Browsing by Author "Moreira, Joana Maria Honorato Pina"
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- Development of dermic application systems made from micro/nano cellulose biopolymeric materials with 3D porosity simulation to optimize the retention and release of essential oils biomoleculesPublication . Moreira, Joana Maria Honorato Pina; Curto, Joana Maria RodriguesIn a changing world, where the preoccupation with the environment is going stronger each year, the search for biodegradable and biocompatible products increases. Some of those products with these characteristics, cellulose fibers stand out, as well as essential oils that also present therapeutic effects. Due to the high volatility of essential oils, cutaneous application in the form of masks with the ability to store therapeutic molecules prolongs their action period, which is an advantage. In this regard, the goal of this project is to create a mask made of micro/nano cellulose that is refined mechanically and enzymatically to achieve the needed qualities. The fibers are assessed in terms of shape and biometry, and the enzymatic treatment is adjusted in order to produce more flexible fibers with porous and resistant structures at the same time. The structure of the face mask results from a porous 3D matrix that is an optimized mixture of cellulose fibers on a micro and nano scale. The micro-scale cellulose fibers in this network give strength and stability, while the nano-scale cellulose fibers contribute to the creation of a structure with a high degree of therapeutic molecule retention and stability. The therapeutic properties of the cellulose micro/nano fibrillated fiber network are obtained by adding Mentha piperita (Peppermint), Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender), and Citrus limon (Lemon) essential oils to the porous structure. This was obtained by a process of a Water in Oil emulsion, to protect the essential oils molecules from degradation or oxidation and to keep them imprisoned or retained in the fiber network, to retard even more the release of the molecules, ensuring that the release is controlled. These essential oils have antibacterial and antifungal properties, which can be a useful resource for skin treatment. Because these biomolecules are so volatile, cellulose's network structure becomes critical, as it allows the essential oils to be preserved and released gradually. The structures were created in the lab utilizing ISO standards and then impregnated with medicinal molecules of essential oils, in bulk, resulting in a structure for cutaneous applications with good resistance, softness, and long-term stability. The primary molecules of the active principles found in essential oils have been discovered by GC-MS, and their structure and functional groups have been shown in 3D. The 3D Computational Simulation was used to represent the porous structural units formed by cellulose fibers in the micro and nanoscale, and the results were compared to the SEM images obtained for the laboratory structures, confirming that the structure thickness and dimension of the pores are comparable. Also, the use of a validated computer simulator allows for optimizing the porosity, size, and distribution of pores, thus achieving the desired release kinetics.