Funcionalização do Carbopol® com um surfactante para potencial espessante antiviral

Abstract

The use of sanitizers is essential when the goal is to control the spread of viruses. One of the main transmission routes is through the hands, and the most commonly used sanitizer is 70° INPM gel alcohol. However, it has a momentary effect, meaning it acts on the skin for only a short time. This is due to the volatility of ethanol, which evaporates soon after application, losing its antiviral action. The aim of this study was to prepare an antiviral sanitizer with a longer duration of action on the skin. This was achieved by functionalizing a thickening agent widely used in the industry, Carbopol®, a substance derived from acrylic acid when polymerized. The functionalization of Carbopol® was carried out with a surfactant that was synthesized, 4-hydroxy-butane-1-sulfonate sodium, which has properties similar to SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate), an antiviral surfactant. Both reagents are easily accessible and low-cost. SDS, like the synthesized surfactant, is an amphiphilic molecule, with its polar part interacting well with water and its non-polar part interacting with lipid materials. Some viruses, such as SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV- 2, have a protective layer called a “spike,” which is made of lipids and serves to protect the virus from the environment, acting as an envelope. When the non-polar part of SDS binds to the lipid layer, it breaks, causing the virus to lose its protection and be eliminated. The starting reagent of this study was a diol, which underwent sulfonation at only one of its hydroxyl groups. An esterification reaction with Carbopol® was performed on the other hydroxyl group in order to obtain a gelling product with antiviral properties.