Preservation of the Antioxidant Capacity of Resveratrol via Encapsulation in Niosomes

High internal phase Pickering emulsions stabilized by Zein-hyaluronic acid conjugate particles and their application in active substances protection

In recent years, active substances have been extensively applied in the fields of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. However, their preservation and transportation have posed challenges due to issues such as oxidation and photodegradation. This study proposes a method for synthesizing Zein-Hyaluronic Acid (Zein-HA) conjugate particles via the Schiff base reaction, utilizing these conjugate particles to encapsulate and protect active substances within a stable emulsion system. Compared to zein, the modified conjugate particles exhibit significantly improved dispersibility, amphiphilicity, interfacial affinity, and emulsifying properties. Consequently, these particles are capable of stabilizing high internal phase Pickering emulsions with an oil phase volume fraction of up to 80 (v/v)%, thereby enabling the carriage of a higher load of active components. Furthermore, the prepared emulsions demonstrate excellent storage stability, resistance to ionic strength (250-2000 mM NaCl), and outstanding antioxidative characteristics. Moreover, after 8 h of UV light exposure, the retention rates of the active substances (curcumin, astaxanthin, and resveratrol) exceed 60 %. Therefore, these emulsions hold substantial potential to be applied as a carrier system in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.

Natural autophagy activators: A promising strategy for combating photoaging

BACKGROUND

Photodamage to the skin stands out as one of the most widespread epidermal challenges globally. Prolonged exposure to sunlight containing ultraviolet radiation (UVR) instigates stress, thereby compromising the skin's functionality and culminating in photoaging. Recent investigations have shed light on the importance of autophagy in shielding the skin from photodamage. Despite the acknowledgment of numerous phytochemicals possessing photoprotective attributes, their potential to induce autophagy remains relatively unexplored.

PURPOSE

Diminished autophagy activity in photoaged skin underscores the potential benefits of restoring autophagy through natural compounds to enhance photoprotection. Consequently, this study aims to highlight the role of natural compounds in safeguarding against photodamage and to assess their potential to induce autophagy via an in-silico approach.

METHODS

A thorough search of the literature was done using several databases, including PUBMED, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, to gather relevant studies. Several keywords such as Phytochemical, Photoprotection, mTOR, Ultraviolet Radiation, Reactive oxygen species, Photoaging, and Autophagy were utilized to ensure thorough exploration. To assess the autophagy potential of phytochemicals through virtual screening, computational methodologies such as molecular docking were employed, utilizing tools like AutoDock Vina. Receptor preparation for docking was facilitated using MGLTools.

RESULTS

The initiation of structural and functional deterioration in the skin due to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) or sunlight-induced reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) involves the modulation of various pathways. Natural compounds like phenolics, flavonoids, flavones, and anthocyanins, among others, possess chromophores capable of absorbing light, thereby offering photoprotection by modulating these pathways. In our molecular docking study, these phytochemicals have shown binding affinity with mTOR, a negative regulator of autophagy, indicating their potential as autophagy modulators.

CONCLUSION

This integrated review underscores the photoprotective characteristics of natural compounds, while the in-silico analysis reveals their potential to modulate autophagy, which could significantly contribute to their anti-photoaging properties. The findings of this study hold promise for the advancement of cosmeceuticals and therapeutics containing natural compounds aimed at addressing photoaging and various skin-related diseases. By leveraging their dual benefits of photoprotection and autophagy modulation, these natural compounds offer a multifaceted approach to combatting skin aging and related conditions.

Nanophytomedicine: A promising practical approach in phytotherapy

The long and rich history of herbal therapeutic nutrients is fascinating. It is incredible to think about how ancient civilizations used plants and herbs to treat various ailments and diseases. One group of bioactive phytochemicals that has gained significant attention recently is dietary polyphenols. These compounds are commonly found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts, drinks, legumes, and grains. Despite their incredible therapeutic properties, one challenge with polyphenols is their poor water solubility, stability, and bioavailability. This means that they are not easily absorbed by the body when consumed in essential diets. Because of structural complexity, polyphenols with high molecular weight cannot be absorbed in the small intestine and after arriving in the colon, they are metabolized by gut microbiota. However, researchers are constantly working on finding solutions to enhance the bioavailability and absorption of these compounds. This study aims to address this issue by applying nanotechnology approaches to overcome the challenges of the therapeutic application of dietary polyphenols. This combination of nanotechnology and phytochemicals could cause a completely new field called nanophytomedicine or herbal nanomedicine.

MicroRNA in the Exosomes Mediated by Resveratrol to Activate Neuronal Cells

Resveratrol (RSV), a polyphenol, is known to have a wide range of pharmacological properties in vitro. RSV may have therapeutic value for various neurodegenerative diseases via neuroprotective effects. However, it is not yet clear whether RSV can induce intestinal-brain interactions. It is assumed that the intestinal cells may secrete some factors after being stimulated by other substances. These secreted factors may activate nerve cells through gut-brain interaction, such as exosomes. In this study, it was discovered that Caco-2 cells treated with RSV secrete exosomes to activate SH-SY5Y neuronal cells. The results showed that secreted factors from RSV-treated Caco-2 cells activated SH-SY5Y. The exosomes of RSV-treated Caco-2 cells activated SH-SY5Y cells, which was manifested in the lengthening of the nerve filaments of SH-SY5Y cells. The exosomes were characterized using transmission electron microscopy and sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencer. The results showed that the miRNA expression profile of exosomes after RSV treatment changed, and twenty-six kinds of miRNAs were identified which expressed differentially between the control group and the RSV-treated group. Among them, three miRNAs were selected as candidate genes for inducing SH-SY5Y neural cell activation. Three miRNA mimics could activate SH-SY5Y neurons. These results suggested that the miRNA in intestinal exocrine cells treated with RSV may play an important role in the activation of SH-SY5Y neurons.

