Acute oral toxicity of zein nanoparticles with encapsulated gamma oryzanol in Sprague Dawley rats

Abstract

Gamma oryzanol (GO) is well known for its antioxidant activity and health-promoting benefits. The gamma oryzanol-loaded zein nanoparticles (GOZNs) were successfully prepared in our previous study. In the present work, the acute oral toxicity of GOZNs was evaluated based on OECD guideline 420. GOZNs were fabricated by the liquid-liquid dispersion and lyophilized. The samples displayed a mean diameter of 311.20±3.01 nm and high loading capacity of 311.22±7.97 to 322.69±5.67 mg-GO/g-powder after 42-day storage at -18oC. Healthy female Sprague Dawley rats (8 weeks of age) were used for the experiments. Five female rats were administered a single dose of 2,000 mg GO/kg body weight via the oral route. Observations of toxicity signs were recorded for the first 24 hours, and the changes in the general physical conditions were monitored for 14 days before the gross necropsy on day 15. The results show that Sprague Dawley rats exhibited normal growth, and neither mortality nor acute toxicity signs were observed throughout the study period. The findings revealed that GOZNs did not have acute toxicity and were safe when administered orally in Sprague Dawley rats for short periods with LD50 > 2,000 mg/kg.

Fabrication of Zein‐Based Fibrous Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications—A Review

“…Physical, structural condition Amorphous [28] Denaturation (°C) 80.32-87.31 [29] Glass transition (°C) 165 [30,31] Melting point (°C) 266-283 [32] Thermal degradation (°C) 320 [30,33] Degree of polymerization 210-245 [17] Isoelectric point pH 6.2 [34] Density (g cm −3 ) 1 . 2 3 g c m −3 [35,36] Partial specific volume 0.771 [37] Particle size (nm) 150-550 [38][39][40] Water content (g/100 g) 10.5, at a water activity of 0.753 in 25 °C [41] Solubility Almost impossible to dissolve in 100% ethanol, acetone, or water; Soluble in acetone solutions (60-80% v/v), extremely concentrated urea, and glycols; Soluble in alkaline solutions of pH ≥ 11.5 [20,35,42] Viscosity coefficient 25 [43] Diffusion coefficient (m 2 s −1 ) 3.7× 10 −14 [43] Flavor Tasteless [44] Odor Odorless [45] Color Yellowish [46] Composition (%) Glutamine 21-26 Proline 10 Leucine 20 Alanine 10 [47] zein is easily transformed into nanofibers, nanoribbons, [53] nanoparticles, [54] microspheres, [55] thin coatings, [56] and Janus fibers. [57] Zein possesses exceptional characteristics like flexibility, high surface area, low cytotoxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability.…”