The progress on sulfhydryl modified polymers with regard to synthesis, characterization and mucoadhesion

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.

Synthesis of Thiomer/Nanoclay Nanocomposites as a Potential Drug Carrier: Evaluation of Mucoadhesive and Controlled Release Properties

Novel thiomer/nanoclay nanocomposites based on a thiomer and montmorillonite (MMT) were prepared in order to obtain a mucoadhesive material with controlled release properties for its potential use as drug carrier. The thiomer was synthesized by immobilization of L-cysteine in alginate mediated by carbodiimide reaction and further characterized by FT-IR and Ellman's reaction. Nanocomposites with growing concentrations of thiomer and MMT were prepared and analyzed by XRD, TGA and TEM. Rheological behavior of nanocomposite in contact with mucin and intestinal mucus were studied as in vitro and in situ mucoadhesion approach, showing until ∼10-fold increasing in the complex viscosity and ∼27-fold in elastic modulus when the amount of thiomer is increased. Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic models were evaluated in order to study the release of deltamethrin from nanocomposite films. Release profiles showed a retard in the migration of the drug influenced by the amount of MMT (P < 0.05). Diffusion coefficient (D) showed a significant decrease (P < 0.0001) when concentration of MMT is increased reaching D = 4.18 × 10-7 m2 h-1, which resulted ∼7-fold lower in comparison with formulation without MMT. This hybrid nanocomposite can be projected as a potential mucoadhesive drug carrier with controlled release properties.

Effects of nitric oxide modulators and antioxidants on endocrine and cellular markers of acute stress in rats

The effects of nitric oxide modulators (NO-modulators) and antioxidants on acute (RSx1) restraint stress induced endocrine, cellular and oxidative/nitrosative stress markers was studied in Wistar rats. The results of our study revealed that exposure to RS(x1) enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA), heat shock protein (HSP-70), corticosterone, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels and suppressed glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total nitrites and nitrates (NOx) levels. NO precursor and NO synthase inhibitors were found to differentially modulate stress mechanisms, by altering NF-κB, HSP-70 and corticosterone levels. l-Ascorbic acid significantly suppressed acute stress induced elevation of NF-κB and HSP-70 levels depicting protective effects, as also evidenced by reversal of elevated plasma corticosterone levels. Therefore, modulation of oxidative and nitrosative pathways, offers an approach in modulating stress induced changes associated with various disorders.