Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Modification of Basil Seed Gum for Fabrication of Edible Film Incorporated with Nanophytosomes of Vitamin D3 and Tannic Acid

The purpose of this work was to first investigate the impact of cold plasma (CP) treatment, performed at various times (0-30 min), on the characteristics of basil seed gum (BSG), as well as the fabrication of functional edible films with the modified BSG. FT-IR spectra of CP-treated BSG revealed change at 1596 and 1718 cm^-1, indicating the formation of carbonyl groups. Both untreated and CP-modified BSG dispersions showed shear-thinning behavior with a higher apparent viscosity for the CP-modified dispersions at studied temperatures. Untreated BSG dispersion and the one treated by CP for 10 min revealed time-independent behavior, while those treated for 20 and 30 min showed a rheopectic behavior. CP-modified BSG dispersion had higher G', G″, and complex viscosity than untreated BSG. Higher contact angle for the CP-modified BSG suggested enhanced hydrophobic nature, while the surface tension was lower compared to the untreated BSG. SEM micrographs revealed an increase in the surface roughness of treated samples. Moreover, modified BSG was successfully used for the preparation of edible film incorporating tannic acid and vitamin D₃-loaded nanophytosomes with high stability during storage compared to the free form addition. The stability of encapsulated forms of vitamin D₃ and tannic acid was 39.77% and 38.91%, more than that of free forms, respectively. In conclusion, CP is an appropriate technique for modifying the properties of BSG and fabrication of functional edible films.

Sumac and gallic acid-loaded nanophytosomes ameliorate hippocampal oxidative stress via regulation of Nrf2/Keap1 pathway in autistic rats

Autism spectrum disorders cover a range of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction and cognitive deficits. Phenolic compound applications have been restricted due to their poor solubility, bioavailability, and low stability. This paper aimed to explore the neuroprotective effects of sumac and gallic acid-loaded nanophytosomes (GNP) on oxidative stress-induced cognitive impairment and Nrf2/Keap1 gene expression in the autism model. Valproic acid (VPA) was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 500 mg/kg to female rats during gestational 12.5 days (E12.5). The prenatal VPA-exposed rats were divided into five groups, including VPA, VPA treated with sumac, gallic acid (GA), sumac-loaded nanophytosome (SNP), and GNP at doses of 20 mg/kg for 4 weeks (n = 6). A novel object test was conducted and antioxidant parameters and Nrf2/Keap1gene expression were evaluated in the hippocampus. According to the obtained results, the rat model of autism exhibited recognition memory impairment. We observed an increase in glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) enzyme activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and glutathione (GSH) levels. Furthermore, sumac and GNP improved recognition memory deficits and increased GPx, GRx, SOD, and CAT activities, GSH and TAC levels, and Nrf2/Keap1gene expression in the hippocampal area. Our results also suggested that SNP and GNP ameliorate VPA-induced learning and memory deficits more efficiently than sumac extract and pure GA by reducing oxidative stress, enhancing antioxidant enzyme activity, and Keap1/Nrf2 gene expression. The present study demonstrated that the utilization of SNP and GNP significantly improved recognition memory deficits.

Dual l-Carnosine/Aloe vera Nanophytosomes with Synergistically Enhanced Protective Effects against Methylglyoxal-Induced Angiogenesis Impairment

Microvascular complications are among the major outcomes of patients with type II diabetes mellitus, which are the consequences of impaired physiological functioning of small blood vessels and angiogenic responses in these patients. Overproduction and accumulation of methylglyoxal (MGO), a highly reactive dicarbonyl byproduct of glycolysis pathway, has been acclaimed as the main inducer of impaired angiogenic responses and microvascular dysfunction in diabetic patients with uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Hence, an effective approach to overcome diabetes-associated microvascular complications is to neutralize the deleterious activity of enhanced the concentration of MGO in the body. Owing to the glycation inhibitory activity of Aloe vera whole extract, and capability of l-carnosine, an endogenous dipeptide, in attenuating MGO's destructive activity, we examined whether application of a combination of l-carnosine and A. vera could be an effective way of synergistically weakening this reactive dicarbonyl's impaired angiogenic effects. Additionally, overcoming the poor cellular uptake and internalization of l-carnosine and A. vera, a nanophytosomal formulation of the physical mixture of two compounds was also established. Although l-carnosine and A. vera at whole studied combination ratios could synergistically enhance viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with MGO, the 25:1 w/w ratio was the most effective one among the others (27 ± 0.5% compared to 12 ± 0.3 to 18 ± 0.4%; F (4, 15) = 183.9, P < 0.0001). Developing dual nanophytosomes of l-carnosine/A. vera (25:1) combination ratio, we demonstrated superiority of the nanophytosomal formulation in protecting HUVECs against MGO-induced toxicity following a 24-72 h incubation period (17.3, 15.8, and 12.4% respectively). Moreover, 500 μg/mL concentration of dual l-carnosine/A. vera nanophytosomes exhibited a superior free radical scavenging potency (63 ± 4 RFU vs 83 ± 5 RFU; F (5, 12) = 54.81, P < 0.0001) and nitric oxide synthesizing capacity (26.11 ± 0.19 vs 5.1 ± 0.33; F (5, 12) = 2537, P < 0.0001) compared to their physical combination counterpart. Similarly, 500 μg/mL dual l-carnosine/A. vera nanophytosome-treated HUVECs demonstrated a superior tube formation capacity (15 ± 3 vs 2 ± 0.3; F (5, 12) = 30.87, P < 0.001), wound scratch healing capability (4.92 ± 0.3 vs 3.07 ± 0.3 mm/h; F (5, 12) = 39.21, P < 0.0001), and transwell migration (586 ± 32 vs 394 ± 18; F (5, 12) = 231.8, P < 0.001) and invasion (172 ± 9 vs 115 ± 5; F (5, 12) = 581.1, P < 0.0001) activities compared to the physical combination treated ones. Further confirming the proangiogenic activity of the dual l-carnosine/A. vera nanophytosomes, a significant shift toward expression of proangiogenic genes including HIF-1α, VEGFA, bFGF, KDR, and Ang II was reported in treated HUVECs. Overall, dual l-carnosine/A. vera nanophytosomes could be a potential candidate for attenuating type II DM-associated microvascular complications with an impaired angiogenesis background.

Development and Optimization of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Nano Phytosome Using Design of Experiment (DoE) and Their In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Studies

Inflammation is responsible for the development of many diseases that make up a significant cause of death. The purpose of the study was to develop a novel nanophytosomal preparation of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and egg phospholipid complex that has a lower particle size with higher drug loading capability, physical stability and anti-inflammatory activities. The impact of different factors and material characteristics on the average particle size was studied along with the drug loading of phytosome using design of experiment (DoE). The in vivo anti-inflammatory study was evaluated using a rat model to investigate the performance of EGCG nanophytosome. UHPLC results showed that 500 µg of EGCG were present in 1 mL of green tea extract. SEM data exhibited that phytosome (phospholipid-drug complex) was in the nanosize range, which was further evident from TEM data. Malvern Zetasizer data showed that the average particle size of the EGCG nanophytosome was in the range of 100–250 nm. High drug loading (up to 90%) was achieved with optimum addition rate, stirring temperature and phospholipid concentration. Stability study data suggest that no significant changes were observed in average particle size and drug loading of nanophytome. The in vivo anti-inflammatory study indicated a significant anti-inflammatory activity of green tea extract, pure EGCG and its phytosomal preparations (p ≤ 0.001) against acute paw edema.