Curcumin is the main curcuminoid found in turmeric rhizomes and is a strong candidate to formulate foodstuff with specific properties. Among various bioactive properties of curcumin, its antiinflammatory activity is remarkable; on the other hand, its low water solubility leads to low absorption. Thus, new formulations need to be developed to improve its efficacy, and encapsulation is a promising alternative strategy in this regard. The objective of the present study was to obtain curcumin-loaded polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanoparticles and evaluate their acute in vivo antiinflammatory activity. Nanoparticles were obtained by complexation using the solid dispersion technique, and the characterization of nanoparticles showed that curcumin and PVP formed an amorphous solid solution. Encapsulated curcumin was colloidally stable in distilled water; this was attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonds between curcumin hydroxyl and PVP carbonyl groups. Rats were treated orally with single doses of curcumin and curcumin-loaded PVP nanoparticles, and antiinflammatory activity was evaluated by an experimental model of carrageenan-induced paw edema, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and microcirculation in situ. Treatment with nanoparticles at 12.5 mg kg significantly reduced the intensity of edema and MPO activity, whereas pure curcumin only presented a significant effect at 400 mg kg. Curcumin inhibited cell migration since rolling and adherent leukocytes were significantly reduced using nanoparticles at 50 mg kg and curcumin at 400 mg kg. Compared to free curcumin, encapsulated curcumin was effective at lower doses; this might be due to the improved water affinity and colloidal stability of curcumin nanoparticles.

2Curcumin (E100) is a natural colorant that, besides conferring color, has bioactivity, serving as an alternative to some artificial colorants. As a hydrophobic colorant, its modification/compatibilization with the aqueous medium is required to improve stability and enable its application in hydrophilic food matrices. Herein, different formulations of curcumin (curcumin powder: PC, water-dispersible curcumin: DC: and nanoencapsulated curcumin: NC) were evaluated as yogurt colorants. PC showed the strongest bioactivity in all assays (EC50 values: 63±2 to 7.9±0.1 µg.mL -1 ; GI50 values: 48±1 to 17±1 µg.mL -1 and MIC values: 0.0625 to 0.5 mg.mL -1 ), which might indicate that DC and NC reduce the short-term accessibility to curcumin. The tested curcumin formulations produced yogurts with different appearance, specifically associated with their color parameters, besides presenting slight changes in nutritional composition and free sugars and fatty acids profiles. The water compatible formulations (DC and NC) showed advantages over hydrophobic (PC) having a wider industrial utilization.

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A B S T R A C TLutein is a bioactive found in dark leafy vegetables that may be used as a nutraceutical agent in foodstuff and an inhibitor of key enzymes of the human body such as those involved in the cholinergic system. However, its high hydrophobicity leads to low bioavailability and must be overcome if lutein is to be added in foods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of nanoencapsulated lutein in the activity of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. The in vitro study was carried out using water in order to evaluate the impact of encapsulation on the hydrophilicity of lutein. In vitro assays showed that lutein, both free and nanoencapsulated, presented a mixedtype inhibition behavior, and encapsulated lutein was able to inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity even in an aqueous medium. Inhibition was also showed by the in silico docking results which show that lutein interacted with the pocket region of the enzyme. that the damage to the cholinergic system is closely related to brain dysfunctions such as affective disorders, depression, schizophrenia and https://doi.

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