Journal of the Chilean Chemical Society

MOBILITY OF ARSENIC IN ALLIUM SATIVUM, BETA VULGARIS AND DAUCUS CAROTA CROPS AT THE QUEBRADA DE CAMIÑA, NORTHERN CHILE

Venecia Herrera — 2025-08-17

The ravine Quebrada de Camiña, in northern Chile, is valued for regional agriculture, however, it retains high levels of As. From four locations (Chapiquilta, Camiña, Moquella, and Francia), environmental factors that affect the mobility of As were evaluated through the characterization of water quality and soil physicochemistry used for local crops of white garlic, beetroots and carrots; Contamination Factors, Geoaccumulation Index (CF-I_GEO), and operational speciation by BCR protocol in soils; Bioaccumulation Factors (BAF) and Translocation Factors (TF) for root-stem-bulb-leaves of Camiña white garlic plants, and BAF in beetroots and carrots. The results showed that water used in crops are slightly alkaline, mineralized with B and Na⁺-Ca²⁺/Cl^--SO₄^2-, that mobilize As (0.49 ± 0.02 mg/l) to the soils and are part of the fraction available and assimilable by the vegetables. The CF-I_GEO of saline soils showed low easily oxidized organic carbon, neutral pH and high levels of B, with moderate to considerable degree of total As contamination (123 ± 34 mg/kg); in fact, after soil As extraction protocol, 19% of As is found in the more available fractions and 79% in the residual phase, while a positive correlation with total As was observed. White garlic plants bioaccumulate As in roots (177 ± 18 mg/kg) and stems (81.0 ± 8.1 mg/kg), while the edible bulb (0.451 ± 0.054 mg/kg) and the leaves (0.073 ± 0.025 mg/kg) do not present a consumption risk. As translocations from root to stem and from bulb to leaves are observed. As in freeze-dried samples of beetroot (4.45 ± 0.98 mg/kg) and carrot (3.26 ± 3.50 mg/kg) showed fluctuation, exceeding national and international food standards.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SrCo2O4 IMMOBILIZED ON MODIFIED CLAY WITH ENHANCED REMOVAL OF CONGO RED FROM AQUEOUS MEDIUM

Ouardia Sebbah — 2025-08-17

Photocatalysis is an efficient and cost-effective method for removing toxic dyes from wastewater. Indeed, a large part of the research work carried out in the field of green chemistry has been devoted to the design and development of new photocatalysts with good photocatalytic activities. Incorporation of supports constitutes a strategy to improve the photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts by reducing the aggregation of nanoparticles during the photocatalytic process. Intercalated clays can be used as supports for oxide-based photocatalysts because they have high adsorption capacity. The goal of the present study consists of using SrCo₂O₄ nanoparticles as photocatalyst immobilized on natural Algerian clay modified by polyaniline (Clay/PANI/SrCo₂O₄). Spinel oxide (SrCo₂O₄) was synthesized through a sol–gel method. Then, polymer modified clay were ‎fabricated by in situ polymerization. The as-prepared composites were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic performances of the synthesized materials were evaluated by studying the photocatalytic degradation of congo red dye under UV light irradiation.

In-Vivo AND In-Silico ANALYSIS OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTIPYRETIC AND ANALGESIC ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF Citrus Colocynthis

Areej Khalid — 2025-08-17

Nigella sativa (black cumin) has been used for a wide range of conditions, particularly inflammation, in traditional medical systems. Using albino rats (n = 36), the current study examines the anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic properties of Nigella sativa methanol extract. Diclofenac and paracetamol were the typical medications used in this trial, and the four different concentrations (250, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) of the methanolic extract of Nigella sativa seeds were employed to prevent inflammation, pain, and fever. Effective antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic inhibition were demonstrated by the methanolic extract of Nigella sativa seeds (96%, 89%, and 85%), respectively. The bioactive components found in seeds, such as thymol, p-cymene, and limonene, were also used in an in-silico study. The ligand molecules and proteins used for the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-pyretic action were 1DFN, 1A06, and 3LN0, respectively. With the specified protein, the molecular docking results were significant, and the binding energy values of the analgesic, anti-pyretic, and anti-inflammatory properties were effective. In silico and in vivo experiments, the methanolic extract of Nigella sativa seeds demonstrated efficacy against pain, inflammation, and fever.

