This study reports the synthesis of fatty acid amides (FAA), analogous to anandamide, prepared from Brazil nut oil (BNO), using Amano lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens as a catalyst of direct aminolysis, with a good yield (95-68%). The anti-inflammatory effects of BNO and FAA were evaluated by the carrageenan-induced paw edema method. Analysis of the formation of edema showed that these FAA, at all dose used, significantly reduced the development of edema.

The use of chitosan biofilm in biomedical fields has a vast therapeutic potential due to useful properties such as biodegradability and antimicrobial activity, however, to achieve successful application some physicochemical properties need to be improved. In this context, the addition of glycerol to this biofilm is an alternative to improve its wettability and flexibility. Thus, low and high concentrations of plasticizer were added to this biomaterial for later characterization regarding its wettability, microstructure, mechanical and chemical properties. Glycerol addition to chitosan resulted in biofilms with more homogeneous surfaces, increased wettability, and increased flexibility, without significant changes in its chemical structure.

Microalgae are an indispensable food source for the various growth stages of mollusks, crustaceans, and several fish species. Using a microalgae biomass present in the Amazonian ecosystem (Macapá-AP), we study extraction methods for fatty acid such as solvent extraction (magnetic stirring and/or Soxhlet) and/or hydrolysis (acid and/or enzymatic catalysis) followed by esterification and/or direct transesterification. Extraction of crude triacylglycerides by mechanical stirring at room temperature was more efficient than continuous reflux (Soxhlet). Subsequently, the lipid extract was subject to transesterification with ethanol and CAL-B as a biocatalyst, leading to production of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE). Additionally, FAEEs were prepared by hydrolysis of crude triacylglycerides followed by acid-mediated esterification or enzymatic catalysis (lipase). In this case, the type of catalyst did not significantly influence FAEE yields. In the lipid extract, we identified palmitic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids with palmitic acid being the most abundant. Our results suggest that enzymatic catalysis is a viable method for the extraction of lipids in the microalga, Scenedesmus ecornis.

<p>Enzymatic kinetic resolution (EKR) of (±)-cyanohydrins was performed by using immobilized lipase from <italic>Candida antarctica</italic> (CALB) under conventional ordinary conditions (orbital shaking) and under microwave radiation (MW). The use of microwave radiation contributed very expressively on the reduction of the reaction time from 24 to 2 h. Most importantly, high selectivity (up to 92% <italic>ee</italic>_p) as well as conversion was achieved under MW radiation (50-56%).</p>