The master‘s thesis is focused on the study of biodegradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates, namely polymer polyhydroxybutyrate. The first part of the thesis is focused on the study of biodegradation of polyhydroxybutyrate in the form of crystalline granules of PHB and PHB films using selected species of microorganisms from bacteria, yeasts and fungi. As a representative of bacteria was chosen microorganism Delftia acidorovans, as yeast was selected Aureobasidium pullulans and Aspergillus fumigatus as fungi. PHB depolymerase activity was measured employing turbidemtiric method with suspension of PHB granules as substrate. The results showed that D. acidorovans can partially degrade PHB. On the contrary A. pullulans cannot effectively degrade PHB. The most significant degradation ability revealed A. fumigatus, which was able to degrade PHB completely. Extracellular enzymes excreted by these microorganisms when cultivated on PHB materials as sole carbon sources were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The second part of the thesis deals with the biodegradation of PHB in the form of PHB film, PHB hardened foil and PHB Nanoul fabric using standard composting test. Semi-solid cultivation showed positive results. In the interval from 14 days to two months were all forms of the PHB completely biodegraded. With semi-solid cultivation was also studied biodegradation rate of the polyurethane elastomeric films which were modified by partial replacement of polyester polyol by PHB. The test samples were prepared using PHB from Sigma and the PHB samples prepared at the Faculty of chemistry VUT. Samples with different concentrations of the dispersed PHB (1 %, 5 % and 10 %) in the polyurethane were also object of the study. At the end of the cultivation (after 2 months) were measured mechanical properties in tension of the material, then efficiency of biodegradation by gravimetric analysis and modification of the material surface by microscopic analysis.

Submitted by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:52:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:53:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:53:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:54:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-01-07T12:54:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Sistemas de libera??o modificada de f?rmacos possibilitam controlar a taxa de libera??o das subst?ncias ativas e direcion?-las aos seus locais de a??o evitando outras regi?es onde o f?rmaco exerce toxicidade, dessa forma ? poss?vel reduzir a ocorr?ncia de efeitos adversos, o que aumenta a aceitabilidade do tratamento pelo paciente, al?m de torn?-lo mais eficaz. Com o prop?sito de verificar a possibilidade de utiliza??o do sistema polim?rico PHB/PCL (poli(3-hidroxibutirato) / poli(??caprolactona)) em sistemas de libera??o controlada, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo preparar filmes polim?ricos e microesferas a partir de blendas PHB/PCL compatibilizadas com o copol?mero P(HB-co-CL), e caracterizar esses materiais, uma vez que os perfis de libera??o associam-se a propriedades f?sico-qu?micas inerentes aos materiais que o constituem, atrav?s de t?cnicas de an?lise t?rmica, difra??o de raios-x e microscopia eletr?nica de varredura. Com a realiza??o deste trabalho foi poss?vel verificar que a adi??o do compatibilizante em blendas PHB/PCL(20/80) e PHB/PCL(80/20) ? capaz de aumentar a intera??o entre os componentes polim?ricos dos sistemas, favorecendo a obten??o de materiais com propriedades intermedi?rias ?s apresentadas pelos homopol?meros. Al?m disso, verificou-se que o elevado grau de cristalinidade apresentado por determinados materiais polim?ricos, que dificulta sua aplica??o em sistemas de libera??o de f?rmacos, pode ser alterado por meio de uma simples mistura f?sica entre diferentes pol?meros. Tanto atrav?s da associa??o dos pol?meros PHB e PCL na forma de blendas quanto pela compatibiliza??o desses materiais com a adi??o do copol?mero ? formula??o foi poss?vel modificar o perfil de cristalinidade apresentando por esses sistemas polim?ricos. Verificou-se que o PCL associado ao copol?mero apresentou perfil cristalino muito semelhante ao PCL puro, mas o mesmo evento n?o foi observado para o PHB compatibilizado, que apresentou menor cristalinidade se comparado ao homopol?mero. Em rela??o ?s blendas PHB/PCL(20/80) e PHB/PCL(80/20) observou-se menor cristalinidade para estes sistemas se comparados aos homopol?meros puros, no entanto a presen?a do copol?mero em ambas as blendas modifica a cristalinidade aumentando a intensidade de picos cristalinos. Essa altera??o de cristalinidade ? capaz de influenciar a degrada??o da matriz polim?rica, propriedade que pode ter aplicabilidade na modula??o da libera??o de ativos em sistemas de libera??o controlada. Estes sistemas podem ser desenvolvidos mediante a formula??o de