Non-ionic surfactant-assisted controlled release of oxyresveratrol on dendritic fibrous silica for topical applications

We present a simple and eco-friendly method for controlled drug release using a surfactant-assisted method. Oxyresveratrol (ORES) was co-loaded with a non-ionic surfactant onto KCC-1, a dendritic fibrous silica, using an ethanol evaporation technique. The carriers were characterized using FE-SEM, TEM, XRD, N₂ adsorption-desorption, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy, and the loading and encapsulation efficiencies were assessed using TGA and DSC techniques. Contact angle and zeta potential were used to determine the surfactant arrangement and the particle charges. To investigate the effects of different surfactants (Tween 20, Tween 40, Tween 80, Tween 85, and Span 80) on ORES release, we conducted experiments under different pH and temperature conditions. Results showed that the types of surfactants, drug loading content, pH, and temperature significantly affected the drug release profile. The percentage of drug loading efficiency of the carriers was in the range of 80 %-100 %, and the release of ORES was in the order of M/KCC-1 > M/K/S80 > M/K/T40 > M/K/T20 > MK/T80 > M/K/T85 at 24 h. Furthermore, the carriers provided excellent protection for ORES against UVA and maintained its antioxidant activity. KCC-1 and Span 80 enhanced the cytotoxicity to HaCaT cells, while Tween 80 suppressed the cytotoxicity.

Resveratrol Mitigates Oxygen and Glucose Deprivation-Induced Inflammation, NLRP3 Inflammasome, and Oxidative Stress in 3D Neuronal Culture

Oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) can produce hypoxia-induced neurotoxicity and is a mature in vitro model of hypoxic cell damage. Activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates a downstream pathway that substantially increases bioenergy production, which may be a key player in physiological energy and has also been shown to play a role in regulating neuroprotective processes. Resveratrol is an effective activator of AMPK, indicating that it may have therapeutic potential as a neuroprotective agent. However, the mechanism by which resveratrol achieves these beneficial effects in SH-SY5Y cells exposed to OGD-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in a 3D gelatin scaffold remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of resveratrol in 3D gelatin scaffold cells to understand its neuroprotective effects on NF-κB signaling, NLRP3 inflammasome, and oxidative stress under OGD conditions. Here, we show that resveratrol improves the expression levels of cell viability, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-18), NF-κB signaling, and NLRP3 inflammasome, that OGD increases. In addition, resveratrol rescued oxidative stress, nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), and Nrf2 downstream antioxidant target genes (e.g., SOD, Gpx GSH, catalase, and HO-1). Treatment with resveratrol can significantly normalize OGD-induced changes in SH-SY5Y cell inflammation, oxidative stress, and oxidative defense gene expression; however, these resveratrol protective effects are affected by AMPK antagonists (Compounds C) blocking. These findings improve our understanding of the mechanism of the AMPK-dependent protective effect of resveratrol under 3D OGD-induced inflammation and oxidative stress-mediated cerebral ischemic stroke conditions.

Applications and Prospects of Nanotechnology in Food and Cosmetics Preservation

Cosmetic and food products containing water are prone to contamination during the production, storage, and transit process, leading to product spoilage and degraded organoleptic characteristics. The efficient preservation of food and cosmetics is one of the most important issues the industry is facing today. The use of nanotechnology in food and cosmetics for preservation purposes offers the possibility to boost the activity of antimicrobial agents and/or promote their safer distribution into the end product upon incorporation into packaging or film constructions. In this review, current preservation strategies are discussed and the most recent studies in nanostructures used for preservation purposes are categorized and analyzed in a way that hopefully provides the most promising strategies for both the improvement of product safety and shelf-life extension. Packaging materials are also included since the container plays a major role in the preservation of such products. It is conclusively revealed that most of the applications refer to the nanocomposites as part of the packaging, mainly due to the various possibilities that nanoscience offers to this field. Apart from that, the route of exposure being either skin or the gastrointestinal system involves safety concerns, and since migration of nanoparticles (NPs) from their container can be measured, concerns can be minimized. Conclusion: Nanomaterial science has already made a significant contribution to food and cosmetics preservation, and rapid developments in the last years reinforce the belief that in the future much of the preservation strategies to be pursued by the two industries will be based on NPs and their nanocomposites.

Egg Yolk Oil as a Plasticizer for Polylactic Acid Films

Polylactic acid (PLA) is known to be one of the most extensively used biodegradable thermoplastic polyesters, with the potential to replace conventional petroleum-based packaging materials; however, the low flexibility of films prepared using PLA has limited the applications of this biopolymer. In this study, in order to improve the mechanical properties of PLA films and to provide them with antioxidant properties, egg yolk oil was used as a biobased plasticizer. For this purpose, PLA films with increasing concentrations of egg yolk oil were prepared and the effects of this oil on the light transmission, transparency, colour, water vapour permeability, solubility, antioxidant activity and mechanical properties of the films were characterized. In addition, electron microscopy of the structure of the transverse section of the films was also performed. Results showed that the formulations with higher concentrations of egg yolk oil increased the films’ elasticity, and their light barrier and antioxidant properties. Finally, in order to test the films as a packaging material for food applications, extra virgin olive oil and resveratrol, both photosensitive compounds, were packed and exposed to ambient light. Overall, the results show the potential of egg yolk oil as an environmentally friendly plasticizer that can improve the flexibility of PLA films and provide them with additional photoprotective properties.