Pickering Emulsion of Curcumin Stabilized by Cellulose Nanocrystals/Chitosan Oligosaccharide: Effect in Promoting Wound Healing

Background: The stabilization of droplets in Pickering emulsions using solid particles has garnered significant attention through various methods. Cellulose and chitin derivatives in nature offer a sustainable source of Pickering emulsion stabilizers. Methods: In this study, medium-chain triglycerides were used as the oil phase for the preparation of emulsion. This study explores the potential of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and shell oligosaccharides (COS) as effective stabilizers for achieving stable Pickering emulsions. Optical microscopy, CLSM, and Cyro-SEM were employed to analyze CNC/COS-Cur, revealing the formation of bright and uniform yellow spherical emulsions. Results: CLSM and SEM results confirmed that CNC/COS formed a continuous and compact shell at the oil-water interface layer, enabling a stable 2~3 microns Pickering emulsion with CNS/COS-Cur as an oil-in-water emulsion stabilizer. Based on FTIR, XRD, and SEM analyses of CNC/COS, along with zeta potential measurements of the emulsion, we found that CNC and COS complexed via electrostatic adsorption, forming irregular rods measuring approximately 200-300 nm in length. An evaluation of the DPPH radical-scavenging ability demonstrated that the CNC/ COS-Cur Pickering emulsion performed well in vitro. In vivo experiments involving full-thickness skin excision surgery in rats revealed that CNC/COS-Cur facilitated wound repair processes. Measurements of the MDA and SOD content in healing tissues indicated that the CNC/COS-Cur Pickering emulsion increased SOD levels and reduced MDA content, effectively countering oxidative stress-induced damage. An assessment based on wound-healing rates and histopathological examination showed that CNC/COS-Cur promoted granulation tissue formation, fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, and an accelerated re-epithelialization process within the wound tissue, leading to enhanced collagen deposition and facilitating rapid wound-healing capabilities. An antibacterial efficacy assessment conducted in vitro demonstrated antibacterial activity.

In silico ADMET profiling of Docetaxel and development of camel milk derived liposomes nanocarriers for sustained release of Docetaxel in triple negative breast cancer

This study aimed at encapsulation of commonly administered, highly cytotoxic anticancer drug Docetaxel (DTX) in camel milk fat globule-derived liposomes for delivery in triple negative breast cancer cells. Prior to liposomal encapsulation of drug, in silico analysis of Docetaxel was done to predict off target binding associated toxicities in different organs. For this purpose, the ADMET Predictor (TM) Cloud version 10.4.0.5, 64-bit, was utilized to simulate Docetaxel's pharmacokinetic and physicochemical parameters. Freshly milked camel milk was bought from local market, from two breeds Brella and Marecha, in suburbs of Islamabad. After extraction of MFGM-derived liposomes from camel milk, docetaxel was loaded into liposomes by thin film hydration method. The physiochemical properties of liposomes were analyzed by SEM, FTIR and Zeta analysis. The results from SEM showed that empty liposomes (Lp-CM-ChT80) had spherical morphology while DTX loaded liposomes (Lp-CM-ChT80-DTX) exhibited rectangular shape, FTIR revealed the presence of characteristic functional groups which confirmed the successful encapsulation of DTX. Zeta analysis showed that Lp-CM-ChT80-DTX had size of 836.6 nm with PDI of 0.088 and zeta potential of - 18.7 mV. The encapsulation efficiency of Lp-CM-ChT80 turned out to be 25% while in vitro release assay showed slow release of DTX from liposomes as compared to pure DTX using dialysis membrane. The in vitro anticancer activity was analyzed by cell morphology analysis and MTT cytotoxicity assay using different concentrations 80 µg/ml, 120 µg/ml and 180 µg/ml of Lp-CM-ChT80-DTX on MDA-MB-231 cells. The results showed cytotoxic effects increased in time and dose dependent manner, marked by rounding, shrinkage and aggregation of cells. MTT cytotoxicity assay showed that empty liposomes Lp-CM-ChT80 did not have cytotoxic effect while Lp-CM-ChT80-DTX showed highest cytotoxic potential of 60.2% at 180 µg/ml. Stability analysis showed that liposomes were stable till 24 h in solution form at 4 °C.

Nature-Assembled Structures for Delivery of Bioactive Compounds and Their Potential in Functional Foods

Consumers are demanding more natural, healthy, and high-quality products. The addition of health-promoting substances, such as bioactive compounds, to foods can boost their therapeutic effect. However, the incorporation of bioactive substances into food products involves several technological challenges. They may have low solubility in water or poor stability in the food environment and/or during digestion, resulting in a loss of their therapeutic properties. Over recent years, the encapsulation of bioactive compounds into laboratory-engineered colloidal structures has been successful in overcoming some of these hurdles. However, several nature-assembled colloidal structures could be employed for this purpose and may offer many advantages over laboratory-engineered colloidal structures. For example, the casein micelles and milk fat globules from milk and the oil bodies from seeds were designed by nature to deliver biological material or for storage purposes. These biological functional properties make them good candidates for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds to aid in their addition into foods. This review discusses the structure and biological function of different nature-assembled carriers, preparation/isolation methods, some of the advantages and challenges in their use as bioactive compound delivery systems, and their behavior during digestion.