Development of Oral Delivery Systems with Enhanced Antioxidant and Anticancer Activity: Coix Seed Oil and β-Carotene Coloaded Liposomes

Layer-by-layer self-assembly embedding of nattokinase in chitosan/γ-polyglutamic acid: Preparation, fibrinolytic activity, stability, and in vitro digestion study

Nattokinase (NK) is a thrombolytic enzyme extracted from natto, which can be used to prevent and treat blood clots. However, it is sensitive to the environment, especially the acidic environment of human stomach acid, and its effect of oral ingestion is minimal. This study aims to increase NK's oral and storage stability by embedding NK in microcapsules prepared with chitosan (CS) and γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA). The paper prepared a double-layer NK oral delivery system by layer self-assembly and characterized its stability and in vitro simulated digestion. According to the research results, the bilayer putamen structure has a protective effect on NK, which not only maintains high activity in various environments (such as acid-base, high temperature) and long-term storage (60 days), but also effectively protects the loaded NK from being destroyed in gastric fluid and achieves its slow release. This work has proved the feasibility of the design of bilayer putamen structure in oral administration and has good fibrolytic activity. Therefore, the novel CS/γ-PGA microcapsules are expected to be used in nutraceutical delivery systems.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction of grape seed procyanidins, preparation of liposomes, and evaluation of their antioxidant capacity

The residue remaining after oil extraction from grape seed contain abundant procyanidins. An ultrasonic-assisted enzyme method was performed to achieve a high extraction efficiency of procyanidins when the optimal extraction conditions were 8 U/g of cellulase, ultrasound power of 200 W, ultrasonic temperature of 50 ℃, and ultrasonic reaction time of 40 min. The effects of free procyanidins on both radical scavenging activity and thermal stability at 40, 60, and 80 ℃ of the procyanidins-loaded liposomal systems prepared by the ultrasonic-assisted method were discussed. The presence of procyanidins at concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 0.10 mg/mL was observed to be effective at inhibiting lipid oxidation by 15.15 % to 69.70 % in a linoleic acid model system during reaction for 168 h, as measured using the ferric thiocyanate method. The procyanidins-loaded liposomal systems prepared by the ultrasonic-assisted method were characterized by measuring the mean particle size and encapsulation efficiency. Moreover, the holographic plots showed that the effect-response points of procyanidins combined with α-tocopherol in liposomes were lower than the addition line and 95 % confidence interval limits. At the same time, there were significant differences between the theoretical IC50add value and the experimental IC50mix value. The interaction index (γ) of all combinations was observed to be less than 1. These results indicated that there was a synergistic antioxidant effect between procyanidins combined with α-tocopherol, which will show promising prospects in practical applications. In addition, particle size differentiation and morphology agglomeration were observed at different time points of antioxidant activity determination (0, 48, 96 h).

Effect of beta glucan coating on controlled release, bioaccessibility, and absorption of β-carotene from loaded liposomes

Recently, the use of biopolymers as coating material to stabilise phospholipid-based nanocarriers has increased. One such class of biopolymers is the dietary fibre beta-glucan (βG). In this study, we developed and characterized beta-carotene (βC) loaded βG coated nanoliposomes (GNLs) to investigate the effect of βG coating on the stability, controlled release, bioaccessibility, diffusion and subsequent absorption of the lipophilic active agent. The size, charge (Z-potential), and FTIR spectra were measured to determine the physicochemical stability of GNLs. βG coating reduced the bioaccessibility, provided prolonged release and improved the antioxidant activity of the nanoliposomes. Multiple particle tracking (MPT) data suggested that βC-GNLs were less diffusive in porcine intestinal mucus (PIM). Additionally, the microviscosity of the PIM treated with GNLs was observed to be higher (0.04744 ± 0.00865 Pa s) than the PIM incubated with uncoated NLs (0.015 ± 0.0004 Pa s). An Ex vivo experiment was performed on mouse jejunum to measure the absorption of beta-carotene from coated (βC-GNLs) and uncoated nanoliposomes (βC-NLs). Data showed that after 2 hours, 27.7 ± 1.3 ng mL-1 of βC encapsulated in GNLs and 61.54 ± 3 ng mL-1 of the βC encapsulated in uncoated NLs was absorbed by mouse intestinal mucosa. These results highlight that coating with βG stabilise NLs during gastrointestinal digestion and provides more sustained release of βC from nanoliposomes.

