Konjac glucomannan: A comprehensive review of its extraction, health benefits, and pharmaceutical applications.

Konjac glucomannan (KG) is a dietary fiber hydrocolloid derived from Amorphophallus konjac tubers and is widely utilized as a food additive and dietary supplement. As a health-conscious choice, purified KG, along with konjac flour and KG-infused diets, have gained widespread acceptance in Asian and European markets. An overview of the chemical composition and structure of KG is given in this review, along with thorough explanations of the processes used in its extraction, production, and purification. KG has been shown to promote health by reducing glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and blood pressure, thereby offering significant weight loss advantages. Furthermore, this review delves into the extensive health benefits and pharmaceutical applications of KG and its derivatives, emphasizing its prebiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities. This study highlights how these natural polysaccharides can positively influence health, underscoring their potential in various biomedical applications.

Enzymatic Degradation Behavior of Self-Degradable Lipase-Embedded Aliphatic and Aromatic Polyesters and Their Blends.

Over the past decade, the preparation of novel materials by enzyme-embedding into biopolyesters has been proposed as a straightforward method to produce self-degrading polymers. This paper reports the preparation and enzymatic degradation of extruded self-degradable films of three different biopolyesters: poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), as well as three binary/ternary blends. Candida antarctica lipase B (CalB) has been employed for the enzyme-embedding procedure, and to the best of our knowledge, the use of this approach in biopolyester blends has not been reported before. The three homopolymers exhibited differentiated degradation and suggested a preferential attack of CalB on PBS films over PBAT and PLA. Moreover, the self-degradable films obtained from the blends showed slow degradation, probably due to the higher content in PLA and PBAT. These observations pave the way for exploring enzymes capable of degrading all blend components or an enzymatic mixture for blend degradation.

Ingestion and adherence of microplastics by estuarine mysid shrimp.

Microplastics have been reported to be present in zooplankton, yet questions persist regarding their fate and dynamics within biota. We selected the commercial mysid shrimp, Mesopodopsis orientalis, as the focal zooplankton for this study due to their crucial role in our study area, the Inner Gulf of Thailand in January 2022. We investigated the presence of microplastics in mysid bodies and fecal pellets, examining both attached microplastics on external body parts and those ingested. In addition, we conducted microplastic feeding experiments, exposing mysids to various treatments of microplastics. The results of the field investigation indicate that mysids exhibited an average of 0.12 ± 0.03 microplastic items/mysid from whole-body samples. The shape, type, and color of microplastics found in mysids were similar to those present in seawater, with blue PET microfibers being the most prevalent. Our observations on live mysids revealed that microplastics were acquired through ingestion and adherence to appendages and exoskeletons. Microplastics were observed in mysid's fecal pellets at 0.09 ± 0.03 items/mysid, while microplastics adhering to the mysid's body and appendages were observed at 0.10 ± 0.04 items/mysid. The sizes of microplastics extracted from preserved mysids ranged from 58 µm to 4669 µm, with median of 507 µm. The laboratory experiments revealed that the presence of microalgae enhanced microplastic ingestion in mysids; microplastics incubated with a cyanobacterium, Oscillatoria sp., and diatom Navicula sp. significantly increased the number of microplastic particles ingested by mysids. This study showed that microplastics can be more ingested in mysids, especially when food items are present. Microplastic fate in these animals may involve expulsion into the environment or adherence, potentially facilitating their transfer up the marine food web.

Pectin hydrogels for controlled drug release: Recent developments and future prospects.

Pectin hydrogels have emerged as a highly promising medium for the controlled release of pharmaceuticals in the dynamic field of drug delivery. The present review sheds light on the broad range of applications and potential of pectin-based hydrogels in pharmaceutical formulations. Pectin, as a biopolymer, is a versatile candidate for various drug delivery systems because of its wide range of properties and characteristics. The information provided on formulation strategies and crosslinking techniques provides researchers with tools to improve drug entrapment and controlled release. Furthermore, this review provides a more in-depth understanding of the complex factors influencing drug release from pectin hydrogels, such as the impact of environmental conditions and drug-specific characteristics. Pectin hydrogels demonstrate adaptability across diverse domains, ranging from applications in oral and transdermal drug delivery to contributions in wound healing, tissue engineering, and ongoing clinical trials. While standardization and regulatory compliance remain significant challenges, the future of pectin hydrogels appears to be bright, opening up new possibilities for advanced drug delivery systems.

