Filmes à base de biopolímeros podem ser utilizados para produção de embalagens ativas, que além de proteger os alimentos, podem interagir com o produto. No caso de embalagens ativas com atividade antioxidante, tem-se privilegiado o uso de agentes antioxidantes naturais, considerando-se que o uso de antioxidantes sintéticos tem sido questionado, sobretudo em relação à sua inocuidade. Existem muitos extratos de plantas já conhecidos por sua atividade antioxidante, que têm sido utilizados com frequência em estudos de filmes à base de biopolímeros, não somente por serem ricos em polifenóis, mas principalmente por sua boa interação com a matriz polimérica. O extrato de boldo-do-Chile (Peumus boldus) possui atividade antioxidante comprovada, entretanto, não existem relatos sobre sua adição em filmes. Dessa forma, o objetivo geral desta tese foi o desenvolvimento de filmes à base de colágeno ou gelatina adicionados de extrato de boldo-do-Chile, com propriedades físicas e funcionais para seu emprego como embalagens bioativas. Foram realizadas as caracterizações (fenólicos totais, ABTS, DPPH, cor, °Brix e pH) do extrato aquoso de boldo-do-Chile, preparado em quatro diferentes temperaturas. Além disso, foram avaliadas as propriedades reológicas e térmicas da solução de gelatina, e também foram elaborados filmes com as soluções de gelatina e colágeno a partir de soluções filmogênicas com diferentes concentrações de macromoléculas e extrato de boldo. Esses filmes foram caracterizados para conhecimento de suas propriedades mecânicas (tração e perfuração), propriedades óticas (cor e opacidade), espessura, umidade e solubilidade em água. Uma concentração de macromoléculas foi escolhida para a realização de análises complementares, a saber: análises térmicas (DSC), cristalinidade por difração de raio X (DRX), permeabilidade ao vapor de água (PVA), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), brilho, espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR), ângulo de contato, propriedades de barreira UV/Visível e atividade antioxidante. A adição do extrato de boldo-do-Chile nos filmes de gelatina e colágeno produziu filmes com atividade antioxidante, sem prejuízo às demais propriedades estudadas. Observou-se que o extrato aquoso de boldo-do-Chile apresentou propriedades antioxidantes, mas que foram dependentes da temperatura de extração. O extrato de boldo-do-Chile foi capaz de modificar as propriedades térmicas das soluções filmogênicas de gelatina, não sendo observado efeito nas análises reológicas. Por outro lado, o extrato aquoso de boldo-do-Chile não influenciou as propriedades mecânicas, solubilidade, umidade, cristalinidade e a permeabilidade ao vapor de água dos filmes de gelatina ou colágeno. Algumas propriedades térmicas sofreram efeito dos extratos, mas as análises de FTIR não mostraram a formação de novas interações. As propriedades óticas e de barreira UV/Visível foram influenciadas pelo extrato de boldo-do-Chile, sendo que os filmes se apresentaram mais amarelados com o aumento da concentração do extrato de boldo-do-Chile. As micrografias mostraram filmes de gelatina bastante homogêneos e filmes de colágeno com superfícies mais rugosas. Os resultados de brilho e ângulo de contato corroboraram com estas respostas. Em conclusão, os filmes de ambas macromoléculas apresentaram atividade antioxidante, podendo dessa forma, serem considerados como filmes ativos. / Biopolymers based films can be used for the production of active packaging, which in addition to protecting food, can interact with the product. In the case of active packaging with antioxidant activity, natural antioxidants has been privileged, considering the use of synthetic antioxidants has been questioned, especially in relation to their safety. There are many plant extracts known for their antioxidant activity, which have been frequently used in studies of biopolymers based films, not only for being rich in polyphenols, but particularly by their good interaction with the polymer matrix. The boldo extract (Peumus boldus) has antioxidant activity, however, there are no reports on its addition in films. Thus, the objective of this thesis was the development of collagen- or gelatin-based films adding boldo extract, and the analysis of their physical and functional properties for its use as bioactive packaging. The analysis (total phenolics, ABTS, DPPH, color, Brix and pH) of the aqueous extract of boldo were realized under four diverse temperatures. Furthermore, rheological and thermal properties of gelatin solution were evaluated, and in addition, films were prepared with filmogenic solutions of gelatin and collagen in different concentrations of macromolecules and boldo extract. These films were characterized for understanding of their mechanical properties (tensile and puncture tests), optical properties (color and opacity), thickness, moisture and solubility in water. A concentration of macromolecules has been chosen to carry out further analysis, namely: thermal analysis (DSC), crystallinity by X-ray diffraction (XRD), water vapor permeabillity (WVP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), gloss, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle, UV / Visible barrier properties and antioxidant activity. The addition of boldo extract at gelatin and collagen films produced films with antioxidant activity, without prejudice to other properties studied. It was observed that aqueous extract of boldo presented antioxidant properties, but they were dependent on the extraction temperature. Boldo extract was able to modify the thermal properties of filmogenic solutions of gelatin, without effect on rheological analysis. Moreover, the aqueous extract of boldo did not influence the mechanical properties, solubility in water, moisture, crystallinity and water vapor permeability of films of gelatin or collagen. Some thermal properties were affected by extracts, although FTIR analysis did not show formation of new interactions. Optical and UV/Visible barrier properties were infuenced by the addition of boldo extraction, and the films presented had high yellowness with increasing concentration of boldo extract. The micrographs showed gelatin films quite homogenous and collagen films with rough surfaces. Gloss and the contact angle results corroborated these answers. In conclusion, the films of both macromolecules have antioxidant activity and can, thus, be considered as active films.

