Release of bioactive compounds from delivery systems by stimuli-responsive approaches; triggering factors, mechanisms, and applications

Lipid-based nanodelivery systems of curcumin: Recent advances, approaches, and applications

Despite its many beneficial effects, pharmaceutical applications of curcumin (CUR) are limited due to its chemical instability, low solubility/absorption and weak bioavailability. Recent advances in nanotechnology have enabled the development of CUR-loaded nanodelivery systems to tackle those issues. Within many different nanocarriers developed for CUR up to date, lipid-based nanocarriers (LBNs) are among the most extensively studied systems. LBNs such as nanoemulsions, solid lipid carriers, nanostructured phospholipid/surfactant carriers are shown to be potential delivery systems capable of improving the solubility, bioavailability, and chemical stability of CUR. The particle characteristics, stability, bioavailability, and release properties of CUR-loaded LBNs can be tailored via optimizing the formulation and processing parameters. This paper reviews the most recent studies on the development of various CUR-loaded LBNs. Approaches to the improvement of CUR bioavailability and release characteristics of LBNs are discussed. Furthermore, challenges in the development of CUR-loaded LBNs and their potential applications are presented.

Overcoming Biopotency Barriers: Advanced Oral Delivery Strategies for Enhancing the Efficacy of Bioactive Food Ingredients

Bioactive food ingredients contribute to the promotion and maintenance of human health and wellbeing. However, these functional ingredients often exhibit low biopotency after food processing or gastrointestinal transit. Well-designed oral delivery systems can increase the ability of bioactive food ingredients to resist harsh environments inside and outside the human body, as well as allow for controlled or triggered release of bioactives to specific sites in the gastrointestinal tract or other tissues and organs. This review presents the characteristics of common bioactive food ingredients and then highlights the barriers to their biopotency. It also discusses various oral delivery strategies and carrier types that can be used to overcome these biopotency barriers, with a focus on recent advances in the field. Additionally, the advantages and disadvantages of different delivery strategies are highlighted. Finally, the current challenges facing the development of food-grade oral delivery systems are addressed, and areas where future research can lead to new advances and industrial applications of these systems are proposed.

Composite hydrogels assembled from food-grade biopolymers: Fabrication, properties, and applications

Biopolymer hydrogels have a broad range of applications as soft materials in a variety of commercial products, including foods, cosmetics, agrochemicals, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical products. They consist of a network of entangled or crosslinked biopolymer molecules that traps relatively large quantities of water and provides semi-solid properties, like viscoelasticity or plasticity. Composite biopolymer hydrogels contain inclusions (fillers) to enhance their functional properties, including solid particles, liquid droplets, gas bubbles, nanofibers, or biological cells. These fillers vary in their composition, size, shape, rheology, and surface properties, which influences their impact on the rheological properties of the biopolymer hydrogels. In this article, the various types of biopolymers used to fabricate composite hydrogels are reviewed, with an emphasis on edible proteins and polysaccharides from sustainable sources, such as plants, algae, or microbial fermentation. The different kinds of gelling mechanism exhibited by these biopolymers are then discussed, including heat-, cold-, ion-, pH-, enzyme-, and pressure-set mechanisms. The different ways that biopolymer molecules can organize themselves in single and mixed biopolymer hydrogels are then highlighted, including polymeric, particulate, interpenetrating, phase-separated, and co-gelling systems. The impacts of incorporating fillers on the rheological properties of composite biopolymer hydrogels are then discussed, including mathematical models that have been developed to describe these effects. Finally, potential applications of composite biopolymer hydrogels are presented, including as delivery systems, packaging materials, artificial tissues, wound healing materials, meat analogs, filters, and adsorbents. The information provided in this article is intended to stimulate further research into the development and application of composite biopolymer hydrogels.