Preparation, characterization, and release properties of Rosa roxburghii Tratt seed oil and β-carotene-coloaded proliposomes

Rosa roxburghii Tratt seed oil (RSO) and β-carotene (βC) were chosen to prepare proliposomes by the thin-film dispersion method. The characteristics of unloaded proliposome, RSO proliposome (L-R), βC proliposome (L-β), and RSO/βC proliposome (L-R-β) were analyzed, and their antioxidant activity, storage stability, and release properties were investigated. The proliposomes had an encapsulation efficiency (RSO, βC) higher than 83.10%, nanometer size, smooth surface, and irregular structure. L-R-β showed better dispersibility, stability, and antioxidant activity than L-R and L-β. Simultaneous encapsulation of RSO and βC reduced the phospholipid oxidation of proliposomes and improved the retention rate of RSO in storage environments of 4, 25, and 40°C. Moreover, the RSO and βC release kinetics of proliposomes in the simulated saliva fluid and gastric fluid phases can be described by the first-order model, and the Korsmeyr-Peppas method was applied to describe their release mechanism in the simulated intestinal fluid phase.

Preparation, Characterization and Drug Delivery Research of γ-Polyglutamic Acid Nanoparticles: A Review

γ-Polyglutamic acid is a kind of biomaterial and environmentally friendly polymer material with the characteristics of water solubility and good biocompatibility. It has a wide range of applications in medicine, food, cosmetics and other fields. This article reviews the preparation, characterization and medical applications of γ-polyglutamic acid nanoparticles. Nanoparticles prepared by using γ- polyglutamic acid not only had the traditional advantages of enhancing drug stability and slow-release effect, but also were simple to prepare without any biological toxicity. The current methods of nanoparticle preparation mainly include the ion gel method and solvent exchange method, which use the total electrostatic force, van der Waals force, hydrophobic interaction force and hydrogen bond force between molecules to embed materials with different characteristics. At present, there are more and more studies on the use of γ-polyglutamic acid to encapsulate drugs, and the research on the mechanism of its encapsulation and sustained release has gradually matured. The development and application of polyglutamic acid nanoparticles have broad prospects.

Sodium alginate and chitosan co-modified fucoxanthin liposomes: preparation, bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity

To improve the stability of fucoxanthin, fucoxanthin liposomes (L) were prepared by the thin-film ultrasound method, and fucoxanthin liposomes were modified with sodium alginate and chitosan by an electrostatic deposition method. The release characteristics of fucoxanthin in different types of liposomes with in vitro gastrointestinal simulation were studied. Under the optimum conditions, the results showed that the encapsulation efficiency of prepared liposomes could reach 88.56 ± 1.40% (m/m), with an average particle size of 295.27 ± 7.28 nm, a Zeta potential of -21.53 ± 2.00 mV, a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.323 ± 0.007 and a loading capacity of 33.3 ± 0.03% (m/m). Compared with L and chitosan modified fucoxanthin liposomes (CH), sodium alginate and chitosan modified fucoxanthin liposomes (SA-CH) exhibited higher storage stability, in vitro bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity after gastrointestinal digestion. Sodium alginate and chitosan co-modified liposomes can be developed as formulations for encapsulation and delivery of functional ingredients, providing a theoretical basis for developing new fucoxanthin series products.