O processo de extração do óleo de mamona gera, como subproduto, uma torta rica em proteínas, que tem sido utilizada como adubo e contra fitonematóide, devido à sua toxicidade. Entretanto, as proteínas da torta de mamona são ricas em aminoácidos que permitem modificação química com aldeídos bifuncionais, como o glutaraldeído e o glioxal, o que pode ser interessante para a produção de filmes biodegradáveis com propriedades físicas adequadas ao emprego na agricultura. Assim, o objetivo geral deste trabalho foi a produção e caracterização de filmes à base de proteínas extraídas da torta de mamona e reticuladas com glioxal ou glutaraldeído e plastificados com glicerol. Especificamente, estudaram-se o efeito da concentração de proteína e do tipo de reticulante, e o efeito da concentração do reticulante sobre algumas propriedades dos filmes. Os filmes foram produzidos com uma técnica conhecida como tipo \"casting\", que consiste na desidratação de uma solução filmogênica (SF). Os filmes foram submetidos a testes para determinação da umidade, espessura, propriedades mecânicas (testes de tração e perfuração), permeabilidade ao vapor de água, solubilidade em água, cor, opacidade, brilho, além da microestrutura, por microscopia eletrônica de varredura. A concentração da proteína e o tipo de reticulante não influenciaram a umidade, espessura, microestrutura e propriedades óticas. Mas, de maneira geral, os filmes produzidos com o glioxal apresentaram melhores propriedades mecânicas e menor solubilidade em água que aqueles produzidos com glutaraldeído, sendo que a concentração de 6g de proteínas/100g de SF foi a formulação que apresentou os melhores resultados para os testes de tração e de solubilidade em água. Este resultado é muito importante para o emprego dos filmes na agricultura. Por outro lado, a concentração do glioxal não teve efeito sobre a umidade, espessura, propriedades óticas, microestrutura e nem sobre a permeabilidade ao vapor de água, influenciando apenas a solubilidade e as propriedades mecânicas. O teor de glioxal que proporcionou melhores propriedades mecânicas e baixa solubilidade em água foi de 5g/100g de proteínas. Filmes produzidos nessas melhores condições foram submetidos a análises complementares envolvendo testes de hidrofobicidade, propriedades térmicas, espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier, isoterma de sorção e biodegradabilidade. Finalmente, pode-se concluir que as proteínas da torta de mamona são capazes de formar uma matriz bem estruturada e que suas propriedades podem ser melhoradas com a adição de glioxal. / The extraction process of castor oil produces, as a co-product, a cake rich in proteins which has been used as a fertilizer and against plant parasitic nematode, because of its toxicity. However, the proteins of castor bean cake are rich in amino acids which allow chemical modification with bifunctional aldehydes such as glutaraldehyde and glioxal. This may be interesting for the production of biodegradable films with adequate physical properties to the use in agriculture. The objective of this work was the production and characterization of films based on proteins extracted from the castor bean cake and crosslinked with glyoxal or glutaraldehyde and plasticized with glycerol. Specifically, we studied the effect of protein concentration and type of crosslinker and the effect of the crosslinker concentration on some properties of the films. The films were produced with a technique known as \"casting\", which consists of drying a film solution (FS). The films were tested for determination of moisture content, thickness, mechanical properties (tensile and puncture tests), water vapor permeability, water solubility, color, opacity, gloss, and the microstructure by scanning electron microscopy. The protein concentration and type of crosslinking did not affect the moisture content, thickness, microstructure and optical properties. But, in general, films made with glyoxal showed improved mechanical properties and lower water solubility than those produced using glutaraldehyde. And, the concentration of 6g proteins/100 g of FS was the formulation that presented the best results for the tensile tests and water solubility. This result is very important for the use of films in agriculture. Moreover, the concentration of glyoxal had no effect on the moisture content, thickness, optical properties, or on the microstructure and permeability to water vapor, influencing only the solubility and mechanical properties. The concentration of glyoxal that provided the best mechanical properties and low water solubility of proteins was 5g/100g of gelatin. Films produced in the best conditions were subjected to further analyzes involving tests of hydrophobicity, thermal properties, spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water vapor sorption isotherm and biodegradability. Finally, it can be concluded that the protein of castor bean cake are capable of forming a matrix structured and that their properties can be improved with the addition of glyoxal.