microesferas polim?ricas e incorpora??o de ativos em sua matriz. Neste trabalho, pela primeira vez, foi poss?vel obter microesferas a partir de blendas PHB/PCL(80/20) e PHB/PCL(80/20) compatibilizada com o copol?mero P(HB-co-CL), que devido ?s propriedades de biocompatibilidade e biodegradabilidade apresentadas pelos materiais constituintes, representam sistemas promissores para aplica??o em sistemas de libera??o controlada de f?rmacos. / ABSTRACT Modified drug delivery systems allow to control the release rate of active substances and direct them to their action sites avoiding other regions where the drug produces toxic effects, so it is possible to reduce the occurrence of side effects, which increases the acceptability of treatment by the patient, and make it more effective. In order to verify the possibility to use the polymer system PHB/PCL (poly(3- hydroxybutyrate) / poly (?-caprolactone)) in controlled release systems, the present work aims to prepare polymeric films and microspheres from blends PHB/PCL compatibilized with the copolymer P(HB-co-CL) and characterize these materials, as the release profiles are associated with physico-chemical materials properties, using thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. With this work we found that the addition of compatibilizer in blends PHB/PCL(20/80) and PHB/PCL(80/20) is able to increase the interaction between the polymer components of the systems, favoring to obtain materials with properties intermediate to those presented by homopolymers. Furthermore, it was found that the crystallinity degree presented by certain polymeric materials, which makes difficult their application in drug delivery systems, can be changed by a simple physical blend of different polymers. By combining both PHB and PCL polymers as compatibilizing blends of these materials by the copolymer addition to the formulation, was possible to modify the crystallinity profile present in these polymeric systems. It was found that PCL associated with the copolymer showed crystalline profile very similar to pure PCL, but the same event was not observed for the compatibilized PHB , which had lower crystallinity compared to homopolymer. Regarding blends PHB/PCL(20/80) and PHB/PCL(80/20) was observed lower crystallinity for these systems compared to pure homopolymer, however the copolymer presence in the blends modifies both systems increasing crystallinity intensity of crystalline peaks. This change of crystallinity can influence the polymer matrix degradation, a property that may have applicability in modulating the release of drugs in controlled release systems. These systems can be obtained through the development of polymeric microspheres and incorporation of drugs in its matrix. In this work, for the first time , it was possible to obtain microspheres from blends of PHB/PCL(80/20) and PHB/PCL(80/20) associated with the copolymer P(HB-co-CL), which due to the properties of biocompatibility and biodegradability presented by the constituent materials represent promising systems for application in controlled drug release systems. / Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-gradua??o em Ci?ncias Farmac?uticas, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2013.

Submitted by Isaac Francisco de Souza Dias (isaac.souzadias@ufpe.br) on 2016-01-28T17:25:39Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) dissertação de mestrado.pdf: 2681028 bytes, checksum: 5ec694770afa01c341d22fc2dcad4e39 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-28T17:25:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) dissertação de mestrado.pdf: 2681028 bytes, checksum: 5ec694770afa01c341d22fc2dcad4e39 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-06 / PRH / O presente trabalho busca avaliar o efeito do negro de fumo (NF) nas propriedades térmicas, reológicas e mecânicas do poli-3-hidroxibutirato (PHB). O PHB é um termoplástico biodegradável, biocompatível, sintetizado por fermentação de matérias-primas renováveis e se apresenta duro e quebradiço. O negro de fumo é uma das cargas mais utilizadas em polímeros, e consiste de partículas muito pequenas e essencialmente esféricas de carbono. Foram preparados compósitos com concentrações de PHB/NF de 99,5/0,5; 99/1; 95/5; 90/10 (m/m). Os materiais foram processados em um reômetro de torque, triturados em moinho de facas e em seguida moldados por prensagem para confecção dos corpos de prova. A matriz e os compósitos foram caracterizados por ensaios reológicos e também por análise termogravimétrica (TGA), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), ensaios de tração e impacto. A incorporação da carga aumentou a viscosidade do material, tornando o seu processamento mais difícil, e teve pouca influência sobre as propriedades mecânicas. A resistência ao impacto foi aumentada e a rigidez foi diminuída. A estabilidade térmica foi melhorada e o processo de cristalização