Green tea (Camelia sinesis) has been acknowledged for plethora of pharmacological activities attributed by green tea catechins (GTC), however, poor bioavailability, short half-life and stability issues hamper its use as a therapeutic agent. Chitosan and sodium -tripolyphosphate were used to encapsulate GTC, which reduced its degradation in gastro-intestinal tract. The average size, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency of nano-encapsulated epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) rich GTC were observed as 250 nm, +49.8 mV, and 87%, respectively. The morphological and physicochemical characterizations affirmed the size, stability, and encapsulation efficacy of nano-encapsulated green tea catechins. The In-vitro simulated release model showed the release of GTC in the intestinal phase via zero order kinetics. Cell viability studies were conducted on PC12 cell line to validate safety efficacy of nanoencapsulated GTC. Moreover, the study concluded that stability, bioavailability and bioactivity of EGCG was improved by nanoencapsulation of GTC, thereby rendering it a potent nanoceutical for clinical implications. Practical applicationsGreen tea catechin has enormous health endorsing activities. One of the major potentials of GTC is its antioxidant activity that plays a promising role in the prevention of various lethal disorders. In the present study, nanoencapsulation is used as a potential approach to improve the low bioavailability of green tea catechin. The results enlightened that nanoencapsulation of green tea catechin could be useful for improving the stability of green tea catechin in the GI tract as well as its bioaccessibility. Henceforth, this strategy restores the stability and bioavailability of green tea catechin that could be practically implied as a nutraceutical in the food and pharmaceutical industry as it can enhance the biological activity of catechins in catechin rich green tea-related products.

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Background: Obesity is described as a build-up of abnormal or excessive fat that risks life. A body mass index (BMI) is a screening tool for overweight and obesity. For a long time, BMI has been used as a marker to measure obesity. However, a significant limitation of using BMI is its failure to differentiate between a high body fat content and preserved or increased lean mass, especially in patients or subjects with a BMI <30 kg/m2. Normal weight obese (NWO) is such individuals who have high fat content but a normal BMI. To identify such individuals and to save them from morbidity associated with obesity, this study was carried out. Aims and Objectives: The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of NWO in healthy young adults (aged between 18 and 30 years) and to suggest the methods of primary prevention for obesity. Materials and Methods: In this observational cross-sectional study, the 324 subjects were selected randomly from the residents, students, and employees of Swami Vivekananda Subharti University. Subjects were chosen according to the study’s inclusion and exclusion criteria and also, based on the self-structure questionnaire. A general and systemic examination was carried out. The body composition of these subjects was done by bioelectric impedance analyzer BODY STAT QUAD SCAN 4000. Data were analysis using R-software (1.25 version), and unpaired t-test was applied. P < 0.05 was taken as significant in this study. Results: The prevalence of NWO in males was found to be 24.6% and females to be 13.4%. The body composition parameters of NWO and NWNO differed significantly. Conclusion: The increase rate of NWO is reason for concern and routine screening of body composition parameters should be done at health setups to identify that these NWO individuals and timely interventions can be made.