Foi realizado um estudo por espectroscopia de ressonancia paramagnetica eletronica de solucoes de complexos formados por melanina sintetica, obtida por auto-oxidacao de l-dopa (dihidroxi-l-fenilalanina), e albumina de soro bovino (bsa). Investigaram-se os efeitos devidos a alteracoes de ph, de concentracao e conformacao da bsa, e presenca de O IND.2, tomando como base as variacoes das formas e intensidades das linhas espectrais dos radicais livres intrinsecos da melanina e dos induzidos por radiacao visivel-uv. Verificou-se uma dependencia da intensidade do sinal com o estado de protonacao do pigmento. Na presenca da albumina a inducao de radicais livres por luz foi maior, o que nao observou-se quando esta foi denaturada. A inducao e decaimento dos radicais fotoinduzidos foi monitorada por espectro de varredura temporal, observando-se uma cinetica que envolveu processos mais lentos com o aumento da concentracao da proteina. A partir de medidas de saturacao progressiva, verificou-se um comportamento de saturacao homogeneo para a melanina pura e nao homogeneo quando bsa e O IND.2 estavam presentes, acompanhados de variacoes nos tempos de relaxacao. Os resultados foram interpretados com base em um modelo que supoe a existencia de processos de transferencia de eletrons da melanina excitada para o O IND.2 e transferencia de carga entre o pigmento e a proteína. / Synthetic melanin (obtained by L-DOPA auto-oxidation) and melanin-bovine serum albumin complexes were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). The melanin intrinsic and Iight-induced free radicals by visible-UV were studied. The dependence of the EPR line shapes on the pH value, albumin conformation and concentration, and O² presence was analyzed. It was found that the EPR signal intensity depended on the pigment protonation state. The light free radical induction in the melanin-albumin solutions was higher than in pure melanin solution. This effect was only observed when the protein was in its natural form. The induction and decay of the light-induced radicals were monitored by time-resolved experiments. A slower kinetic was observed with increasing of the albumin concentration. Progressive saturation measurements showed a homogeneous saturation behavior for pure melanin and inhomogeneous in the protein or O² presence, showing also changes in time relaxations. The results were interpreted assuming the existence of electron transfer processes from excited melanin to O² and charge exchange between the pigment and the protein.

A N-succinil-quitosana é um derivado quimicamente modificado do polímero quitosana. A inserção de radicais de anidrido succínico nas aminas protonadas presentes ao longo da cadeia do polímero quitosana, conferem diferentes características físico-químicas à molécula de quitosana. Esta modificação química possibilitou à quitosana, solubilidade em pHs que variam do ácido (2.0) até alcalino (14.0). Estas propriedades são atribuídas ao alongamento da cadeia alquílica, que afasta a ponte hidrofílica da cadeia fechada da D-glicosamina, facilitando o acesso da água, a qual irá estabelecer uma interação mais forte com a molécula de quitosana. Esta propriedade não está presente em amostras de quitosana pura, a qual sabe-se que solubiliza-se apenas em pHs abaixo de 5.5. / The N-succinil-chitosan is a chemically modified derivative of the biopolymer chitosan. The succinic anhydride attached to the free amino groups presented along the chitosan\'s polymer chain imparts to the molecule different physicochemical properties not exhibited before the modification. These chemical modifications enhance chitosan\'s solubility in slightly acid, neutral and alkaline media. These properties are related to the long alkyllic chains attached to hydrophilic parts. In this case the hydrophilic part of D-¬glucosamine promotes stronger interactions with the water molecules, and consequently, enhances the solubility of the chitosan polymer. It is worthy mentioning that non-modified free chitosan is soluble only in acidic medium (pH ≤5.5).

