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Bioremediation of Synthetic Wastewater with Contaminants of Emerging Concern by Nannochloropsis sp. and Lipid Production
Publication . Santos, Bruna; Araújo, Juliana; Carvalho, Beatriz; Cotrim, Carolina; Bernardino, Raul; Freitas, Filomena; Sobral, Abílio J. F. N.; Encarnação, Telma; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit; DQ - Departamento de Química; MDPI AG
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) pose a potential risk to human and environmental health. Microalgae bioremediation is a promising approach for transforming or removing contaminants from the environment, while contributing to the circular economy. In this study, Nannochloropsis sp. was effectively used for the simultaneous removal of six CECs: paracetamol, ibuprofen, imidacloprid, methylparaben and bisphenol A at 10 µg mL−1 and triclosan at 0.5 µg mL−1 from synthetic wastewater, which were able to survive under such concentrations, higher than those commonly found in the environment (up to 2.82 µg mL−1 of methylparaben). High removal efficiencies were reached for methylparaben (100%) and bisphenol A (93 ± 2%), while for imidacloprid, paracetamol and ibuprofen, 30 ± 1%, 64 ± 2% and 49 ± 5% were removed, respectively. Subsequently, lipids were extracted, and the FAME profile was characterised using GS-MS. The main fatty acids identified after bioremediation were hexadecadienoic acid isomers (C16:2), palmitic acid (C16), linoleic acid (C18:2) and γ-linolenic acid (C18:3). The absence of oleic acid and stearic acid was noticed, suggesting an alteration in the lipidic profile due to contaminant exposure. By exploring the quantification of fatty acids in future work, potential applications for the extracted lipids can be explored, further demonstrating the feasibility of this circular process.
Assessing the Potential of 1,2,3-Triazole-Dihydropyrimidinone Hybrids Against Cholinesterases
Publication . Gastalho, Carlos M.; Sena, Ana M.; López, Óscar; Fernández-Bolaños, José G.; García-Sosa, Alfonso T.; Pereira, Florbela; Antunes, Célia M.; Costa, Ana R.; Burke, Anthony J.; Carreiro, Elisabete P.; LAQV@REQUIMTE; DQ - Departamento de Química; Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT); MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Combining the pharmacological properties of the 1,2,3-triazole and dihydropyrimidinone classes of compounds, two small families of mono- and di(1,2,3-triazole)-dihydropyrimidinone hybrids, A and B, were previously synthesized. The main objective of this work was to investigate the potential anti-Alzheimer effects of these hybrids. The inhibitory activities of cholinesterases (AChE and BuChE), antioxidant activity, and the inhibitory mechanism through in silico (molecular docking) and in solution (STD-NMR) experiments were evaluated. The 1,2,3-triazole-dihydropyrimidinone hybrids (A and B) showed moderate in vitro inhibitory activity on eqBuChE (IC50 values between 1 and 58.4 μM). The best inhibitor was the hybrid B4, featuring two 1,2,3-triazole cores, which exhibited stronger inhibition than galantamine, with an IC50 of 1 ± 0.1 μM for eqBuChE, through a mixed inhibition mechanism. Among the hybrids A, the most promising inhibitor was A1, exhibiting an IC50 of 12 ± 2 µM, similar to that of galantamine. Molecular docking and STD-NMR experiments revealed the key binding interactions of these promising inhibitors with BuChE. Hybrids A and B did not display Artemia salina toxicity below 100 μM.