Fabricating pectin and chitosan double layer coated liposomes to improve physicochemical stability of beta-carotene and alter its gastrointestinal fate

To improve storage stability and gastrointestinal (GI) stability of liposomes, pectin and chitosan double layer coated liposome (P-C-L) was proposed and optimized using electrostatic deposition technique. The physical-chemical properties and GI fate of the carrier were then investigated in comparison to that of chitosan coated liposomes (C-L) and un-coated liposomes (L). The results showed P-C-L was successfully prepared at 0.2 % chitosan and 0.06 % pectin. It was hydrogen bonds between the amino groups in chitosan and liposomal interfacial region, and the interaction between the carboxyl groups in pectin layer and amino groups in chitosan layer maintained the structure of P-C-L after absorption by electrostatic interaction. The double layer coatings could improve chemical stability of the encapsulated β-carotene (βC), as well as the thermal stability of liposomes. What's more, the permeability of liposomal bilayers and βC release mechanism in simulated GI fluids was changed by the polymer coating. P-C-L exhibited better controlled release for βC than C-L and L, and displayer beneficial effect on delivering bioactive agents passing through intensity tract. This may assistant developing more efficient delivery system for bioactive agent.

Nano- and Micro-Encapsulation of Long-Chain-Fatty-Acid-Rich Melon Seed Oil and Its Release Attributes under In Vitro Digestion Model

Melon seed oil (MSO) possesses plenty of long-chain fatty acids (LFCAs, oleic-linoleic acid 90%), remarkable antioxidant activity (DPPH (0.37 ± 0.40 µmol TE/g), ABTS (4.98 ± 0.18 µmol TE/g), FRAP (0.99 ± 0.02 µmol TE/g), and CUPRAC (4.94 ± 0.11 µmol TE/g)), and phenolic content (70.14 ± 0.53 mg GAE/100 g). Encapsulation is a sound technology to provide thermal stability and controlled release attributes to functional compounds such as plant seed oil. Nano-sized and micro-sized capsules harboring MSO were generated by utilizing thin film dispersion, spray drying, and lyophilization strategies. Fourier infrared transform analysis (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and particle size analyses were used for the authentication and morphological characterization of the samples. Spray drying and lyophilization effectuated the formation of microscale capsules (2660 ± 14 nm, 3140 ± 12 nm, respectively), while liposomal encapsulation brought about the development of nano-capsules (282.30 ± 2.35 nm). Nano-liposomal systems displayed significant thermal stability compared to microcapsules. According to in vitro release studies, microcapsules started to release MSO in simulated salivary fluid (SSF) and this continued in gastric (SGF) and intestinal (SIF) environments. There was no oil release for nano-liposomes in SSF, while limited release was observed in SGF and the highest release was observed in SIF. The results showed that nano-liposomal systems featured MSO thermal stability and controlled the release attributes in the gastrointestinal system (GIS) tract.

Emulsifying properties, in vitro digestive characteristics, and β-carotene bioaccessibility of mandarin peel pectin emulsions prepared with different carrier oil phases

Mandarin peel pectin (MPP) emulsions were prepared with different oil phase loadings with or without β-carotene, and their emulsifying characteristics, digestive properties and β-carotene bioaccessibility were investigated. Results revealed that all MPP emulsions exhibited good loading efficiency for β-carotene, while their apparent viscosity and interfacial pressure (π) of MPP emulsions increased significantly after the addition of β-carotene. Emulsification of MPP emulsions as well as digestibility were significantly dependent on the kind of oil. MPP emulsions prepared with long-chain triglycerides (LCT) oil (soybean, corn, and olive oil) exhibited higher volume average particle size (D_4,3), apparent viscosity, π values, and bioaccessibility of carotene compared to those prepared with medium-chain oils (MCT). MPP emulsions with LCT rich in monosaturated fatty acids (olive oil) had the highest β-carotene encapsulation efficiency, bioaccessibility, etc. than from other oils. This study provides a theoretical basis for the efficient encapsulation and high bioaccessibility of carotenoids with pectin emulsions.

Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation to Explore the Effect and Mechanism of Kanglaite Injection Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Purpose

Kanglaite injection (KLTi), made of Coix seed oil, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of numerous cancers. However, the anticancer mechanism requires further exploration. This study aimed to investigate the underlying anticancer mechanisms of KLTi in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells.