foi significativamente influenciado pela adição da carga, é sugerido que o negro de fumo atue como agente nucleante na cristalização do PHB. / This work seek to evaluate the effect of carbon black (CB) in the thermal, rheological and tensile properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). PHB is a biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic; it is obtained from fermentation process of renewable raw materials as example is sugar cane. CB may be used as an additive or filler for polymers it is mostly spherical carbon particles, and has been applied in several industrial segments, as example is automobilist industry. Composites of PHB/CB with CB content ranging from 0.5 to 10 wt% were compounded in a Haake Rheomix 3000 internal mixer fitted with high-intensity (“roller” type) rotors, for 10 min at 160C and 60 rpm; neat PHB was also processed at same conditions to ensure the same thermal history. Sample tests were made by compressing process. Neat PHB and its composites with CB were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile and impact tests. Adding CB to PHB increased the viscosity of PHB and promoted a little influence on its mechanical properties. The thermal stability of PHB was improved and its crystallization behavior was significantly influenced by the addition of CB, it is suggested that carbon black acts as a nucleating agent during the crystallization of PHB.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T18:01:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo112_1.pdf: 2232756 bytes, checksum: 7a94e481ab271d07c6a254d27a34607f (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / A cinética de cristalização do PET e Das blendas formadas por PET/PHB foi estudada por calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC). O principal ponto de interesse nesse estudo foi o pico de cristalização exotérmico observado nas curvas de DSC. Na cristalização isotérmica do PET e do PET/PHB, foi investigado o efeito de diferentes temperaturas nas suas taxas de cristalização a frio. Os parâmetros cinéticos da cristalização isotérmica foram determinados utilizando a teoria de Avrami. Foi observado que em baixas temperaturas a cristalização ocorre em dois estágios, já para temperaturas mais elevadas ocorre em apenas um estágio. O expoente de Avrami n, a constante de velocidade K e o meio tempo de cristalização t0,5 foram analisados para a cristalização isotérmica a frio do PET e do PET/PHB. A constante K aumentou com a temperatura de cristalização, t0,5 diminuiu com o aumento da temperatura de cristalização. Com relação ao expoente n, os valores apresentados ficaram próximos de 2 definindo uma morfologia em forma de disco. Com a adição do PHB ao PET, houve um aumento na cristalinidade do homopolímero PET. A cinética de cristalização isotérmica nos possibilita ter um controle sobre as condições de cristalização através do tempo para uma dada temperatura, já na cristalização não isotérmica, esse controle está diretamente ligado a taxa de aquecimento durante a formação dos cristais, variando a temperatura em relação ao tempo. A cinética de cristalização não isotérmica foi investigada e os parâmetros cinéticos foram determinados através da teoria de Mo para diferentes taxas de aquecimento e verificou-se que o expoente de Mo a apresentou valores próximos a 1, a constante de velocidade K (T) aumentou tanto com o aumento da temperatura de cristalização quanto com a adição de PHB ao PET, e F(T) apresentou valores mais baixos para as blendas indicando um aumento da velocidade de cristalização

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T23:15:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo9147_1.pdf: 2986566 bytes, checksum: 8a61434d6a712fd656033948e266e3d3 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Polímeros Intrinsecamente Condutores (PICs) são macromoléculas orgânicas que exibem características de condutividade elétrica semelhantes aos metais. A polianilina (PANI) é conhecida como o PIC que apresenta, provavelmente, a melhor combinação de estabilidade, condutividade e baixo custo. Neste trabalho, sintetizou-se a PANI na forma nanoestruturada e foram confeccionados e caracterizados nanocompósitos poliméricos contendo PANI em matriz de polímero isolante, poli (metacrilato de metila) (PMMA) e biodegradável, poli (3-hidroxibutirato) (PHB). Dentre as aplicações potenciais destes compósitos, estão o desenvolvimento de novos materiais estáveis à radiação ionizante, aplicáveis como plásticos médicos e o desenvolvimento de novos materiais orgânicos condutores, mecanicamente estáveis, conhecidos como metais sintéticos para uso em micro-nanoeletrônica e biomedicina. Nanoestruturas fibrilares de polianilina dopada com HCl (PANF-HCl), sintetizadas pelo método de polimerização interfacial, foram dispersas em matriz de PMMA comercial, em 0,15%, em massa, e êndic quanto à ação radioestabilizante. Nesta