Foi realizado um estudo por espectroscopia de ressonancia paramagnetica eletronica de solucoes de complexos formados por melanina sintetica, obtida por auto-oxidacao de l-dopa (dihidroxi-l-fenilalanina), e albumina de soro bovino (bsa). Investigaram-se os efeitos devidos a alteracoes de ph, de concentracao e conformacao da bsa, e presenca de O IND.2, tomando como base as variacoes das formas e intensidades das linhas espectrais dos radicais livres intrinsecos da melanina e dos induzidos por radiacao visivel-uv. Verificou-se uma dependencia da intensidade do sinal com o estado de protonacao do pigmento. Na presenca da albumina a inducao de radicais livres por luz foi maior, o que nao observou-se quando esta foi denaturada. A inducao e decaimento dos radicais fotoinduzidos foi monitorada por espectro de varredura temporal, observando-se uma cinetica que envolveu processos mais lentos com o aumento da concentracao da proteina. A partir de medidas de saturacao progressiva, verificou-se um comportamento de saturacao homogeneo para a melanina pura e nao homogeneo quando bsa e O IND.2 estavam presentes, acompanhados de variacoes nos tempos de relaxacao. Os resultados foram interpretados com base em um modelo que supoe a existencia de processos de transferencia de eletrons da melanina excitada para o O IND.2 e transferencia de carga entre o pigmento e a proteína. / Synthetic melanin (obtained by L-DOPA auto-oxidation) and melanin-bovine serum albumin complexes were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). The melanin intrinsic and Iight-induced free radicals by visible-UV were studied. The dependence of the EPR line shapes on the pH value, albumin conformation and concentration, and O² presence was analyzed. It was found that the EPR signal intensity depended on the pigment protonation state. The light free radical induction in the melanin-albumin solutions was higher than in pure melanin solution. This effect was only observed when the protein was in its natural form. The induction and decay of the light-induced radicals were monitored by time-resolved experiments. A slower kinetic was observed with increasing of the albumin concentration. Progressive saturation measurements showed a homogeneous saturation behavior for pure melanin and inhomogeneous in the protein or O² presence, showing also changes in time relaxations. The results were interpreted assuming the existence of electron transfer processes from excited melanin to O² and charge exchange between the pigment and the protein.

Anders als menschengemachte Maschinen verfügen Zellen über keinen festgeschriebenen Bauplan und die Positionen einzelner Elemente sind häufig nicht genau festgelegt, da die Moleküle diffusiven Zufallsbewegungen unterworfen sind. Darüber hinaus sind einzelne Bauteile auch nicht auf eine einzelne Funktion festgelegt, sondern können parallel in verschiedene Prozesse einbezogen sein. Basierend auf Selbstorganisation und Selbstassemblierung muß die Organisation von Anordnung und Funktion einer lebenden Zelle also bereits in ihren einzelnen Komponenten inhärent enthalten sein. Die intrazelluläre Organisation wird zum großen Teil durch ein internes Biopolymergerüst reguliert, das Zytoskelett. Biopolymer-Netzwerke und –Fasern durchdringen die gesamte Zelle und sind verantworlich für mechanische Integrität und die funktionale Architektur. Unzählige essentielle biologische Prozesse hängen direkt von einem funktionierenden Zytoskelett ab. Die vorliegende Arbeit zielt auf ein besser Verständnis und den Nachbau zweier verschiedener funktionaler Module lebender Zellen anhand stark reduzierter Modellsysteme. Als zentrales Element wurde Aktin gewählt, da dieses Biopolymer eine herausragende Rolle in nahezu allen eukaryotischen Zellen spielt. Mit dem ersten Modellsystem wird der bewegliche Aktin-Polymerfilm an der Vorderkante migrierender Zellen betrachtet. Die wichtigsten Elemente dieser hochdynamischen Netzwerke sind bereits bekannt und wurden in dieser Arbeit benutzt um ein experimentelles Modellsystem zu etablieren. Vor allem aber lieferten detailierte Computersimulationen und ein mathematisches Modell neue Erkenntnisse über grundlegende Organisationsprinzipien dieser Aktinnetzwerke. Damit war es nicht nur möglich, experimentelle Daten erfolgreich zu reproduzieren, sondern das Entstehen von Substrukturen und deren Charakteristika auf proteinunabhängige, generelle Mechanismen zurückzuführen. Das zweite studierte System betrachtet die Selbstassemblierung von Aktinnetzwerken durch entropische Kräfte. Aktinfilamente aggregieren hierbei durch Kondensation multivalenter Ionen oder durch Volumenausschluss hochkonzentrierter inerter Polymere. Ein neu entwickelter Experimentalaufbau bietet die Möglichkeit in gut definierten zellähnlichen Volumina, Konvektionseinflüsse zu umgehen und Aggregationseffekte gezielt einzuschalten. Hierbei wurden neuartige, regelmäßige Netzwerkstrukturen entdeckt, die bislang nur im Zusammenhang mit molekularen Motoren bekannt waren. Es konnte ferner gezeigt werden, dass die Physik der Flüssigkristalle entscheidend zu weiteren Variationen dieser Netzwerke beiträgt. Dabei wird ersichtlich, dass entstehende Netzwerke in ihrer Architektur direkt die zuvor herrschenden Anisotropien der Filamentlösung widerspiegeln.