Methods

Public databases were searched for active compounds in KLTi, their potential targets and TNBC-related targets. KLTi's core targets and signaling pathways were determined through compound-target network, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Molecular docking was carried out to predict the binding activity between active ingredients and key targets. In vitro experiments were conducted to further validate the predictions of network pharmacology.

Results

Fourteen active components of KLTi were screened from the database. Fifty-three candidate therapeutic targets were selected, and bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify the top two active compounds and three core targets. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that KLTi exerts therapeutic effects on TNBC through the cell cycle pathway. Molecular docking results showed that the main compounds of KLTi exhibited good binding activity to key target proteins. Results from in vitro experiments showed that KLTi inhibited proliferation and migration of TNBC cell lines 231 and 468, induced apoptosis, blocked cells in the G2/M phase, downregulated the mRNA expression of seven G2/M phase-related genes cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), and checkpoint kinase 1 (CHEK1), cell division cycle 25A (CDC25A), cell division cycle 25B (CDC25B), maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK), and aurora kinase A (AURKA), as well as downregulated CDK1 protein expression and up-regulated protein expression of Phospho-CDK1.

Conclusion

By utilizing network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro experiments, KLTi was confirmed to have anti-TNBC effects by arresting cell cycle and inhibiting CDK1 dephosphorylation.

Disposable face masks release micro particles to the aqueous environment after simulating sunlight aging: Microplastics or non-microplastics?

This study focuses on characterizing microplastics and non-microplastics released from surgical masks (SMs), N95 masks (N95), KN95 masks (KN95), and children's masks (CMs) after simulating sunlight aging. Based on micro-Raman spectrum analysis, it was found that the dominant particles released from masks were non-microplastics (66.76-98.85%). Unfortunately, CMs released the most microplastics, which is 8.92 times more than SMs. The predominant size range of microplastics was 30-500 µm, and the main polymer types were PP and PET. Compared with the whole SMs, the microplastic particles released from the cutting-SMs increased conspicuously, which is 12.15 times that of the whole SMs. The main components of non-microplastics include β-carotene, microcrystalline cellulose 102, and eight types of minerals. Furthermore, non-microplastics were mainly fibrous and fragmented in appearance, similar to the morphology of microplastics. After 15 days of UVA-aging, the fibers of the face layers had cracks to varying degrees. It was estimated that these four types of masks can release at least 31.5 trillion microplastics annually in China. Overall, this study demonstrated that the masks could release a large quantity of microplastics and non-microplastics to the environment after sunlight aging, deserving urgent attention in the future study.

Coicis Semen for the treatment of malignant tumors of the female reproductive system: A review of traditional Chinese medicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics

Coicis Semen is an important food product and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) derived from the dried and mature seeds of Coix lacryma-jobi L.var.ma-yuen (Roman.) Stapf. An increasing number of studies have investigated its use, either alone or in combination with other botanical drugs, to treat female reproductive system malignancies, and its pharmacological effects have been confirmed clinically. This review aims to provide an overview of Coicis Semen's historical role in treating female reproductive system malignancies based on TCM theory, to summarize clinical trials results, and to analyze information pertaining to the main phytochemical components, pharmacokinetics, related anti-cancer pharmacological effects, and toxicology of Coicis Semen. Information on Coicis Semen was collected from internationally accepted scientific databases. Seventy-four clinical trials were identified that used Coicis Semen in combination with other Chinese medicine to treat female reproductive system malignancies, most of which demonstrated good anti-tumor efficacy and few adverse reactions. To date, more than 80 individual compounds have been isolated from this botanical drug. In terms of anti-tumor effects, Coix seed oil has been studied the most. Pharmacokinetic data suggest that the active ingredients in Coicis Semen are widely distributed after administration, and Coicis Semen and its active compounds play a beneficial role in treating female reproductive system malignancies. Mechanistically, the anti-cancer effects may be related to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and promotion of apoptosis, inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, suppression of the chronic inflammatory microenvironment of tumors, modulation of immune function, and regulation of the female reproductive system. Most acute toxicity and genotoxicity studies have shown that Coicis Semen is non-toxic. However, the existing studies have many limitations, and the future research direction should emphasize 1) the relationship between drug concentration and pharmacological action as well as toxicity; 2) the structural modification or the synthesis of analogues led by the active ingredients of Coicis Semen to enhance pharmacological activities and bioavailability; 3) accurately revealing the anti-cancer pharmacological effects of Coicis Semen and its compounds through multi-omics technology. We hope that this review can determine future directions and inform novel drug development for treating female reproductive malignancies.