concentração, as PANF-HCl apresentaram capacidade de estabilizar a matriz de PMMA comercial submetida à irradiação com raios gama em dose padrão de esterilização de 25kGy, de maneira a preservar 92% da massa molar viscosimétrica média (Mv) inicial do PMMA. Em amostras-controle irradiadas com a mesma dose, a retenção atingiu 42%. A produção de nanofibras de PANI foi também alcançada em sistemas monofásicos aquosos utilizando ácido (±)-canfor-10-sulfônico como dopante primário. Filmes compósitos de PMMA/PANI desdopada (PANI-EB) contendo 0,15% de PANI-EB, tanto em formato nanofibrilar quando granular, mostraram menores valores de α (número de cisões por molécula original) que as amostras-controle, quando submetidos à irradiação com raios gama na dose de 25kGy. Particularmente, em compósitos contendo nanofibras, não houve alteração detectável de Mv após irradiação nesta dose (α ≈ 0). Na dose de 75kGy, os compósitos de PMMA/PANI-EB também sofreram menor degradação que as amostras-controle, mostrando que a PANI-EB é capaz de atuar como aditivo radioestabilizante em doses mais altas que a dose de esterilização. Quatro tipos de compósitos de PHB/nanofibras de PANI dopadas com HCl, em concentração entre 8 e 55% de PANI (em massa) foram preparados por polimerização da PANI in situ, em presença de emulsão de PHB. Estes compósitos apresentaram boa homogeneidade e características semicondutoras. Dados de FTIR e difração de raios X sugerem que os dois polímeros não interagem de maneira relevante nestes compósitos. A irradiação com raios gama, na dose de 25kGy, do compósito de PHB contendo 28% de PANI-HCl elevou sua condutividade de 4,5 x 10-2 para 1,1 S/m. Isto mostra a possibilidade de melhoramento das propriedades elétricas do material quando submetido à dose de esterilização. Estudos realizados pelo teste de Sturm mostraram que a irradiação com raios gama, nesta mesma dose, provocou a diminuição da biodegradabilidade do material compósito. Estes estudos também evidenciaram que os compósitos, irradiados ou nãoirradiados, se biodegradam mais rápido que o PHB durante o primeiro mês de testes. A partir deste período, a biodegradação do PHB se acelera, enquanto que a degradação do compósito praticamente deixa de ocorrer. A PANI-HCl não sofreu degradação apreciável num período de testes de 80 dias

Carbon dioxide is a viable resource, if used as a raw material for bioprocessing. It is abundant and can be collected as a byproduct from industrial processes. Globally, photosynthetic organisms utilize around 6’000 TW (terawatt) of solar energy to fix ca. 800 Gt (gigaton) of CO2 in the planets largest carbon-capture process. Photosynthesis combines light harvesting, charge separation, catalytic water splitting, generation of reduction equivalents (NADH), energy (ATP) production and CO2 fixation into one highly interconnected and regulated process. While this simplicity makes photosynthetic production of commodity interesting, yet photosynthesis suffers from low energy efficiency, which translates in an extensive footprint for solar biofuels production conditions that store < 2% of solar energy. Electron transfer processes form the core of photosynthesis. At moderate light intensity, the electron transport chains reach maximum transfer rates and only work when photons are at appropriate wavelengths, rendering the process susceptible to oxidative damage, which leads to photo-inhibition and loss of efficiency. Based on our fundamental analysis of the specialized tasks in photosynthesis, we aimed to optimize the efficiency of these processes separately, then combine them in an artificial photosynthesis (AP) process that surpasses the low efficiency of natural photosynthesis. Therefore, by combining photovoltaic light harvesting with electrolytic water splitting or CO2 reduction in combination with microbiological conversion of electrochemical products to higher valuable compounds, we developed an electro-microbial carbon capture and conversion setups that capture CO2 into the targeted bioplastic; polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Based on the type of the electrochemical products, and the microorganism that either (i) convert products formed by electrochemical reduction of CO2, e.g. formate (using inorganic cathodes), or (ii) use electrochemically produced H2 to reduce CO2 into higher compounds (autotrophy), three AP setups were designed: one-pot, two-pot, and three-pot setups. We evaluated the kinetic (microbial uptake and conversion, electrochemical reduction) and thermodynamics (efficiencies) of the separate processes, and the overall process efficiency of AP compared to photosynthesis. We address the influence of several parameters on efficiencies and time-space yields, e.g. salinity, pH, electrodes, media, partial pressures of H2 and CO2. These data provide a valuable basis to establish a highly efficient and continuous AP process in the future.