Preserving and hydrogel-matrixing the bioactive properties of aromatic medicinal halophytic herbs from the coastline of the Iberian Peninsula
Publication . Parracho, Tiago; Cruz, Pedro F.; Peralta, Claúdia C.; Silva, Cândida G.; Campos, Maria Jorge; Neves, Marta; Cordeiro, Rachel; Trindade, Daniela; Moura, Carla; Almeida, Zaida L.; Pereira, Cidália D.; Guimarães, Carla; Brito, Rui M. M.; Guerra, Mauro; Reboredo, Fernando; Veríssimo, Paula; Ribeiro, Vânia; Vaz, Daniela C.; LIBPhys-UNL; DF – Departamento de Física; GeoBioTec - Geobiociências, Geoengenharias e Geotecnologias; Elsevier BV
Edible wild plants are part of the ethnobotanic heritage of a certain geographical area and are important sources of essential oils, antioxidants, minerals, and special flavours. Corema album (Portuguese crowberry), Crithmum maritimum (sea fennel), Eryngium maritimum (sea holly), Helichrysum italicum (curry plant) and Otanthus maritimus (cottonweed) wildly flourish along the sandy dunes of the coast of the Iberian Peninsula. These plants are locally known for their beneficial properties, with important value for food, cosmetics and/or medicinal applications. Hence, leaves of these endemic species were collected at four different locations and submitted to different preserving treatments (oven-drying, freezing, and freeze-drying). Acetonic extracts of the different plants submitted to the different post-harvesting treatments were analysed regarding their antioxidant capacities and phenolic contents. Plant extracts were also analysed by diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DOSY-NMR). In general, freeze-drying was the best method of preserving plant minerals, antioxidants (∼4 mgVCEAC/g fw) and polyphenols (∼5 mgGAE/g fw). Minerals were quantified via energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and despite their location, all plants were rich in Ca, Cl, K, S and P. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analyses (PCA) pointed towards chemical/metabolic proximity between taxonomic families. Alginate hydrogels loaded with 0.1 % and 0.2 % (w/v) of extracts presented homogenous surface properties by scanning electron microscopy, good mechanical tensile strength (∼30 MPa) and antibacterial activity against S. aureus. Edible alginate hydrogels enriched with plant extracts hold great nutraceutical potential to be used as natural preservatives for food coating and packaging or as sources of bioactive compounds for biomedical applications.
Deep eutectic systems
Publication . Duarte, Ana Rita C.; Burke, Anthony; LAQV@REQUIMTE; DQ - Departamento de Química; Teknoscienze Srl
Natural deep eutectic systems (NADES) which have gained increasing scientific interest and the attention of the scientific community is beginning to be directed towards understanding the characteristics of these liquids that make them extremely particular. NADES are essentially formed through hydrogen bond interactions, between a hydrogen-bond donor compound and a hydrogen bond acceptor compound. The arrangements of different molecules that can constitute different NADES are estimated to be around 106 possible combinations (in the case of only binary mixtures). This article aims to present NADES and their applications, as well as describe their main characteristics in terms of their physicochemical properties. In addition, new developments in relation to the state of the art on the exploitation of their properties as solvents in applications such as extraction, (bio)catalysis and synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, functional materials or other high-added value substances with be discussed. Advances in different research areas have been notable in the last 10 years, boosting fundamental and basic research on NADES.
Microalgae and circular economy
Publication . Santos, Bruna; Freitas, Filomena; Sobral, Abílio J.F.N.; Encarnação, Telma; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit; Taylor & Francis
The growing environmental crises demands an urgent transition from a linear to a circular economy. Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that offer exceptional potential due to their rapid growth, high CO₂ fixation capacity, and ability to remove nutrients and pollutants from wastewater, producing both clean water and valuable biomass. Such characteristics have attracted interest in developing circular systems that transform wastes into resources such as biomaterials, biofertilisers, biofuels and bioactive compounds. However, various challenges hinder their industrial application, including technical, economic, environmental, commercial and political barriers. Technical limitations such as inefficient culture systems, low productivity and contamination risks, can be addressed by using genetic engineering tools to develop superior strains, and by developing bioreactors coupled with emerging technologies (AI, Digital Twin). Additionally, it was found that studies using wastewater for microalgae cultivation and a biorefinery approach to recover low and high value bioproducts were found to be energetically, environmentally and economically viable. Several projects and studies demonstrating microalgae-based circular economy models were highlighted. Finally, the implementation of clear regulations and guidelines for wastewater composition in microalgae systems is recommended to facilitate market acceptance and consumer trust in microalgae-derived products.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Programa de financiamento
Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017/2018) - Financiamento Base
Número da atribuição
UIDB/00313/2020