Adlay, an ancient functional plant with nutritional quality, improves human health

Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.), a crop closed related to maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), originated in tropical/subtropical regions of Asia and Africa; southwest China primary center of this plant's origin, evolution and migration. Adlay is a traditional high-value minor crop used for both medicinal and dietary purposes. Adlay has anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, blood sugar-lowering, and blood lipid-lowering effects. To clarify the main bioactive components and phytochemical compounds and to fully explore their utility, this review summarizes the research done on the main functional ingredients of adlay, including amino acids and proteins, oils, vitamins and minerals, polysaccharides, and polyphenols. This study also highlighted the application of genome sequencing to tailor nutrient-rich adlay cultivars and nutraceutical product development. Additionally, the acquisition of high-density genomic data combined with next-generation phenotypic analysis will undoubtedly improve our understanding of the potential genetic regulation of adlay nutraceutical traits. This review provides new insights and ideas for the research of adlay in comparison and evolutionary genomics, and a useful reference for molecular breeding and genetic improvement of this important minor crop.

Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities and in vitro sustained release behaviour of co-encapsulated liposomes as vehicle for vitamin E and β-carotene

BACKGROUND

In this study the potential of liposomes as a vitamin E (VE) and β-carotene (βC) delivery system was examined. The co-encapsulated liposomes of βC and VE (L-VE-βC) were prepared and characterized. Their antioxidant properties were evaluated by free radical scavenging activities of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), hydroxyl radical and lipid peroxidation assay. The in vitro sustained release behaviour was then investigated and discussed.

RESULTS

VE and βC were co-encapsulated in liposomes with high encapsulation efficiency, up to 92.49% and 86.16% for βC and VE, respectively. The antioxidant activities of L-VE-βC samples were significantly higher than that of single loaded liposome. Among different ratios of VE/βC, L-VE-βC at 5:3 exhibited the highest radical scavenging rates, with 66.80%, 56.58% and 34.39% for DPPH, ABTS and OH radical, respectively. L-VE-βC samples also had a good ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation, especially the sample with ratios of VE/βC at 5:3 and 3:1. In simulated gastrointestinal release, L-VE-βC exhibited an excellent sustained release behaviour in SGF with the accumulated rate at about 20%, while the release rate in SIF increased to over 80%, where they should be absorbed. The release kinetics analysis indicated that βC was released in the Higuchi model in stomach, and the Korsmeyr-Peppas model in intestine.

CONCLUSION

Compared to single loaded liposomes, the combined-loaded liposomes exhibited higher antioxidant activity and bioavailability, suggesting the potential applications in functional foods. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Recent progresses in the delivery of β-carotene: From nano/microencapsulation to bioaccessibility

Beta-carotene (BC) as an efficient pro-vitamin is effective in improving vision, immune system and cognitive function as well as preventing coronary diseases and cancer. However, besides its poor chemical stability, the high lipophilic nature of BC reduces its dispersibility and consequently bioavailability which limits its application into food, pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals. Different carriers with vesicular or particulate structures have been studied and utilized for promoting BC solubility, dispersibility, and protection against diverse operational or environmental stresses and also controlling BC release and subsequent bioaccessibility. The current study, therefore reviews different micro/nanocarriers reported on BC encapsulation with special focusing on its bioavailability. Liposomal structures have been successfully used for enhancing BC stability and bioavailability. Besides, emulsion-based carriers including Pickering emulsions, nanoemulsions and microemulsions have been widely evaluated for BC encapsulation and protection. In addition, lipid-based nanoparticles and nanostructural carriers have also been applied successfully for this context. Moreover, gel structures including emulgels, hydrogels and oleogels are studied in some researches. Most of these delivery systems led to higher hydro-solubility and dispersibility of BC which consequently increased its bioavailability; thereupon could promote its application into food, cosmetic and nutraceutical products. However, for remarkable incorporation of BC and other bioactive compounds into edible products, the safety and toxicological aspects of these delivery system especially those designed in nano scale should be addressed in the further researches.