No description available.

Com o aumento do número de animais inseminados por IATF (inseminação artificial em tempo fixo), a diminuição de custos e o incremento de índices reprodutivos têm sido os objetivos de vários grupos de pesquisa. Nos protocolos de IATF utilizados, empregam-se dispositivos de liberação sustentada de progesterona (P4), que são, em sua maioria, constituídos de um esqueleto de nylon, recoberto com uma camada de silicone com P4 . Visando a diminuição dos custos de produção e impacto ambiental, foi desenvolvido um dispositivo à base de biopolímeros. Neste estudo, foram comparados dispositivos confeccionados com uma blenda constituída de Poli-hidroxi-butirato (PHB) e Poli-&epsion;-caprolactona (PCL), com o Dispositivo Interno Bovino (DIB&reg;), utilizado como controle . No teste in vitro, utilizaram-se dois tipos de dispositivo à base de biopolímeros, com uma área superficial de 147 cm2: DISP8 (46% PHB, 46% PCL e 8% P4; n=4), DISP10 (45% PHB, 45% PCL, 10% P4; n=4) e o DIB&reg; (1 g de P4, área de 120 cm2; n=3). Os testes in vitro foram conduzidos segundo especificações da USP 23, em um dissolutor de comprimidos, empregando-se uma mistura de álcool/água (60/40) como meio de difusão. Amostras do meio foram colhidas aos 2 min., 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 60, 72, 84 e 96 h. Os teores de P4 foram dosados por espectrofotometria, em 244 nm de comprimento de onda. Realizaram-se as comparações 3 a 3 dos coeficientes angulares das retas obtidas pela regressão das concentrações acumuladas de P4, em função da raiz quadrada do tempo. As médias e respectivos erros-padrão dos coeficientes angulares foram de 677,39 ± 16.13 µg/cm2/t1/2 para o DIB&reg;, 566,17 ± 3.68 µg/cm2/t1/2 para o Disp8 e 774,63 ± 45.26 µg/cm2/t1/2 para o Disp10. Houve diferença entre o DISP8 e o DISP10 (p< 0,05), mas ambos não diferiram do DIB. Para análise das quantidades liberadas por dia de teste in vitro, consideraram-se 4 períodos: 0-24, 24-48, 48-72 e 72-96 h. Houve interação entre tratamento e tempo (p=0,0024). Nas primeiras 24 horas, o DISP8 liberou significativamente menos P4 do que o DISP10 e o DIB&reg;, cujas liberações não diferiram entre si. No intervalo entre 24 e 48h, o DISP 10 liberou significativamente mais P4 do que o DIB&reg;. O DISP8 liberou uma quantidade de P4 intermediária e não se diferenciou significativamente nem do DIB&reg; e nem do DISP10. No intervalo entre 48 e 72h a quantidade de P4 liberada pelo DISP10 foi significativamente maior do que a do DIB&reg; e a do DISP8, que não diferiram entre si. No intervalo entre 72 e 96h, o DISP10 liberou significativamente mais P4 do que o DIB&reg; e o DISP8 liberou uma quantidade intermediária que não diferiu do DIB&reg; nem do DISP10. No teste in vivo, seis vacas mestiças ovariectomizadas receberam DIB (n=4) ou DISP8 (n=8), em um delineamento alternado, com seqüência não balanceada (cross-over), adicionado de medidas repetidas no tempo, referentes aos 16 dias de colheita das amostras de sangue. As amostras foram analisadas por rádio-imuno-ensaio, em fase sólida, utilizando-se &quotkit&quot comercial da DPC (Diagnostics Products Corporation). As concentrações de pico foram atingidas 4 h após a colocação dos dispositivos e este foi o único momento em que as concentrações plasmáticas de P4 diferiram segundo dispositivo (11,45±1,96 vs 9,23±1,15 ng/mL, respectivamente para DIB e DISP8; p= 0,027). No dia 8 do ensaio, as concentrações plasmáticas de P4 proporcionadas pelo DIB e pelo DISP8 foram respectivamente 2,44±0,09 e 1,89±0,13 ng/mL (p=0.58). Ambos dispositivos mantiveram teores de P4 superiores a 1 ng/mL, durante os 16 dias do teste in vivo. Concluiu-se que os dispositivos confeccionados com a blenda dos biopolímeros