Effect of synthesized sulfonate derivatives as nucleating agents on crystallization behavior of poly(lactic acid).

The improvement of the crystallization of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the key areas to allow PLA to perform better at higher temperature and load bearing. Due to its slow crystallization rate, either organic or inorganic nucleating agents (NAs) can be used to improve the crystallization rate of PLA. In the case of organic NAs, aromatic sulfonate salt and bisamide compounds are promising ones because they can control better clarity. The aim of this work was to study the crystallization behavior of PLA using as-synthesized dimethyl 5-sulfoisophthalate sodium salt (SSIPA) as a nucleating agent in comparison with the commercial sulfonate salt (LAK-301). Two grades of PLA (PLA L105 and PLA 3251D) were used in this study. PLA samples were prepared by internal mixer and compression molding. All samples were investigated by DSC and POM. The results from DSC showed that after introducing the nucleating agents into PLA, the crystallinity in all samples was improved. The highest crystallinity at 57.48% was obtained from PLA L105/SSIPA1.0. Isothermal crystallization kinetics showed the improvement in overall crystallization rate of PLA with nucleating agents. The lowest half time crystallization obtained was 1.19 min for PLA L105/SSIPA1.0 at 135 °C. The results from POM indicated the substantial increase of the nucleus density and smaller spherulite size upon adding nucleating agents.

Spectroscopic characterization of soil dissolved organic matter during dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment: Effects of discharge power, atmosphere and soil moisture content.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology is an emerging advanced oxidation process, which has shown excellent performances in soil organic pollution remediation. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is one of the most important components in soil, however, investigations on the structural and compositional changes of DOM during NTP process are lacking. Therefore, in the present study, we systematically investigated the soil DOM changes under different discharge voltages, atmospheres or soils with different moisture contents. The results indicated that after NTP treatment, substantial soil organic matters were released and dissolved in water. For instance, the DOC value of DOM increased dramatically from 21.1 to 197.3 mg L-1 after being discharged for 120 min under the discharge voltage of 80 V. The UV-Vis characterization results indicated the significant increase of hydrophilicity, and decreases of aromaticity and molecular weight for soil DOM during the initial discharge period. However, long time discharge resulted in slight recovery of aromaticity and hydrophobicity, possibly due to the dehydration and re-condensation of small molecules. EEM-FRI results indicated that the total fluorescence intensity of DOM decreased obviously, indicating the destruction of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM). While the proportions of humic-like and microbial byproduct-like substances increased, indicating that those substances were more recalcitrant under NTP treatment compared with fulvic acid-like and aromatic protein-like substances. Four fluorescence components were identified by PARAFAC, and microbial and terrestrial humic-like substances were more difficult to degrade compared to other humic-like substances and fulvic acid-like substances. Additionally, discharge voltage and atmosphere had great influences on DOM changes, while the impact of soil moisture content was not significant. Overall, this study provided insights into the DOM changes during NTP process, which is valuable for more comprehensive evaluation of the NTP technique application in practical soil remediation.

