Optimized preparation of gastric acid-response sulfhydryl functionalized chitosan/alginate/tilapia peptide hydrogel and its protective effects on alcohol-induced liver and brain injury

Tannic acid- and N-acetylcysteine-chitosan-modified magnetic nanoparticles reduce hepatic oxidative stress in prediabetic rats

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) modified with tannic acid (TA) have shown remarkable success as an antioxidant and antimicrobial therapeutic agent. Herein, we report a synthetic procedure for the preparation of silica-coated MNPs modified with N-acetylcysteine-modified chitosan and TA. This was achieved by free-radical grafting of NAC onto chitosan (CS), a layer-by-layer technique for modifying negatively charged MNP@SiO2 nanoparticles with positively charged CS-NAC, and crosslinking CS with TA. The antioxidant and metabolic effects of MNP@SiO2-CS-NAC and MNP@SiO2-CS-NAC-TA nanoparticles were tested in a model of prediabetic rats with hepatic steatosis, the hereditary hypertriglyceridemic rats (HHTg). The particles exhibited significant antioxidant properties in the liver, increasing the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), decreasing the concentration of the lipoperoxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA), and improving the antioxidant status determined as the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione; in particular, TA increased some antioxidant parameters. MNPs carrying antioxidants such as NAC and TA could thus represent a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of various diseases accompanied by increased oxidative stress.

The Use of Chitosan-Coated Nanovesicles in Repairing Alcohol-Induced Damage of Liver Cells in Mice

Background and Objectives In the past few decades, the studies concerning the natural polysaccharide chitosan have been centered on a new direction: its hepatoprotective action. The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of previously designed chitosan lipid vesicles on the liver damage induced by alcohol consumption in mice. Materials and Methods The study involved the oral administration of substances in one daily dose as follows: Group 1 (control): water; Group 2 (control alcohol): 5% alcohol in water; Group 3 (CHIT): 0.1 mL/10 g body weight chitosan solution in animals treated with alcohol; Group 4 (CHIT-ves): 0.1 mL/10 g body chitosan vesicles in animals treated with alcohol; Group 5 (AcA): 200 mg/kg body ascorbic acid in animals treated with alcohol. In order to evaluate liver damage after alcohol consumption, the following hematological parameters were tested: the activity of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase; serum values of urea and creatinine; the phagocytic capacity of polymorphonuclear neutrophilsin peripheral blood;serum opsonic capacity;bactericidal capacity of peritoneal macrophages; and the activity of malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and lactate dehydrogenase. Results and Conclusions The treatment with chitosan vesicles decreased liver enzyme activity and reduced the oxidative stress disturbances in alcoholic mice, thus repairing the hepatic functional and structural damages. These beneficial activities of chitosan vesicles were comparable with ascorbic acid effects in alcoholic mice.