Preparation, characterization and stability investigation of lycopene-chitooligosaccharides complexes

Evaluation of the stability of the β-carotene and xylan complexes under different environmental and long-term conditions

The present study aimed to investigate the stability of a novel complex formed from β-carotene and xylan. The stability of the CX complex was analyzed in various environments, including long-term exposure to darkness at 4 °C and 25 °C across different pH ranges, colour changes, UV irradiation and temperature. The antioxidant activity of the complex was evaluated using DPPH and FRAP methods. The results showed that the complex maintained over 80 % relative stability under long-term conditions. After one month of storage, its relative stability remained above 70 %. The temperature stability demonstrated excellent results up to 60 °C. The colour index of the complex at 4 °C showed a colour change of 77 %, while at 25 °C, it decreased to 44 %. The antioxidant activity of the complex after 120 days of storage was over 60 %. Therefore, the complex has potential as a β-carotene delivery system in water-based functional foods.

Interactions of lycopene with β-cyclodextrins: Raman spectroscopy and theoretical investigation

Carotenoids (Cars) are essential molecules with diverse biological roles, and their solubility can be enhanced by forming complexes with cyclodextrins, which incorporate them into their cavities without chemical bonds. In this study, we investigated the interactions of lycopene with β-cyclodextrins using Raman spectroscopy, molecular dynamics and DFT. We simulated models of simplified structures, including various β-cyclodextrins and trans and cis lycopene configurations, to better understand how structural changes influence the v1 band shift observed in Raman spectroscopy. Our focus was on reducing interactions such as van der Waals interactions, hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic effects to isolate the impact of structural alterations on the methyl group in carotenoids. We measured solid lycopene and its complexes with β-cyclodextrins, which exhibited Raman v1 shifts. According to the modelling data, this can be attributed to the monomer band of lycopene.

Preparation, characterization and antibacterial investigation of water-soluble curcumin-chitooligosaccharide complexes

Curcumin has a wide range of application prospects, with various bioactivities in the food industry and in the biomedical field. However, curcumin has poor water solubility and is sensitive to pH, light and temperature. In this study, curcumin-chitooligosaccharide (CUR-COS) complexes were prepared via mechanochemical methods, and the CUR-COS complex was more soluble after freeze-drying (up to 862-fold greater than that of curcumin). The complex was characterized by SEM, XRD, FT-IR and thermal analysis, and its stability against pH, light and thermal treatment was evaluated. COSs could serve as carriers for curcumin delivery. Additionally, the antibacterial activity of the formed complex was determined. As a result, CUR-COS exhibited significantly better water solubility, enhanced stability, and stronger antibacterial properties than did pure CUR, offering a promising pathway for the extensive application of lipophilic natural products in foods, especially water-based products.

Plant leads for mitigation of oral submucous fibrosis: Current scenario and future prospect

The aim of this review is to enumerate medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds that may become potential leads in the mitigation of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) in the forthcoming future. It is focused on pathophysiology, risk factors, current treatment regimen, potential plant leads, and future therapies for OSMF. Data were extracted from a vast literature survey by using SciFinder, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed search engines with relevant keywords. Upon literature survey, we found that the phytochemical 'arecoline' present in the areca nut is the main causative agent of OSMF condition. Currently, OSMF is treated by immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory agents such as corticosteroids, enzymes (hyaluronidase, chymotrypsin, and collagenase), anti-inflammatory mediators (isoxsuprine and pentoxifylline), dietary supplements (vitamins, antioxidants, and micronutrients), and anti-fibrotic cytokines like interferon-gamma that provides short-term symptomatic relief to OSMF patients. However, some plant leads have been proven effective in alleviating symptoms and mitigating OSMF, which ultimately improves the quality of OSMF patients' life. We concluded that plant drugs like lycopene, curcumin, Aloe vera, colchicine, and Glycyrrhiza glabra are effective against OSMF in various in vitro and/or clinical studies and are being used by modern and traditional practitioners.

The sources, properties, extraction, biosynthesis, pharmacology, and application of lycopene

Lycopene is an important pigment with an alkene skeleton from Lycopersicon esculentum, which is also obtained from some red fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is used in the food field with rich functions and serves in the medical field with multiple clinical values because it has dual functions of both medicine and food. It was found that lycopene was mainly isolated by solvent extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, high-intensity pulsed electric field-assisted extraction, enzymatic-assisted extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction. Meanwhile, it was also obtained via 2 synthetic pathways: chemical synthesis and biosynthesis. Pharmacological studies revealed that lycopene has anti-oxidant, hypolipidemic, anti-cancer, immunity-enhancing, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, cardiovascular-protective, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and osteoporosis-inhibiting effects. The application of lycopene mainly includes food processing, animal breeding, and medical cosmetology fields. It is hoped that this review will provide some useful information and guidance for future study and exploitation of lycopene.