Impact of Drug Loading Method on Drug Release from 3D-Printed Tablets Made from Filaments Fabricated by Hot-Melt Extrusion and Impregnation Processes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the drug loading method on drug release from 3D-printed tablets. Filaments comprising a poorly water-soluble model drug, indomethacin (IND), and a polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), were prepared by hot-melt extrusion (HME) and compared with IND-loaded filaments prepared with an impregnation (IMP) process. The 3D-printed tablets were fabricated using a fused deposition modeling 3D printer. The filaments and 3D printed tablets were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, swelling and matrix erosion behaviors, drug content, and drug release. Physicochemical investigations revealed no drug-excipient interaction or degradation. IND-loaded PVA filaments produced by IMP had a low drug content and a rapid drug release. Filaments produced by HME with a lower drug content released the drug faster than those with a higher drug content. The drug content and drug release of 3D-printed tablets containing IND were similar to those of the filament results. Particularly, drug release was faster in 3D-printed tablets produced with filaments with lower drug content (both by IMP and HME). The drug release of 3D-printed tablets produced from HME filaments with higher drug content was extended to 24 h due to a swelling-erosion process. This study confirmed that the drug loading method has a substantial influence on drug content, which in turn has a significant effect on drug release. The results suggest that increasing the drug content in filaments might delay drug release from 3D-printed tablets, which may be used for developing dosage forms suited for personalized medicine.

Manipulating Crystallization for Simultaneous Improvement of Impact Strength and Heat Resistance of Plasticized Poly(l-lactic acid) and Poly(butylene succinate) Blends.

Crystalline morphology and phase structure play a decisive role in determining the properties of polymer blends. In this research, biodegradable blends of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) have been prepared by melt-extrusion and molded into specimens with rapid cooling. The crystalline morphology (e.g., crystallinity, crystal type and perfection) is manipulated by annealing the molded products from solid-state within a short time. This work emphasizes on the effects of annealing conditions on crystallization and properties of the blends, especially impact toughness and thermal stability. Phase-separation morphology with PBS dispersed particles smaller than 1 µm is created in the blends. The blend properties are successfully dictated by controlling the crystalline morphology. Increasing crystallinity alone does not ensure the enhancement of impact toughness. A great improvement of impact strength and heat resistance is achieved when the PLLA/PBS (80/20) blends are plasticized with 5% medium molecular-weight poly(ethylene glycol), and simultaneously heat-treated at a temperature close to the cold-crystallization of PLLA. The plasticized blend annealed at 92 °C for only 10 min exhibits ten-fold impact strength over the starting PLLA and slightly higher heat distortion temperature. The microscopic study demonstrates the fracture mechanism changes from crazing to shear yielding in this annealed sample.

Development of PLA/EVA Reactive Blends for Heat-Shrinkable Film.

Heat-shrinkable films have widely been used for various applications such as shrinkable labels and cap seals. These plastics have generally a short life. The biodegradable polymers can thus be an ideal candidate for such applications. This work aimed to study the stretching and shrinking ratio of poly(lactic acid)/ethylene vinyl acetate through reactive blends system for heat-shrinkable films application. The reactive agents, Joncryl® and Perkadox were used as in situ compatibilizers. PLA/EVA with 100/0, 97/3, 95/5, 93/7, and 90/10 ratios were prepared in the twin screw extruder. Neat PLA and PLA/EVA films were fabricated by blown film extrusion. The results revealed that the elongation at break of PLA in the TD direction was improved when adding EVA. PLA and EVA film with 0.1 phr of Perkadox was found to be sufficient as evident by FESEM micrograph and DMTA results. The films were stretched and shrunk at a temperature of 70 °C. The percentage of shrinkage of the stretched PLA/EVA reactive blend films, two and three times were, 100%, approximately. On the other hand, the four-times stretched films shrunk less than 100% because of the excessive stretching, which resulted in film breakage and defect.

Toughening of Poly(L-lactide) with Blends of Poly(ε-caprolactone-co-L-lactide) in the Presence of Chain Extender.

A poly(ε-caprolactone-co-L-lactide) copolyester was synthesized and employed to toughen poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) by reactive melt blending in the presence of an epoxy-based chain extender. The effects of chain extension reaction and copolyester content on properties of PLLA-based blends were studied. The chain extension reaction reduced crystallinity and melt flow index of PLLA/copolyester blends. Meanwhile the copolyester blending improved the crystallinities of the chain-extended PLLA up to 20 wt% copolyester. The phase compatibility between PLLA matrix and dispersed copolyester phases was enhanced by the chain extension reaction. The impact strength of chain-extended PLLA increased with the contents of copolyester and chain extender.