The mechanism through which a charged polymer cationic polyacrylamide (C-PAM) operates to increase the rate of cornstarch hydrolysis was investigated. The main objective was to determine the major factors that affect the mechanism so that these parameters may be adjusted to achieve optimal hydrolysis rates. A combination of analytical methods including dynamic light scattering, optical imaging, and uv-vis spectroscopy were used to study polymer, starch, and enzyme interactions as a function of process conditions. It was found that C-PAM binds strongly to starch granules, increasing solubilization and decreasing onset gelatinization temperature. Granule swelling was unaffected by C-PAM. Both binding of enzyme to cornstarch, and rate of cornstarch hydrolysis were found to increase in the presence of C-PAM. By analogy to previous work on cationic polymer promoted hydrolysis of cellulose, it was proposed that the polymer reduces the charge on the starch surface through a "charge-patch" mechanism. Because both enzyme and substrate are negatively charged, the positively charged polymer reduces the charge repulsion experienced by the approaching enzyme. This leads to stronger enzyme-substrate binding, and faster hydrolysis. There is a mirror image relationship between viscosity of the medium and hydrolysis rate, which allows optimization of these parameters with enzyme and C-PAM dosage. Overall, the polymer addition reduced enzyme dose by 62% depending on the conditions used, so this method could have significant economic impact on the industrial conversion of starch to ethanol.

The desire for repair of tissue defects and injury is the major need prompting research into tissue engineering. Engineering of anisotropic tissues requires production of ordered substrates that orient cells preferentially and support cell viability and differentiation. Towards this goal, this thesis investigated methodologies to align extracellular matrix structures in vitro to guide stem/progenitor cell behaviour for tissue regeneration. Aligned collagen fibrils were deposited on planar substrates from collagen solutions streaming through a microfluidic channel system. Collagen solution concentration, degree of gelation, shear rate and pre-coating of the substrate were demonstrated to determine the orientation and density of the immobilized fibrils. The degree of collagen fibril orientation increased with increasing flow rates of the solution while the matrix density increased at higher collagen solution concentrations and on hydrophobic polymer pre-coatings. Additionally, the length of the immobilized collagen fibrils increased with increasing solution concentration and gelation time. Aligned collagen matrices were refined by incorporating the glycosaminoglycan heparin to study multiple extracellular matrix components in a single system. Multilineage (osteogenic/adipogenic/chondrogenic) differentiation of mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells was maintained by the aligned structures. Most noticeable was the observation that during osteogenesis, aligned collagen substrates choreographed ordered matrix mineralization. Likewise, myotube assembly of C2C12 cells was profoundly influenced by aligned topographic features resulting in enhanced myotube organization and length. Neurites from neural stem cells were highly oriented in the direction of the underlying fibrils. Neurite outgrowth was enhanced on aligned collagen compared to non-aligned collagen or poly-D-lysine substrates, while neural differentiation and cell survival were not influenced by the type of substrate. Using the new method to align collagen type I, the interior walls of cellulose hollow fiber membranes were coated with longitudinally aligned collagen fibrils to fabricate an advanced guidance conduit for nerve regeneration. First cell culture experiments showed that the tubes coated with aligned collagen supported viability and adherence of spinal cord-derived neurospheres. Together, these results demonstrate the feasibility of aligned collagen matrices as a versatile platform to control cell behaviour towards tissue regeneration. Ultimately, the new method to align collagen fibrils and to coat hollow membranes may become an integral component of tissue engineering, working synergistically with other emerging techniques to promote functional tissue replacements.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 2008. / Title from title page. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online through Digital Dissertations.

This work examines the chemical and physical effects of a material treatment process on the biopolymers PEEK, POM-h, POM-c, PTFE and UHMWPE. The polymers are analyzed physically and chemically using atomic force microscopy, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, contact angle measurement, FT infra-red spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. PEEK is found to be the most suitable polymer and FT Infra-red spectroscopy an informative analytic tool.