PHB/PCL, podem liberar P4 de maneira sustentada, tanto quanto os que empregam silicone em sua fabricação. / With the increase in the number of animals inseminated by TAI (timed artificial insemination) the decrease of costs and the improvement of reproductive performance are the goals of several research groups. Progesterone devices which are majority constituted of a nylon skeleton covered with a silicone layer with P4, are used in TAI protocols. Aiming the decrease of the production costs and the environmental impact, was a new device developed with biopolymers matrix. In this study, were compared a blend of Poli-hidroxi-butirate (PHB) and poli-?-caprolactone (PCL) device with the Bovine Internal Device (DIB&reg;). In the in vitro test, two kinds of the new device with a superficial area of 147 cm2: DISP8 (46% PHB, 46% PCL and 8% P4; n=4), DISP10 (45% PHB, 45% PCL, 10% P4; n=4) and DIB&reg; (1 g of P4, area of 120 cm2; n=3). The in vitro tests were led following USP 23 specifications in a drug dissolutor in alcohol/water (60/40) solution as a diffusion medium. Samples were collected at 2 min., 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 60, 72, 84 and 96 hours. Progesterone concentrations were estimated by spectrophotometry at UV 244 nm wavelenght. Comparisons 3 by 3 of the angular coefficients of the straight lines obtained by the regression of the accumulated P4 concentrations in function of the square root of time were performed. The averages and respective standard-errors of the angular coefficients were 677,39 ± 16.13 µg/cm2/t1/2 to DIB&reg;, 566,17 ± 3.68 µg/cm2/t1/2 to Disp8 and 774,63 ± 45.26 µg/cm2/t1/2 to Disp10. Difference were observed between DISP8 and DISP10 (p< 0.05) but both did not differ to DIB&reg;. Four periods were considered for analysis of the amounts released per day of in vitro test: 0-24, 24-48, 48-72 and 72-96 hours. Interaction between treatment and time was observed (p=0.0024). In the first 24 hours DISP8 released significantly less P4 than DISP10 and DIB&reg; but the lathers did not differ from each other. In the interval between 24 and 48 hours DISP10 released significantly more P4 than DIB&reg;. The device DISP8 released an intermediary concentration of P4 and was similar to DIB&reg; and to DISP10. In the interval between 48 and 72 hours the progesterone concentration released by DISP10 was significantly higher than DIB&reg; and DISP8 but lathers did not differ from each other. In the interval between 72 and 96 hours DISP10 released significantly more P4 than DIB&reg; while DISP8 released an intermediary amount which did not differ to DIB&reg; or to DISP10. In the test in vivo test, six ovariectomized beef cows received the devices DIB&reg; (n=4) or DISP8 (n=8) in an alternated delineation in a nom balanced sequence (cross-over) added of repeated measures in time, related to the 16 days of blood samples collects. Progesterone concentration from these samples were measured by radioimmunoassay in solid phase using the commercial kit from DPC (Diagnostics Products Corporation). The peak of the progesterone concentrations were observed 4 hours after the devices insertion and this was the unique moment in which plasmatic progesterone concentrations differed depending on device (11,45 ± 1,96 vs 9,23 ± 1,15 ng/mL, respectively for DIB and DISP8; p= 0,027). After 8 days from the device insertion plasmatic progesterone concentrations provided by DIB and DISP8 were respectively 2,44 ± 0,09 and 1,89 ± 0,13 ng/mL (p=0.58). Both devices kept the progesterone concentration higher than 1 ng/mL during the 16 days of the in vivo test. In conclusion, the devices made with biopolymers blends of PHB/PCL can release sustained P4 comparable with silicone matrix.