Effect of PDLA and Amide Compounds as Mixed Nucleating Agents on Crystallization Behaviors of Poly (l-lactic Acid).

The improvement of the rate of crystallization and crystallinity of poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) is one of the key performance elements for PLLA to perform better at the higher temperature than its heat deflection temperature (around 60 °C). The organic nucleating agent compounds are one of the interesting choice as they can offer the clarity of products. On the other hand, the nucleated PLLA can be prepared using a low molecular weight poly (d-lactic acid) (PDLA). The aim of this work was to explore the effect of an unsaturated amide compound and PDLA as single and mixed nucleating agents used for PLLA. The crystallization rate and kinetics were investigated and compared for the synthetic unsaturated amide compound (N,N′-ethylenebis (10-undecenamide) (EBU)) and commercial hydrazide compound (tetramethylenedicarboxylic dibenzoylhydrazide (TMC-306)). PLLA samples was prepared by melt-mixing with TMC or EBU incorporated with peroxide. The influence of different nucleating agents loading on thermal properties, crystallization behaviors, and rheological properties of PLLA were explored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results showed that the addition of EBU or TMC 0.5 phr could pronouncedly increase the crystallinity of PLLA from 3.80% to 24.84% and 8.61%, respectively. The crystallization peak appeared at 112.3 °C in the cooling scan at the rate 7 °C/min when addition EBU and peroxide into PLLA. This indicated that EBU acted as an efficient nucleating agent for PLLA. In isothermal crystallization run at 110 °C, it was found that the overall crystallization rate of nucleated PLLA with TMC or EBU was much faster than neat PLLA. The crystallization half-time indicated that the existence of TMC or EBU could slightly decrease to 2.90 and 1.96 min, respectively compared to neat PLLA (4.60 min). Finally, a low molecular weight PDLA with different contents between 3 and 7 wt % was added in PLLA with EBU and peroxide to investigate the effect of mixed nucleating agents. The crystallization rate of the incorporation of PDLA/EBU/peroxide into PLLA was discussed with the proposed crystallization mechanism. The results revealed the stereocomplex temperature peak at 207 °C as well as normal melting temperature of PLLA. The kinetics of growth crystallization, the crystallization half-time of PLLA at 110 °C was reduced from 4.60 min to 1.96 min (when adding EBU alone) and to 2.62 min (when using mixed PDLA and EBU).

Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Mesoporous Silica Derived from Rice Husk Ash as a Potential Drug Carrier.

This work describes the preparation of mesoporous silica by the green reaction of rice husk ash (RHA) with glycerol, followed by the modification and the potential use as a drug carrier. The reaction was carried out at 215 °C for 2 h. The solution was further hydrolyzed with deionized water and aged for various times (24, 48, 120, 360, 528 and 672 h) before calcinations at 500 °C for 24 h. Further treatment of prepared mesoporous silica was performed using trimethylmethoxysilane (TMMS) to obtain hydrophobic Mesoporous silica. For all synthesized silicas, silica contents were as high as 95 wt %, whereas organic residues were less than 3 wt %. RHA-glycerol showed the highest specific surface area with smallest pore diameter (205.70 m²/g, 7.46 nm) when aged for 48 h. The optimal hydrolysis-ageing period of 120 h resulted in 500.7 m²/g specific surface area, 0.655 cm³/g pore volume and 5.23 nm pore diameter. The surface modification of RHA-glycerol occurred through the reaction with TMMS as confirmed by FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy). Ibuprofen was selected as a model drug for the adsorption experiments. The adsorption under supercritical CO2 was carried out at isothermal temperature of 40 °C and 100 bar; % ibuprofen loading of TMMS modified mesoporous silica (TMMS-g-MS) was 6 times less than that of mesoporous silica aged for 24 h (MS-24h) due to the hydrophobic nature of modified mesoporous silica, not surface and pore characteristics. The release kinetics of ibuprofen-loaded mesoporous silicas were also investigated in vitro. The release rate of ibuprofen-loaded MS-24h was much faster than that of ibuprofen-loaded TMMS-g-MS, but comparable to the crystalline ibuprofen. The slower release rate was attributed to the diffusion control and the stability of hydrophobic nature of modified silica. This would allow the design of a controlled release drug delivery system.

