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The bionanocomposites were characterized by tensile tests, SEM and water absorption experiments. Modulus and tensile strength were improved. Water absorption did not change in an appreciable way with the addition of MFC. The homogeneous dispersion of the MFC into TPS matrix can be considered one of the remarkable points of the new process used in the composite preparation.

Blends of starch and zein plasticized with glycerol were prepared by melting processing in an intensive batch mixer connected to a torque rheometer at 160 °C. The resulting mixtures were compression molded and then characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X ray diffraction and water-absorption experiments. The blends were immiscible, showing two distinct phases of starch and zein. The water uptake at equilibrium and its diffusion coefficient were determined. The water uptake at equilibrium decreased with increasing zein content. The diffusion coefficient fell sharply on addition of 20% zein and remained constant as zein content was increased. No appreciable effect of zein on starch crystallization was observed by X ray diffraction. The use of zein in thermoplastic starch compositions causes a decrease in the water sensitivity of these materials and lower its melt viscosity during processing making zein a suitable and very promising component in TPS compositions.