Nano-delivery systems for food bioactive compounds in cancer: prevention, therapy, and clinical applications

Bioactive compounds represent a broad class of dietary metabolites derived from fruits and vegetables, such as polyphenols, carotenoids and glucosinolates with potential for cancer prevention. Curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin, and β-carotene have been the most widely applied bioactive compounds in chemoprevention. Lately, many approaches to encapsulating bioactive components in nano-delivery systems have improved biomolecules' stability and targeted delivery. In this review, we critically analyze nano-delivery systems for bioactive compounds, including polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), liposomes, niosomes, and nanoemulsions (NEs) for potential use in cancer therapy. Efficacy studies of the nanoformulations using cancer cell lines and in vivo models and updated human clinical trials are also discussed. Nano-delivery systems were found to improve the therapeutic efficacy of bioactive molecules against various types of cancer (e.g., breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancer) mainly due to the antiproliferation and pro-apoptotic effects of tumor cells. Furthermore, some bioactive compounds have promised combination therapy with standard chemotherapeutic agents, with increased tumor efficiency and fewer side effects. These opportunities were identified and developed to ensure more excellent safety and efficacy of novel herbal medicines enabling novel insights for designing nano-delivery systems for bioactive compounds applied in clinical cancer therapy.

Actional Mechanisms of Active Ingredients in Functional Food Adlay for Human Health

Medicinal and food homologous adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) plays an important role in natural products promoting human health. We demonstrated the systematic actional mechanism of functional ingredients in adlay to promote human health, based on the PubMed, CNKI, Google, and ISI Web of Science databases from 1988 to 2022. Adlay and its extracts are rich in 30 ingredients with more than 20 health effects based on human and animal or cell cultures: they are anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, liver protective, anti-virus, gastroprotective, cardiovascular protective, anti-hypertension, heart disease preventive, melanogenesis inhibiting, anti-allergy, endocrine regulating, anti-diabetes, anti-cachexia, osteoporosis preventive, analgesic, neuroprotecting, suitable for the treatment of gout arthritis, life extending, anti-fungi, and detoxifying effects. Function components with anti-oxidants are rich in adlay. These results support the notion that adlay seeds may be one of the best functional foods and further reveal the action mechanism of six major functional ingredients (oils, polysaccharides, phenols, phytosterols, coixol, and resistant starch) for combating diseases. This review paper not only reveals the action mechanisms of adding adlay to the diet to overcome 17 human diseases, but also provides a scientific basis for the development of functional foods and drugs for the treatment of human diseases.

Vitamin A fortification: Recent advances in encapsulation technologies

Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient whose deficiency is still a major health concern in many regions of the world. It plays an essential role in human growth and development, immunity, and vision, but may also help prevent several other chronic diseases. The total amount of vitamin A in the human diet often falls below the recommended dietary allowance of approximately 900-1000 μ $ \umu $ g/day for a healthy adult. Moreover, a significant proportion of vitamin A may be degraded during food processing, storage, and distribution, thereby reducing its bioactivity. Finally, the vitamin A in some foods has a relatively low bioavailability, which further reduces its efficacy. The World Health Organization has recommended fortification of foods and beverages as a safe and cost-effective means of addressing vitamin A deficiency. However, there are several factors that must be overcome before effective fortified foods can be developed, including the low solubility, chemical stability, and bioavailability of this oil-soluble vitamin. Consequently, strategies are required to evenly disperse the vitamin throughout food matrices, to inhibit its chemical degradation, to avoid any adverse interactions with any other food components, to ensure the food is palatable, and to increase its bioavailability. In this review article, we discuss the chemical, physical, and nutritional attributes of vitamin A, its main dietary sources, the factors contributing to its current deficiency, and various strategies to address these deficiencies, including diet diversification, biofortification, and food fortification.