Microcapsules based on biological macromolecules for intestinal health: A review

Intestinal dysfunction is becoming increasingly associated with neurological and endocrine issues, raising concerns about its impact on world health. With the introduction of several breakthrough technologies for detecting and treating intestinal illnesses, significant progress has been made in the previous few years. On the other hand, traditional intrusive diagnostic techniques are expensive and time-consuming. Furthermore, the efficacy of conventional drugs (not capsules) is reduced since they are more likely to degrade before reaching their target. In this context, microcapsules based on different types of biological macromolecules have been used to encapsulate active drugs and sensors to track intestinal ailments and address these issues. Several biomacromolecules/biomaterials (natural protein, alginate, chitosan, cellulose and RNA etc.) are widely used for make microcapsules for intestinal diseases, and can significantly improve the therapeutic effect and reduce adverse reactions. This article systematically summarizes microencapsulated based on biomacromolecules material for intestinal health control and efficacy enhancement. It also discusses the application and mechanism research of microencapsulated biomacromolecules drugs in reducing intestinal inflammation, in addition to covering the preparation techniques of microencapsulated drug delivery systems used for intestinal health. Microcapsule delivery systems' limits and potential applications for intestinal disease diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance were highlighted.

Carrier-based delivery system of phytohormones in plants: stepping outside of the ordinary

Climate change is increasing the stresses on crops, resulting in reduced productivity and further augmenting global food security issues. The dynamic climatic conditions are a severe threat to the sustainability of the ecosystems. The role of technology in enhancing agricultural produce with the minimum environmental impact is hence crucial. Active molecule/Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are molecules helping plants' growth, development, and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. However, their degradation, leaching in surrounding soil and ground water, as well as the assessment of the correct dose of application etc., are some of the technical disadvantages faced. They can be resolved by encapsulation/loading of PGRs on polymer matrices. Micro/nanoencapsulation is a revolutionary tool to deliver bioactive compounds in an economically affordable and environmentally friendly way. Carrier-based smart delivery systems could be a better alternative to PGRs application in the agriculture field than conventional methods (e.g., spraying). The physiochemical properties and release kinetics of PGRs from the encapsulating system are being explored. Therefore, the present review emphasizes the current status of PGRs encapsulation approach and their potential benefits to plants. This review also addressed the mechanistic action of carrier-based delivery systems for release, which may aid in developing smart delivery systems with specific tailored properties in future research.

Revolutionizing targeting precision: microfluidics-enabled smart microcapsules for tailored delivery and controlled release

As promising delivery systems, smart microcapsules have garnered significant attention owing to their targeted delivery loaded with diverse active materials. By precisely manipulating fluids on the micrometer scale, microfluidic has emerged as a powerful tool for tailoring delivery systems based on potential applications. The desirable characteristics of smart microcapsules are associated with encapsulation capacity, targeted delivery capability, and controlled release of encapsulants. In this review, we briefly describe the principles of droplet-based microfluidics for smart microcapsules. Subsequently, we summarize smart microcapsules as delivery systems for efficient encapsulation and focus on target delivery patterns, including passive targets, active targets, and microfluidics-assisted targets. Additionally, based on release mechanisms, we review controlled release modes adjusted by smart membranes and on/off gates. Finally, we discuss existing challenges and potential implications associated with smart microcapsules.

A comprehensive review of intelligent controlled release antimicrobial packaging in food preservation

Intelligent responsive packaging provides informative feedback or control the release of active substances like antimicrobial agents in response to stimuli in food or the environment to ensure food safety. This paper provides an overview of two types of intelligent packaging, information-responsive and intelligent controlled-release, focusing on the recent research progress of intelligent controlled-release antimicrobial packaging with enzyme, pH, relative humidity, temperature, and light as triggering factors. It also summarizes the current status of application in different food categories, as well as the challenges and future prospects. Intelligent controlled-release technology aims to optimize the antimicrobial effect and ensure the quality of food products by synchronizing the release of active substances with food preservation needs through sensing stimuli, which is an innovative and challenging packaging technology. The paper seeks to provide a reference for the research and industrial development of responsive intelligent packaging and controlled-release packaging applications in food.

