Cyclodextrins: A valuable resource to attain environmental sustainability

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2015

Authors

Fernandes, C (Author) Other; Encarnação, I (Author) Other; Fonseca, A (Author) Other; Garrido, J (Author) Other; Fernanda Borges (Author) FCUP; Manuela Garrido, E (Author) Other

Book

Title: Cyclodextrins: Synthesis, Chemical Applications and Role in Drug Delivery

Pages: 85-108

ISBN: 9781634828581; 9781634827881

Indexing

Scopus - 3 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00K-66F

Abstract (EN): Globally it is estimated that between 7.9 and 15.1 % of agricultural harvests are destroyed by pests, being wheat, rice, maize, potato, soybean and cotton, the most affected crops. With the exponential growth of worldwide population, an optimization in the crops protection against pests is urgently required, and because of that a 15- to 20- fold increasing in the chemical pesticides use has been observed. However, no significant effects on pest control have been observed. Despite of pesticides harmful properties against pests, they can indirectly improve the nutritional value of food. Nevertheless, the increased knowledge on their benefits and risks posed additional safety issues, namely those related to their low water solubility (bioavailability) and easy photodegradation. Several pesticides are easily decomposed by light and in that way a large amount of pesticide is needed to be applied in the crops in order to be effective. Some estimates point to the fact that less than 1 % of applied pesticides effectively reach the target. Furthermore, in some cases the metabolites originated by photodegradation of pesticides display a higher toxicity level. These facts associated with their capacity to act as carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic agents to mankind, have led to a growing concern among scientific community to find a solution aimed to reduce or minimize the mentioned drawbacks and increase pesticide efficiency against pests. To increase the solubility and photostability as well as to facilitate the handling of pesticides, microencapsulation in nanostructures, namely cyclodextrins (CDs), has been proposed as a putative solution. CDs are cyclic oligosaccharides composed by D-glucose units connected by ¿-1,4-glycosidic linkages. The CDs structural characteristics, hydrophobic interior cavity and hydrophilic shell, and its ability to alter the physical, chemical, and biological properties of guest molecules has been regarded as a solution to improve pesticide formulations and to attain environmental sustainability. In this chapter, we will give special attention to the main pesticide groups and their inherent health and environmental issues. General features of CDs and the progress done so far in the field of microencapsulation of pesticides in CDs, will also be reported.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific