220 documents found, page 1 of 22
Exploring bio-based alternatives to cyclopentasiloxane: paving the way to promi...
Castro, Mariana; Roque, Catarina; Loureiro, Ana Isabel Sá; Guimarães, Diana Isabel Pereira; Silva, C.; Ribeiro, Artur; Cavaco-Paulo, ArturIn recent years, significant efforts have been made to identify suitable alternatives for silicones commonly used in daily cosmetic products. However, green alternatives have faced challenges in replicating the unique properties of silicone-based formulations, particularly cyclopentasiloxane, which continues to be widely used.This study explores the potential of six biosynthesized esters (heptyl heptanoate, hep...
Tunning antisolvent precipitation for the synthesis of lignin nanoparticles usi...
Mesquita, Ricardo Marchezan Farias de; Schneider, Willian Daniel Hahn; Longo, Vinicius; Baudel, Henrique Macedo; Diebold, Eduardo; Rencoret, JorgeLignin nanoparticles (LNPs) show great potential in UV-protectants, drugs carriers, encapsulation, supercapacitors, and others. This study proposes the development of an optimised LNP synthesis method by antisolvent precipitation, using lignin from persimmon tree pruning waste, green coconut waste, and sugarcane bagasse. The best synthesis conditions were determined evaluating the chemical composition and the p...
AI, docking, and molecular dynamics to track the binding of structural peptides...
Ferreira, Tiago; Pereira, Francisco; Gonçalves, Filipa; Costa, André da; Cavaco-Paulo, Artur; Castro, Tarsila GabrielThe present work shows a computational approach to assess the interactions of different nature-inspired peptides with hair keratin models. An updated keratin model was validated, and comparisons with previous models were traced, thereby highlighting the time-evolution of both the model and the in silico methods. Importantly, the computational methodology presented here allows for the study of peptide-protein in...
NADES-in-Oil Emulsions Enriched with Essential Oils for Cosmetic Application
Freitas, David; Rocha, Diana; Santos, Joana; Noro, Jennifer Martins; Tavares, Tânia D.; Teixeira, Marta O.; Araújo, Daniela; Castro, Joana Isabel ReisThis research aims to explore the potential benefits of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) in formulating translucent NADES-in-oil emulsions (TEs) containing essential oils (EOs) for cosmetic applications. The TEs investigated in this study are based on previous formulations, consisting of 50 wt.% egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC), 20 wt.% ethanol, 20 wt.% olive oil (OlO), thyme oil (TO), or oregano oil (OrO), ...
Biosynthesis of new amphiphilic esters with emulsifying properties for long-ter...
Roque, Catarina; Castro, Mariana; Castro, Tarsila Gabriel; Ribeiro, Artur; Silva, C.; Cavaco-Paulo, Artur; Noro, Jennifer MartinsIn this work, several amphiphilic compounds were successfully synthesized via lipase-catalysis: 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyloctanoate, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyldecanoate, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethylpalmitate, (2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyloleate) and (2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyllinoleate). The reactions were carried out using octanoic acid, decanoic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid, as the aliphatic compounds, and...
Double-defense barrier design for anti-fouling separation membrane with the bio...
Yang, Xue; Chen, Xinyi; Cavaco-Paulo, Artur; Wang, Hongbo; Su, JingMembrane fouling, including the accumulation of bacteria, oil and dyes on the membrane surface, could reduce the permeability and selectivity of the separation membrane. This work proposes a double-defense barrier, integrating the biological catalysis and hydrogel coating on the separation membrane. The first defense barrier was designed by coating polyvinyl alcohol, sodium carboxymethylcellulose and tannic aci...
Construction of a stable manganese/copper core-shell laccase-like enzyme for re...
Chen, Xinyi; Tao, Wenwen; Xu, Ruiguang; Mo, Taoling; Yang, Xue; Cavaco-Paulo, Artur; Su, Jing; Wang, HongboLaccase shows significant potential for environmental remediation, yet its practical implementation is limited by inherent instability and restricted reusability. To address these limitations, we successfully synthesized a Mn/Cu-based core-shell structured laccase-like enzyme (SiO2@APTCu-MnO2) using a sol-gel method coupled with an in situ sacrificial strategy. Compared to natural laccase, SiO2@APTCu-MnO2 exhib...
Artificial intelligence, molecular dynamics, and beyond: computational insights...
Ferreira, Tiago; Cavaco-Paulo, Artur; Castro, Tarsila GabrielThe vast field of cosmetics is mainly explored through experimental methods, while computational tools find broader application in structuralbiology. The world of formulations remains relatively untouched or nondisclosed due to commercial interests. This work aims to better understand the applications of in silico methods in cosmetics research, at the molecular level, and how the recent work is advancing the st...
Peptide-keratin interactions for enhanced hair properties
Carvalho, José; Rodrigues, Ana Rita O.; Ferreira, Tiago; Gomes, Vânia; Pereira, Francisco; Martins, Cátia D. F.; Martins, MadalenaSummary Fusion peptides inspired by natural elastomeric proteins are fused to a keratin peptide (KP) and tested on damaged hair. Here, we report thermal and mechanical tests conducted on treated damaged hair in conjunction with the peptides physicochemical properties, resulting in a statistical multiparametric analysis. Among the parameters, the Youngs modulus and the keratin helix denaturation temperature show...
Cosmetic potential of a structural protein copolymer based on silk, elastin, an...
Mota, Ana Filipa Pereira; Caçador, Marta; Carvalho, José; Tinoco, Ana; Costa, André Dias; Ribeiro, Artur; Gonçalves, Filipa Daniela GomesThe hair cosmetic industry is constantly searching for new ingredients and innovative materials that can help enhance properties, such as softness, shine, shape, and color. However, conventional products contain harmful chemicals. In this study, we developed a biobased alternative using a recombinant protein composed of repetitions of consensus motifs from the structural proteins silk, elastin, and keratin, ter...