CHILEAN LICHEN AND MOSSES MODIFIED CARBON PASTE ELECTRODES FOR MONITORING DISSOLVED ECOTOXIC METAL IONS

Nelson Agustín Lara Henriquez — 2025-08-17

Lichens (a symbiotic association of fungi and algae) and mosses are capable of accumulating heavy metals in their tissues. The retention of ecotoxic metals may take place in the functional groups that contain oxygen and nitrogen atoms, most likely carboxylic groups that form part of the cell wall of the fungus, through an ion exchange process. In this work, the study of carbon-lichen paste electrodes and carbon-moss paste electrodes has been carried out. Eighteen species of lichens and two species of mosses were used as sensitive agents. Additionally, the response of each of them with nine metal ions such as Cu, As, Pb, Hg, Zn, Cd, Al, Mo and Cr was studied. Being the electrode that is most sensitive to the lichen Protousnea Magallánica and the mosses Hypnum Cupresiforme and Ortotrichum Assimile, it presents better signals with the lead (II), Copper (II) and Mercury (II) ion.

MONOTERPENES FROM Plocamium Cartilagineum AS INHIBITORS OF THE ΑLPHA-GLUCOSIDASE ENZYME.

VICTOR SANHUEZA — 2025-08-17

Seaweed is an inexhaustible source of chemical compounds of varied biological activity, characterized by the synthesis of various secondary metabolites that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antidiabetic activity. This study focused on the species Plocamium cartilagineum in search of a potential inhibitor of the enzyme α-D-glucosidase associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In recent years, bioautographic assays in TLC have become an effective tool to identify the presence of a possible enzyme inhibitor in a short time. The extract of P. cartilagineum was evaluated against the enzyme α-D-glucosidase and 4 compounds were isolated that showed important inhibitory activity of the enzyme by TLC. Pure compounds were identified by employing IR, EIMS, NMR and compared with authentic samples.

The CH₂Cl₂ extract of P. cartilagineum shows bioactive compounds, which were identified as: Mertensene; Violacene; 1S,2S,4R,5R)-1,2,4-trichloro-5-((E)-2-chlorovinil)-1,5-dimethyl cyclohexane and (1R,2S,4S,5S)-1,2,4-trichloro-5-((E)-2-chlorovinyl)-1,5-dimethylcyclohexane.

DNA-BASED NANOPARTICLES: A PLATFORM TO PROVIDE HIGH EN-CAPSULATION, STABILITY AND PROLONGED RELEASE FOR DOXORUBICIN

Maria Gabriela Villamizar Sarmiento — 2025-08-17

Abstract: Background/Objectives: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent drug for cancer treatment but presents limitations for encapsulation and prolonged release. Nanoparticles (NPs) are an alternative to mitigate these issues; nevertheless synthetic methods are often complex and inefficient. This study focus in the development of DNA-based NPs, using DNA as unique excipient allowing ionic and aromatic interactions with DOX. Methods: The NPs formation consists in the mixture of DNA and DOX in water (aromatic and non-aromatic polyelectrolytes were used as positive and negative controls, respectively). UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to corroborate the DOX/DNA interactions and to elucidate the mode of binding. Turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering, laser Doppler anemometry, nanoparticle tracking analyses, ultrafiltration, and scanning transmission electron microcopy were used to characterize the efficiency of the process and the morphology of DOX/DNA NPs. In vitro release, viability in non-cancerous cells and stability tests were conducted to assess the release profile and safety of the NPs. Results: DOX associates with DNA through ionic and aromatic interactions forming spherical NPs (115-220 nm, polidispersity 0.3-0.5, ~-27 mV, 8-13x10¹¹ NPs/mL) with DOX association efficiency of 66-80% and loading in the range of 40-60%. DOX/DNA NPs exhibited prolonged release (55% in 12 days), stability at storage (at least 8 weeks) and does not provide toxicity in non-cancerous cells. Conclusions: We provide a simple strategy to entrap and release DOX in the form of NPs in DNA based platforms. This strategy could be used for other aromatic anticancer drug and selecting DNA sequences able to support anticancer activity.

ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF PEPTIDES DERIVED FROM THE ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS OF RAINBOW TROUT (Oncorhynchus mykiss) SKIN: EFFECT OF PASTEURIZATION AND ULTRASONICATION PRE-TREATMENT

María Fernanda Escamilla Rosales — 2025-08-17

Rainbow trout skin and viscera are considered non-commercial by-products with high protein content. This research aimed to determine the incidence of pasteurization and ultrasonication during the obtaining of antioxidant peptides by the hydrolysis of trout skin proteins with Alcalase and Flavourzyme. Solutions of freeze-dried skin were prepared (20 % w/v), and two pretreatments were performed: pasteurization (90 ºC for 10 min) and a combination of pasteurization and ultrasonication (40 kHz x 15 min). Hydrolysis was for 8 hours with Alcalase (pH 9, 55°C) and Flavourzyme (pH: 7, 50°C) sampling every 2 hours. The degree of hydrolysis was determined by TNBS and SDS-PAGE. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH and FRAP. The ultrasonication does not affect the release of peptides with antioxidant capacity. In addition, greater antioxidant capacity was determined in hydrolysates with Flavourzyme. Results would allow establishing the conditions for the optimized obtaining of this type of peptide fractions.