The stability of cream cheeses as a symbiotic food carrier, through supplementation with different concentrations of probiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium animalis Bb-12 and Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and the prebiotic ingredient inulin was investigated. Physicochemical parameters, pH values, total solids, fat and protein levels and the viable counts of the starter lactic culture Streptococcus thermophilus and probiotic cultures, were carried out at 1, 15, 30 and 45 days of refrigerated storage (8 ± 0.5°C). Different physicochemical characteristics were observed in all formulations. S. thermophilus showed good viability in all the trials (6.66-9.38 log cfu/g), whereas B. animalis remained above 6 log cfu/g in all the trials during the period evaluated. However, L. acidophilus showed an accentuated decline, registering values of 3.1 log cfu/g at the end of the period studied.The results suggested that cream cheese was an adequate food matrix for supplementation with probiotic bacteria, in particular B. animalis, and the prebiotic ingredient, showing potential as a symbiotic food.
The present work aimed to evaluate the behavior of dexamethasone-loaded cationic polymericnanocapsules in hydrogels, regarding their in vitro drug release and skin drug retention and per- meation. Cationic polymeric nanocapsules prepared with Eudragit RS 100 as the polymeric wall had mean particle size of 139 +/- 3.6 nm, positive zeta potential (+11.38 +/- 1.7 mV), and high encapsulation efficiency (81 +/- 2%). After preparation, they were formulated as hydrogels, which showed non-Newtonian, plastic behavior, and acidic pH. Photon correlation spectroscopy analysis of these hydrogels demonstrated the presence of particles with mean particle size close to that of the original colloidal suspensions. The presence of dexamethasone-loaded nanocapsules in hydrogels promoted controlled drug release and an increase in the amount of drug delivered into viable epidermis, the main target tissue to topical glucocorticoid action. Moreover, the formulation did not increase the risk of drug penetration to dermis and permeation to the receptor compartment.
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