Autor(es):
Ferreira-Gonçalves, Tânia ; Iglesias-Mejuto, Ana ; Linhares, Teresa ; Coelho, João M. P. ; Vieira, Pedro ; Faísca, Pedro ; Catarino, José ; Pinto, Pedro ; Ferreira, David ; Ferreira, Hugo A. ; Gaspar, Maria Manuela ; Durães, Luísa ; García-González, Carlos A. ; Reis, Catarina Pinto
Data: 2022
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/150796
Origem: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Projeto/bolsa:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F00645%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F04138%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04138%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/OE/SFRH%2FBD%2F147306%2F2019/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT//SFRH%2FBD%2F131819%2F2017/PT;
Assunto(s): light delimiters; pectin aerogels; silica aerogels; Bioengineering; Biomaterials; Organic Chemistry; Polymers and Plastics; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Descrição
Funding Information: The authors would like to thank to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) for the essential financial support under project reference UIDB/EQU/00102/2020, and to MICINN [PID2020-120010RB-I00], Agencia Estatal de Investigación [AEI] and FEDER funds. A.I.-M. also acknowledges to Xunta de Galicia for her predoctoral research fellowship [ED481A-2020/104]. Funding Information: This work was performed within the frame of a Short-Term Scientific Mission from COST Action “Advanced Engineering of AeroGels for Environment and Life Sciences” (AERoGELS, ref. CA18125), supported by the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). Moreover, the authors are also grateful to Manuel Fitas from the PhDTrials, Lda for his support. The authors also acknowledge Nuno Costa for its support during DSC analysis and TripleBlue-Pharma Consulting, Lda. ( info@tripleblue.pt ) for revising and editing the manuscript in order to meet English standards. Lastly, the authors are grateful to Carlos Pinheiro, for human skin ex vivo grafts. ® Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
Aerogels are materials with unique properties, among which are low density and thermal conductivity. They are also known for their exquisite biocompatibility and biodegradability. All these features make them attractive for biomedical applications, such as their potential use in photothermal therapy (PTT). This technique is, yet, still associated with undesirable effects on surrounding tissues which emphasizes the need to minimize the exposure of healthy regions. One way to do so relies on the use of materials able to block the radiation and the heat generated. Aerogels might be potentially useful for this purpose by acting as insulators. Silica- and pectin-based aerogels are reported as the best inorganic and organic thermal insulators, respectively; thus, the aim of this work relies on assessing the possibility of using these materials as light and thermal insulators and delimiters for PTT. Silica- and pectin-based aerogels were prepared and fully characterized. The thermal protection efficacy of the aerogels when irradiated with a near-infrared laser was assessed using phantoms and ex vivo grafts. Lastly, safety was assessed in human volunteers. Both types presented good textural properties and safe profiles. Moreover, thermal activation unveils the better performance of silica-based aerogels, confirming the potential of this material for PTT.