La production de biopolymères de type polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) est une alternative attractive pour remplacer, en partie, les plastiques produits à partir de ressources fossiles. Les contraintes techniques imposées par les cultures pures (substrat purifié, stérilité…) impliquent un coût de production qui rend la production de ces bioplastiques difficilement compétitive par rapport à celle des plastiques conventionnels. L’utilisation de cultures non axéniques permettrait de palier les contraintes des cultures pures mais nécessite une étape de sélection des microorganismes producteurs naturels de PHA. A partir d’un inoculum issu de boues d’épuration et de substrats de types AGV (acide butyrique et acétique), une stratégie de limitation de la croissance par le phosphore pour accumuler du PHB a été mise en place. Nous avons étudié, avec les modes de culture fed-batch et continu, le potentiel de sélection de souches productrices et de production de PHA en fonction des paramètres opératoires (taux de dilution) et environnementaux (degré de limitation en phosphore). L’objectif scientifique a consisté à améliorer les connaissances sur le rôle d’une limitation en phosphore selon les conditions opératoires du procédé, tout d’abord sur la nature des souches sélectionnées, et ensuite sur la croissance et l’accumulation de PHB. Pour cela, une démarche associant l’identification des micro-organismes en dynamique par une technique de pyroséquençage, une caractérisation cinétique des micro-organismes sélectionnés, une analyse procédé et le développement d’une modélisation cinétique a été effectué. L’objectif final du travail visait l’optimisation des procédés de production de PHB en culture non axénique : productivité, rendement, titre final en PHB mais aussi fiabilité et robustesse, en vue de définir une stratégie de production optimale de PHA. Les performances atteintes lors des cultures en fed-batch se situent parmi les meilleures de la littérature (70% de PHA) en cultures mixtes sans étape d’enrichissement préalable en microorganismes producteurs. Les résultats ont montré le rôle de la limitation phosphore sur le déclenchement de la production de PHB. En chémostat, l’analyse des paramètres macro-cinétiques, à partir des sélections microbiennes, a révélé des cinétiques de conversion du substrat carboné en PHB, biomasse catalytique et CO2 dépendantes du degré de limitation en phosphore et du taux de croissance. Le taux de phosphore intracellulaire (dépendant du taux de croissance et du degré de limitation phosphore), est le paramètre gouvernant la conversion du carbone. De plus, ce rôle a été observé pour toutes les populations sélectionnées sous limitation phosphore, démontrant un comportement universel de ces populations face à une limitation phosphore. En parallèle, des études dynamiques en batch à partir de ces populations ont permis de caractériser les paramètres cinétiques des souches, montrant une vitesse maximale de production de PHB de 0,6 et 1,2 Cmol/Cmol.h avec acide acétique et butyrique respectivement. Ces hypothèses réalisées à partir des observations expérimentales ont permis l’établissement d’un nouveau modèle cinétique basé sur le rôle du phosphore intracellulaire sur la conversion du carbone. La confrontation de ce modèle aux résultats expérimentaux a conforté et amélioré la compréhension des processus de dilution intracellulaire du phosphore et de stockage de PHB. Ce modèle a également permis d’explorer une large gamme de conditions environnementales et de prédire les comportements microbiens d’organismes producteurs et non producteurs. A partir des résultats observés et du modèle cinétique établi, les performances de différentes configurations de procédés de production de PHA ont pu être discutées : chémostat simple ou double étage, fed-batch, chémostat et batch... Les performances en termes de productivités, taux de PHB intracellulaires, degré de sélection de producteurs et robustesse du procédé sont comparées. / The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is an attractive alternative for plastics produced from fossil resources. The technical constraints imposed by pure cultures (purified substrate, sterilization ...) involve a high production cost of PHA production, and the production of these bioplastics is hardly competitive. The use of non-axenic cultures would avoid the constraints of pure cultures but requires a selection step of PHA producers. From a microbial inoculum (activated sludge) and AGV (butyric and acetic acid), a strategy for limiting the growth by phosphorus to accumulate PHB was established. From fed-batch and continuous culture, we studied the selection of PHA producers and the production of PHA based on operating parameters (dilution rate) and environmental (degree of phosphorus limitation). The scientific objective was to