Facile Preparation and Characterization of Short-Fiber and Talc Reinforced Poly(Lactic Acid) Hybrid Composite with In Situ Reactive Compatibilizers.

Hybrid composites of fillers and/or fibers reinforced polymer was generally produced by masterbatch dilution technique. In this work, the simplified preparation was introduced for the large volume production of 30 wt % short-fiber and talcum reinforced polymer hybrid composite by direct feeding into twin-screw extruder. Multifunctional epoxide-based terpolymer and/or maleic anhydride were selected as in situ reactive compatibilizers. The influence of fiber and talcum ratios and in situ reactive compatibilizers on mechanical, dynamic mechanical, morphological and thermal properties of hybrid composites were investigated. The morphological results showed the strong interfacial adhesion between fiber or talcum and Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix due to a better compatibility by reaction of in situ compatibilizer. The reactive PLA hybrid composite showed the higher tensile strength and the elongation at break than non-compatibilized hybrid composite without sacrificing the tensile modulus. Upon increasing the talcum contents, the modulus and storage modulus of hybrid composites were also increased while the tensile strength and elongation at break were slightly decreased compared to PLA/fiber composite. Talcum was able to induce the crystallization of PLA hybrid composites.

Development and characterization of nifedipine-amino methacrylate copolymer solid dispersion powders with various adsorbents.

Solid dispersions of nifedipine (NDP), a poorly water-soluble drug, and amino methacrylate copolymer (AMCP) with aid of adsorbent, that is, fumed silica, talcum, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and mesoporous silica from rice husks (SRH), were prepared by solvent method. The physicochemical properties of solid dispersions, compared to their physical mixtures, were determined using powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The surface morphology of the prepared solid dispersions was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dissolution of NDP from solid dispersions was compared to NDP powders. The effect of adsorbent type on NDP dissolution was also examined. The dissolution of NDP increased with the ratio of NDP:AMCP:adsorbent of 1:4:1 when compared to the other formulations. As indicated from PXRD patterns, DSC thermograms and SEM images, NDP was molecularly dispersed within polymer carrier or in an amorphous form, which confirmed the better dissolution of solid dispersions. Solid dispersions containing SRH provided the highest NDP dissolution, due to a porous nature of SRH, allowing dissolved drug to fill in the pores and consequently dissolve in the medium. The results suggested that solid dispersions containing adsorbents (SRH in particular) demonstrated improved dissolution of poorly water-soluble drug when compared to NDP powder.

Dissolution rate enhancement by adsorption of poorly soluble drugs on hydrophilic silica aerogels.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of hydrophilic silica aerogels as drug carriers and to investigate the influence of the aerogels properties on the release rate of poorly water-soluble drugs. Hydrophilic silica aerogels of different densities were loaded with two model drugs, ketoprofen and griseofulvin, by adsorption from their solution in supercritical CO2. It is demonstrated that up to 30 wt% of ketoprofen and 5.4 wt% of griseofulvin can be deposited on hydrophilic aerogels through physical adsorption. The obtained drug-aerogel formulations were characterized by IR- and UV-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Release kinetics of both drugs were studied in vitro. The release rate of ketoprofen from the drug-aerogel formulation is much faster than that of the corresponding crystalline drugs. The release rate of ketoprofen increases in 500% and that of griseofulvin in 450%, respectively. The reasons for the release enhancement are the enlarged specific surface area of drugs by adsorption on aerogels compared to their crystalline form and the immediate collapse of aerogel network in aqueous media. The dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs can be significantly enhanced by adsorption on highly porous hydrophilic silica aerogels.