Suberin/trans-Cinnamaldehyde Oil Nanoparticles with Antimicrobial Activity and Anticancer Properties When Loaded with Paclitaxel

Added-Value Compounds in Cork By-Products: Methods for Extraction, Identification, and Quantification of Compounds with Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Interest

The growing threat of climatic crisis and fossil fuel extinction has caused a boom in sustainability trends. Consumer demand for so-called eco-friendly products has been steadily increasing, built upon the foundation of environmental protection and safeguarding for future generations. A natural product that has been used for centuries is cork, resulting from the outer bark of Quercus suber L. Currently, its major application is the production of cork stoppers for the wine industry, a process that, although considered sustainable, generates by-products in the form of cork powder, cork granulates, or waste such as black condensate, among others. These residues possess constituents of interest for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, as they exhibit relevant bioactivities, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant. This interesting potential brings forth the need to develop methods for their extraction, isolation, identification, and quantification. The aim of this work is to describe the potential of cork by-products for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry and to assemble the available extraction, isolation, and analytical methods applied to cork by-products, as well the biological assays. To our knowledge, this compilation has never been done, and it opens new avenues for the development of new applications for cork by-products.

The Therapeutic Roles of Cinnamaldehyde against Cardiovascular Diseases

Evidence from epidemiological studies has demonstrated that the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) increase year by year, which pose a great threat on social economy and human health worldwide. Due to limited therapeutic benefits and associated adverse effects of current medications, there is an urgent need to uncover novel agents with favorable safety and efficacy. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is a bioactive phytochemical isolated from the stem bark of Chinese herbal medicine Cinnamon and has been suggested to possess curative roles against the development of CVDs. This integrated review intends to summarize the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic features of CA and discuss the recent advances in underlying mechanisms and potential targets responsible for anti-CVD properties of CA. The CA-related cardiovascular protective mechanisms could be attributed to the inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress, improvement of lipid and glucose metabolism, regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis, suppression of cardiac fibrosis, and platelet aggregation and promotion of vasodilation and angiogenesis. Furthermore, CA is likely to inhibit CVD progression via affecting other possible processes including autophagy and ER stress regulation, gut microbiota and immune homeostasis, ion metabolism, ncRNA expression, and TRPA1 activation. Collectively, experiments reported previously highlight the therapeutic effects of CA and clinical trials are advocated to offer scientific basis for the compound future applied in clinical practice for CVD prophylaxis and treatment.

Nanostructured Oxide-Based Systems for the pH-Triggered Release of Cinnamaldehyde

Cinnamaldehyde is a natural product with antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties, poorly stable in environmental conditions. Systems for the controlled release of cinnamaldehyde are of great interest to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Here, a new oxide-based construct for the release of cinnamaldehyde catalyzed by acidic pH was obtained by a facile grafting method based on amino-silane linkers and imine chemistry. The grafting procedure led to a loading of ca. 5 molecules/nm2, determined on oxide powders with CHN and TGA measurements. The covalent grafting of cinnamaldehyde, demonstrated by FTIR analyses, preserved the molecule stability, simplifying storage. Release tests were performed at different pH values (between 5.0 and 7.4). Thanks to imine chemistry, a fast cinnamaldehyde (CIN) release was observed in a pH 5.0 environment. Using 1 mg/mL suspensions, CIN concentrations within the range adopted in the food industry were obtained (12.4 ppm). The grafting procedure was also performed on a porous film based on a photocatalytic oxide, demonstrating the versatility of this method, adaptable to both powders and macroscopic materials. By taking advantage of the photoactivity of the oxide, regeneration of the fouled film was achieved upon UV irradiation for 1 h, opening the door to reusable devices for the controlled release of cinnamaldehyde.

Chitosan decoration improves the rapid and long-term antibacterial activities of cinnamaldehyde-loaded liposomes

In this work, cinnamaldehyde-loaded liposomes decorated with different concentrations of chitosan (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mg/mL) were prepared and their physical and antibacterial properties were evaluated. The results showed that the physical decoration of chitosan improved the encapsulation efficiency and storage stability of the liposomes. Liposomes decorated with chitosan at the concentration of 0.25 to 4 mg/mL were able to achieve an obvious antibacterial efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus after only 10 min of incubation. The antibacterial efficiency of chitosan-decorated liposomes was still higher than 90% after being stored for 28 d when the chitosan concentration was greater than 1 mg/mL. Besides, increasing the chitosan concentration significantly decreased the minimum inhibitory concentration of the liposomes. The comparison of the antibacterial activities and mechanisms of cinnamaldehyde-loaded liposomes decorated with chitosan at a concentration of 4 mg/mL (CH-CL), cinnamaldehyde-loaded liposomes (CL), cinnamaldehyde, and chitosan revealed that chitosan and cinnamaldehyde exerted a cumulative and synergistic bacteriostatic effect in the liposomes. This led to damage to the cell membrane integrity, causing cell death by inducing leakage of intracellular components. These results can potentially provide guidance for the preparation and application of natural preservatives with rapid and long-term bacteriostatic effects.