improve knowledge on the role of phosphorus limitation according to the operating conditions of the process, first about the nature of selected strains, and then about the cellular growth and PHB accumulation. For this, an approach involving identification of microorganisms by pyrosequencing method, a kinetic characterization of selected microorganisms, a process analysis and development of a kinetic modeling were performed. The ultimate goal of the work was the optimization of PHB production processes in non-axenic culture: productivity, yield, final PHB concentration but also reliability and robustness, to define an optimal production strategy of PHA. The performance achieved during the fed-batch cultures are among the best in the literature (70% PHA) in mixed cultures without enrichment step of PHA producers. The results showed the role of phosphorus limitation on the PHB production. Thus, it has been demonstrated the importance of degree of phosphorus limitation to maintain cell growth allowing enrichment in PHA producers explaining the high content of PHA obtained. From microbial selections in chemostat culture, the analysis of macro-kinetic parameters revealed conversion kinetics of the carbon substrate in PHB, catalytic biomass and CO2, dependent on the degree of phosphorus limitation and growth rate. The limits on the degree of plasticity of the intracellular phosphorus (ranging from 3.8% to 0.045%) were identified as a function of the specific growth rate. This intracellular phosphorus content (depending on the growth rate and degree of phosphorus limitation), is the parameter governing carbon conversion. Furthermore, this role of the intracellular phosphorus was observed for all populations selected under phosphorus limitation in this study, demonstrating a universal behavior of these populations face to phosphorus limitation. In parallel, dynamic studies in batch reactor from these selected populations were used to characterize the kinetic parameters of the strains, showing a maximum PHB production rate of 0.6 and 1.2 Cmol/Cmol.h with acetic acid and butyric respectively. These hypotheses made from experimental observations allowed the establishment of a new kinetic model based on the role of intracellular phosphorus on carbon conversion. The comparison of this model with experimental results has strengthened and improved the understanding of the mechanisms of intracellular phosphorus dilution and storage PHB. This model was also used to explore a wide range of environmental conditions and predict microbial behavior of PHA producers and non-producing organisms according to the operating conditions in continuous or batch reactor. From the results observed and the established kinetic model, the performance of PHA production processes of different configurations was discussed: chemostat single or two-stage, fed-batch, chemostat plus batch... The productivities, intracellular PHB content, performances of selection and the reliability of the process are compared.

Bei überkritisch großen Läsionen des peripheren Nervensystems, die zum Verlust von Motorik bzw. Sensibilität an Extremitäten führen und damit eine erhebliche Beeinträchtigung der Lebensqualität des Patienten bedingen, ist der Einsatz von Überbrückungsstrukturen bzw. Nervenleitkanälen notwendig. Da weder autologe Transplantate noch künstliche Konstrukte im klinischen Alltag bislang zufriedenstellende Ergebnisse lieferten, ist die Nachfrage nach alternativen Materialien und Konzepten des Tissue Engineering hoch. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation ist es gelungen zwei thermoplastische Methoden zu etablieren, mit denen aus dem im medizinischen Sinne interessanten und relativ neuartigen Material Poly(3-hydroxybuttersäure) in Kombination mit Polycaprolacton poröse resorbierbare Hohlstrukturen bzw. Hohlfasern erzeugt werden können, die den hohen aktuellen Anforderungen an eine Nervenleitschiene gerecht werden. Neben der Entwicklung und Charakterisierung sowie Modifizierung der erzeugten Leitkanäle bezüglich Porosität, Permeationsverhalten, mechanische Eigenschaften und Oberflächenfunktionalisierung, konnten strukturelle als auch biochemische Reize in diese integriert werden, die in einer Reihe von ex-vivo Studien mit neuronalen Primärzellen hinsichtlich Adhäsion, Vitalität und Ausbreitungsverhalten untersucht werden konnten. Es konnte eine Art „Toolbox“ aus PHB basierten Strukturen erstellt werden, die es erlaubt hierarchische Strukturen zusammenzustellen, die entsprechend des peripheren Defektes zusammengesetzt und biomolekular maßgeschneidert werden könnten, um die native Struktur bestmöglich temporär bis zur vollständigen Regeneration zu imitieren und damit die Therapie größerer Defekte zu ermöglichen bzw. die als Plattform für weitere Konzepte der Grundlagenforschung im Bereich des Neuro-Tissue Engineering dienen.