Fermented Jussara: Evaluation of Nanostructure Formation, Bioaccessibility, and Antioxidant Activity

Among the species of plants present in the Atlantic Forest, the jussara (Euterpe edulis Mart.) stands out for the contents of bioactive compounds present in its composition. Fermentation processes can be essential in converting bioproducts and bioactive compounds, improving their biological properties. In addition, the improvement of procedures for the maintenance of the features of bioactive compounds has been a research focus in recent years, and the nanotechnology features that can potentially solve this issue have been highlighted among the most reviewed paths. The present work focused on tailoring nanostructures applying polyethylene oxide, assembling fermented jussara pulp nanofibers, and assessing their characteristics. The results revealed the formation of fermented jussara nanofibers with a diameter of 101.2 ± 26.2 nm. Also, the obtained results allow us to state that it is possible to maintain or even increase the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins and their metabolites after fermentation processes.

Improved stabilization of coix seed oil in a nanocage-coating framework based on gliadin-carboxymethyl chitosan-Ca2

Coix seed oil (CSO) is easily suffered functional-loss by oxidation and hydrothermal-treatment. The environmental stable nanocage-coating-CSO particles (OGC-Ca) by the frameworks consist of gliadins, carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and Ca²⁺ were investigated. Results showed Ca²⁺ was the key controller for fabricating this nanocage-coating-frameworks, bridging macromolecule-chains with electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonds, detected by FTIR, CD, DSC and XRD. SEM displayed new-formed velvet-like twigs after cross-linking CMCS to gliadins. Ca²⁺ assisted the nanocage-coating by significant down-sizing conversion OGC to OGC-Ca with consumption of twigs. OGC-Ca displayed a good stability towards heat (60-80 °C, 0-80 min), pH (3-8), NaCl (0-0.5 mM), storage (4/25 °C, 12 days), and a reduce of the pre-oxidation value of CSO in water and the improved controlled release of CSO in simulated GI tract. It illustrated GC-Ca frameworks would be a suitable delivery carrier for the CSO like pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals for the food or medical use.

Plant oils: From chemical composition to encapsulated form use

The last decade has witnessed a burgeoning global movement towards essential and vegetable oils in the food, agriculture, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and textile industries thanks to their natural and safe status, broad acceptance by consumers, and versatile functional properties. However, efforts to develop new therapy or functional agents based on plant oils have met with challenges of limited stability and/or reduced efficacy. As a result, there has been increased research interest in the encapsulation of plant oils, whereby the nanocarriers serve as barrier between plant oils and the environment and control oil release leading to improved efficacy, reduced toxicity and enhanced patient compliance and convenience. In this review, special concern has been addressed to the encapsulation of essential and vegetable oils in three types of nanocarriers: polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles. First, the chemical composition of essential and vegetable oils was handled. Moreover, we gather together the research findings reported by the literature regarding the different techniques used to generate these nanocarriers with their significant findings. Finally, differences and similarities between these nanocarriers are discussed, along with current and future applications that are warranted by their structures and properties.

A Novel Drug Delivery System: the Encapsulation of Naringenin in Metal-Organic Frameworks into Liposomes

Poorly water-soluble naringenin (NAR) was selected as a model drug and loaded into the porous MOFs for the construction of NAR@ZIF-8 inclusion complex. By film dispersion method, NAR@ZIF-8 was further encapsulated into liposomes to fabricate a novel drug delivery system. Liposomes and a novel drug delivery system were established. Subsequently, the lipid-drug ratio, phospholipid-cholesterol ratio, and hydration temperature were investigated using the Box-Behnken design based the single factor experiment. The prepared liposomes system showed spherical or quasi-spherical shape, uniform particle size distribution, and complete structure. More specifically, the average particle size was 113.2 ± 1.4 nm, and zeta potential was - 7.536 ± 0.264 mV. Moreover, the drug release behaviors of NAR, NAR@ZIF-8, and NAR@ZIF-8 liposomes were explored in vitro. Compared with free NAR and NAR@ZIF-8 which exhibited a burst drug release, NAR@ZIF-8 liposomes showed a more sustained release behavior with 79.86% drug release in 72 h. In vitro cytotoxicity experiments showed that, compared with free NAR and NAR@ZIF-8, NAR@ZIF-8 liposomes exhibited higher inhibition efficiency on lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells in a concentration-dependent manner.

