Desenvolvimento de curativos dérmicos eletrofiados contendo resíduo de extrato da própolis vermelha de Alagoas

Abstract

The red propolis of Alagoas (PrVA) is recognized as an exclusive product of Brazilian biodiversity. Several pharmacological functions are attributed to this material, such as anti-inflammatory and healing actions. After the extraction process, about 40% of the propolis is discarded. The residue of red propolis from Alagoas (RPrVA) is a little explored material and with great possibilities of still containing important active substances. Thus, the objective of this work is to use RPrVA in the development of electrotrophied membranes for application in wound regeneration. For this development, the electrospinning technique was used. Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was used for the processability of electrotrophied membranes, whose concentrations of PCL and RPrVA were 1%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 25%.The material used to develop the membranes, RPrVA, was previously characterized through FTIR, TG and UV-vis, proving that the extractive residue also has relevant pharmacological characteristics that could be used for wound healing, such as burns. The developed membranes were evaluated by SEM, porosity and mean diameter of nanofibers. The results indicated that the RPrVA was equivalent to 39.5% (m/m) in relation to PrVA. FTIR and UV-vis analyzes confirmed the presence of active components with pharmacological potential in RPrVA, such as flavonoid compounds. The TG analysis revealed that the RPrVA degradation peak happened at 389°C, while in PrVA it happened at 415°C, indicating that the residue is a more purified material and with the presence of more inorganic materials. The electrotrophied membranes had diameters of approximately 620 nm, ranging from 450nm to 750nm. This diameter varied by the RPrVA concentration, indicating that as the PCL concentration was replaced by RPrVA, the nanofibers became thinner. Porosity analysis revealed that there was no great difference in porosity between all samples, whose values were around 82.429% at threshold 1, 50.643% at threshold 2 and 19.94% at threshold 3 for the sample containing 25% RPrVA and the average diameters of the nanofibers that make up the membranes were measured. This porosity is extremely important for cell anchoring and remodeling of the injured tissue, in addition to allowing gas exchange with the extracorporeal environment and the exit of bodily fluids from wounds. As a conclusion of the study, the presence of active substances in RPrVA can be confirmed, which would be discarded, such as flavonoid compounds that have healing and antioxidant activity reported in the literature. There was a decrease in the thickness of nanofibers while there was greater incorporation of RPrVA and removal of PCL in polymer solutions. The high porosity of the mats, biodegradability of the polymer and the presence of active substances make the membranes strong candidates for dermal applications, such as skin dressings, for the regeneration of damaged tissues.