Frontiers in Marine Science (Jun 2014)
Development of an ointment for burns based in dry extract of the seaweed Fucus spiralis
Abstract
The Fucus spiralis is a brown seaweed found on the Portuguese coast used as wound healing in traditional medicine were their antioxidant, immunostimulant, anticoagulant, antibacterial properties and also remineralizing, smoothing, moisturizing capacities and anti-tumor action were studied with proved results. These seaweed are one of the several described in the European Pharmacopoeia, making F.spiralis a seaweed with great potential for the development of new drugs and/or pharmaceuticals. The objective of this project was to formulate an ointment with F. spiralis dry extracts using vaseline as a base for the treatment of burns. Fucus spiralis was collected on the coast of Peniche (west coast of Portugal), washed, sorted, lyophilized and crushed for the dry extract preparation. The ash (g/g) and iodine (%) content in F. spiralis were determined. The ointment was prepared and homogenized with three concentrations of dry extract (1%, 2% and 5%) and were analyzed over time in parallel with the observation of the physical, chemical, organoleptic and rheological characteristics. The results showed that the F. spiralis presented a iodine content of 0,0076%, a low concentration in comparison with the Farmacopeia europea directives. The ointment prepared is a non-Newtonian fluid, and the absorption spectrum in ultraviolet light (UV) detected that it behaves as UVB and UVC blocker, despite of not having the same effect on UVA radiation. With these results and the many properties of Fucus spiralis we conclude that the ointment with dry extract of F. spiralis with the three concentrations of dry extract established is likely to have a great potential in the area of pharmaceutical and medicine, especially for burns application or other skins disorders.
Keywords
