Abstract Chitosan film is used as a dressing to heal burns. The physical and biological properties of the film can be modified by the addition of phytotherapic compounds. This work used the casting -solvent evaporation technique to prepare chitosan film containing andiroba oil (Carapa guianensis) which has anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and healing properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the concentrations of chitosan and andiroba oil on the physical properties of chitosan films. The emulsion films were evaluated concerning the mechanical properties and fluid handling capacity. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis were performed. The results showed that the barrier and mechanical properties were affected by the addition of andiroba oil, and these may be modulated as a function of the concentration of oil added to the film. The thermal analysis showed no evidence of chemical interactions between the oil and chitosan.

Resumo Zeólitas foram submetidas à troca iônica ou impregnação com prata e posteriormente adicionadas em filmes de quitosana para a confecção de curativos para queimaduras. As zeólitas foram avaliadas por Ressonância magnética nuclear (RMN), Fluorescência de raios X por reflexão total (TXRF), Microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Os filmes poliméricos foram analisados com relação às suas propriedades mecânicas, permeabilidade ao vapor d’água (PVA) e liberação de prata. Observou-se que o procedimento de troca iônica não alterou a morfologia das zeólitas de partida. Grumos de zeólita foram observados nas micrografias dos filmes e estes influenciaram nas propriedades mecânicas devido à desorganizaçao local no empacotamento das cadeiras poliméricas da quitosana. A metodologia de troca iônica ou impregnação influenciou diretamente na quantidade de prata presente superficialmente na zeólita e consequentemente alterou o perfil de liberação de prata em uma solução simulada de exudato de ferida. Os modelos cinéticos sugeriram que a liberação da prata não foi essencialmente regulada pela lei de difusão de Fick.

Abstract Zeolites were subjected to ion exchange or impregnation with silver and added to chitosan films for producing burns dressings. Zeolites were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The polymer films were analyzed with respect to their mechanical properties, water vapor permeability (WVP), and release of silver. It was observed that the ion exchange did not modify the morphology of the starting zeolite. Clusters of zeolite were observed in the micrographs of the films and they influenced the mechanical properties due to local disruption in the packing of the polymer chains of chitosan. The methodology of ion exchange or impregnation directly influenced the amount of silver present in the zeolite surface and consequently changed the silver release profile in an of simulated exudate fluid. The kinetic models suggested that the release of the silver was not primarily governed by Fick's law of diffusion.