Medical applications fatty acids

Migrating additives are more likely to be analyzed, espeeially if products containing them come in contact with food products, or are used in medical or pharmaceutical applications. Fatty acids and their derivatives are the most frequently identified additives in the scope of this book. 

Conventional ring-opening polymerization of cyclic anhydrides, carbonates, lactones, and lactides require extremely pure monomers and anhydrous conditions as well as metallic catalysts, which must be completely removed before use, particularly for medical applications. To avoid these difficult restrictions, an enzymatic polymerization may be one of the more feasible methods to obtain the polyesters. This method was first reported by two independent groups (Kobayashi [152] and Gutman [153]) who showed that lipases, enzymes capable of catalyzing the hydrolysis of fatty acid esters, can polymerize various medium-sized lactones. 

The principle problem of algae as sources of lipids is their high water (70-90%) and low lipid content. Despite their lipid content (-7%), the fatty acids of marine algae have aroused considerable interest among researchers for their nutritional value to other marine organisms, occurrence of bioactive conjugated fatty acids, and potential medical applications. The annual production of carotenoids from seaweeds is estimated to be approximately 100 million tons, of which fucoxanthin, the main carotenoids from brown seaweed, contributes more than 10% (Matsuno, 2001). 

Plant oils are excellent sources of some valuable compounds such as unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, squalene, pigments, antioxidants, vitamins, waxes, glycolipids, and lipoproteins. Plant oils could be employed for technological uses as biodiesel, lubricants, surfactants, emulsifiers, biopolymers, and so on. Vegetable oils also can serve as appropriate sources for the production of valuable compounds having applications in food, pharmaceutical, medical, and environmental fields. Attention has been focused on various types of value-added fatty acids (polyunsaturated fatty acids, conjugated fatty... 

The most important by-product of the analytic and synthetic work accomplished so far is knowledge about the stereochemistry and reactivity of natural compounds. There is an enormous potential for the chemists of the twenty-first century lying in the mastery and application of this knowledge in order to produce organized and finally functional materials. Typical contemporary examples include surface monolayers on metals and colloids made of fatty acid and steroid derivatives, the regio- and stereoselective assembly reactions between steroids and carbohydrates, coupled redox chains of metalloporphyrins and vitamins, noncovalent fibers made of amino acids, nucleotides, and saccharides, and the functionalization of proteins by incorporation of reactive molecules. The field of supramolecular or noncovalent natural compound chemistry has been scientifically fruitful for several decades and is presently exploited for the development of useful molecular devices and machines as well as for medical applications. 

With the rediscovery of Landsteiner s observations that even very small molecules could be rendered immunogenic by linking them covalently to a protein, it became possible to develop immunoassays for almost every molecule of clinical interest. The main medical application of immunoassays remained in endocrinology, producing a revolution in clinical practice by facilitating the detection and quantitation of steroids (such as aldosterone and cortisol) and of hormones derived by the biotransformation of single amino acids and fatty acids (such as thyroxine, melatonin, and 5-hydroxytryptophan). Not only is it possible to measure these hormones at the infinitesimally low concentrations at which they naturally occur in tissues, plasma, and other body fluids, but the assays are sufficiently rapid and economical to be useful in day-to-day patient care. 

Chemical compatibility/resistance is of particular importance to medical applications. Disinfectants represent one class of chemicals that includes Betadine , glutaraldehyde-based disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite solution (5 %), ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide (3 %), and ammonium chloride-based disinfectant. Additionally, resistance to methyl ethyl ketone, saline solution, lipid-based compounds, and fatty acids is important. 

Some important groups of polyanhydrides already in medical use are based on para-(carboxyohenoxy)propane, para-(carboxyphenoxy)hexane, para-(carboxyphenoxy) methane and their copolymers with sebacic acid. Also reported has been the use of fatty-acid-based polyanhydrides synthesized from hydrophobic dimers of erucic acid and sebacic acid in drug release applications [456]. They also follow surface erosion degradation [457]. As the polymer degrades, the fatty acid monomers deposit on the surface of the polymer matrices and act as an obstacle to the diffusion of low molecular weight compounds (e.g., active small molecules), contributing to slow release [458]. 

Rc207 supported on silica-alumina and promoted with alkyltin is active in the metathesis of single- and multiple-component fatty acid ester systems [48], The metathetical transformation of unsaturated esters derived from sunflower oil (viz. alkyl oleates and linoleates) to intermediates for the synthesis of products with medical, cosmetic, polymeric, and other applications, is of particular interest. Single- and multiple-component fatty acid esters derived from sunflower oil easily... 

SLs lipids consist of TAGs containing a mixture of short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acids produced through chemical or enzymatic modification. This modification is usually done by interesterification. In application in the food and medical fields, SLs are normally synthesized through lipase-catalyzed interesterification reactions... 

As a result of increasing com production in worldwide, com oil is expected to gain more importance as a vegetable oil. In addition to this, com oil consumption as a food source is increasing since it has several benefits as a valuable food component in terms of health effects. It has lower blood cholesterol and higher polyimsaturated fatty acid content. It has a potential to be one of the most reliable biodiesel feedstock in the near future. It can be also used in many other industrial applications such as medication, chemical and soap production. Finally, it is an important lipid product already having many important uses and applications. More researches on com oil applications are needed to clarify its benefits extensively. 

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