Determination of Differentiating Markers in Coicis Semen From Multi-Sources Based on Structural Similarity Classification Coupled With UPCC-Xevo G2-XS QTOF

Coicis semen, a medicinal food, is derived from the dried and mature seeds of Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen (Rom.Caill.) Stapf, a member of the Gramineae family. Lipids are its main constituents. Previous literature reported that coicis semen contains twenty triglycerides and twelve diglycerides. However, we identified thirty-five triglycerides, sixteen diglycerides, four monoglycerides, and two sterols under the preoptimized conditions of UPCC-Xevo G2-XS QTOF combined with a personalized TCM database. Furthermore, we successfully determined glycerol trioleate content to evaluate quality differences. Finally, we identified the fatty acid compositions of seven out of nine differential markers via Progenesis QI using principal component analysis, orthogonal projection to latent structures–discriminant analysis, and the LipidMaps database. In addition, we applied a software-based classification, a method that was previously developed by our team, to verify and predict structurally similar compounds. Our findings confirmed that UPCC-Xevo G2-XS QTOF combined with software-based group classification could be used as an efficient method for exploring the potential lipid markers of seed medicine.

Recent Advances in the Structural Design of Photosensitive Agent Formulations Using "Soft" Colloidal Nanocarriers

The growing demand for effective delivery of photosensitive active compounds has resulted in the development of colloid chemistry and nanotechnology. Recently, many kinds of novel formulations with outstanding pharmaceutical potential have been investigated with an expansion in the design of a wide variety of "soft" nanostructures such as simple or multiple (double) nanoemulsions and lipid formulations. The latter can then be distinguished into vesicular, including liposomes and "smart" vesicles such as transferosomes, niosomes and ethosomes, and non-vesicular nanosystems with solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers. Encapsulation of photosensitive agents such as drugs, dyes, photosensitizers or antioxidants can be specifically formulated by the self-assembly of phospholipids or other amphiphilic compounds. They are intended to match unique pharmaceutic and cosmetic requirements and to improve their delivery to the target site via the most common, i.e., transdermal, intravenous or oral administration routes. Numerous surface modifications and functionalization of the nanostructures allow increasing their effectiveness and, consequently, may contribute to the treatment of many diseases, primarily cancer. An increasing article number is evidencing significant advances in applications of the different classes of the photosensitive agents incorporated in the "soft" colloidal nanocarriers that deserved to be highlighted in the present review.

Menopause-Associated Lipid Metabolic Disorders and Foods Beneficial for Postmenopausal Women

Menopause is clinically diagnosed as a condition when a woman has not menstruated for one year. During the menopausal transition period, there is an emergence of various lipid metabolic disorders due to hormonal changes, such as decreased levels of estrogens and increased levels of circulating androgens; these may lead to the development of metabolic syndromes including cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Dysregulation of lipid metabolism affects the body fat mass, fat-free mass, fatty acid metabolism, and various aspects of energy metabolism, such as basal metabolic ratio, adiposity, and obesity. Moreover, menopause is also associated with alterations in the levels of various lipids circulating in the blood, such as lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and triacylglycerol (TG). Alterations in lipid metabolism and excessive adipose tissue play a key role in the synthesis of excess fatty acids, adipocytokines, proinflammatory cytokines, and reactive oxygen species, which cause lipid peroxidation and result in the development of insulin resistance, abdominal adiposity, and dyslipidemia. This review discusses dietary recommendations and beneficial compounds, such as vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, phytochemicals—and their food sources—to aid the management of abnormal lipid metabolism in postmenopausal women.