Investigations into the effects of scaffold microstructure on slow-release system with bioactive factors for bone repair

In recent years, bone tissue engineering (BTE) has played an essential role in the repair of bone tissue defects. Although bioactive factors as one component of BTE have great potential to effectively promote cell differentiation and bone regeneration, they are usually not used alone due to their short effective half-lives, high concentrations, etc. The release rate of bioactive factors could be controlled by loading them into scaffolds, and the scaffold microstructure has been shown to significantly influence release rates of bioactive factors. Therefore, this review attempted to investigate how the scaffold microstructure affected the release rate of bioactive factors, in which the variables included pore size, pore shape and porosity. The loading nature and the releasing mechanism of bioactive factors were also summarized. The main conclusions were achieved as follows: i) The pore shapes in the scaffold may have had no apparent effect on the release of bioactive factors but significantly affected mechanical properties of the scaffolds; ii) The pore size of about 400 μm in the scaffold may be more conducive to controlling the release of bioactive factors to promote bone formation; iii) The porosity of scaffolds may be positively correlated with the release rate, and the porosity of 70%-80% may be better to control the release rate. This review indicates that a slow-release system with proper scaffold microstructure control could be a tremendous inspiration for developing new treatment strategies for bone disease. It is anticipated to eventually be developed into clinical applications to tackle treatment-related issues effectively.

Efficient strategies for controlled release of nanoencapsulated phytohormones to improve plant stress tolerance

Climate change due to different human activities is causing adverse environmental conditions and uncontrolled extreme weather events. These harsh conditions are directly affecting the crop areas, and consequently, their yield (both in quantity and quality) is often impaired. It is essential to seek new advanced technologies to allow plants to tolerate environmental stresses and maintain their normal growth and development. Treatments performed with exogenous phytohormones stand out because they mitigate the negative effects of stress and promote the growth rate of plants. However, the technical limitations in field application, the putative side effects, and the difficulty in determining the correct dose, limit their widespread use. Nanoencapsulated systems have attracted attention because they allow a controlled delivery of active compounds and for their protection with eco-friendly shell biomaterials. Encapsulation is in continuous evolution due to the development and improvement of new techniques economically affordable and environmentally friendly, as well as new biomaterials with high affinity to carry and coat bioactive compounds. Despite their potential as an efficient alternative to phytohormone treatments, encapsulation systems remain relatively unexplored to date. This review aims to emphasize the potential of phytohormone treatments as a means of enhancing plant stress tolerance, with a specific focus on the benefits that can be gained through the improved exogenous application of these treatments using encapsulation techniques. Moreover, the main encapsulation techniques, shell materials and recent work on plants treated with encapsulated phytohormones have been compiled.

Nanotherapeutic and Stem Cell Therapeutic Strategies in Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Promising Therapeutic Approach

Neurodegeneration is characterized by progressive, disabling, and incurable neurological disorders with the massive loss of specific neurons. As one of the most promising potential therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases, stem cell therapy exerts beneficial effects through different mechanisms, such as direct replacement of damaged or lost cells, secretion of neurotrophic and growth factors, decreased neuroinflammation, and activation of endogenous stem cells. However, poor survival and differentiation rates of transplanted stem cells, insufficient homing ability, and difficulty tracking after transplantation limit their further clinical use. The rapid development of nanotechnology provides many promising nanomaterials for biomedical applications, which already have many applications in neurodegenerative disease treatment and seem to be able to compensate for some of the deficiencies in stem cell therapy, such as transport of stem cells/genes/drugs, regulating stem cell differentiation, and real-time tracking in stem cell therapy. Therefore, nanotherapeutic strategies combined with stem cell therapy is a promising therapeutic approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases. The present review systematically summarizes recent advances in stem cell therapeutics and nanotherapeutic strategies and highlights how they can be combined to improve therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.