Lactoferrin-Based Ternary Composite Nanoparticles with Enhanced Dispersibility and Stability for Curcumin Delivery

Abstract

Curcumin has been reported to exhibit free radical antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities, which are beneficial for nutraceutical applications. However, its application for this purpose is limited by its poor water solubility, stability, and bioavailability. These problems can be overcome using food-grade colloidal particles that encapsulate, protect, and deliver curcumin. These colloidal particles can be assembled from structure-forming food components that may also exhibit protective effects, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and polyphenols. In this study, lactoferrin (LF), (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and hyaluronic acid (HA) were used to fabricate composite nanoparticles using a simple pH-shift method. We showed that curcumin could be successfully loaded into these LF-EGCG-HA nanoparticles (d = 145 nm). The encapsulation efficiency (86%) and loading capacity (5.8%) of curcumin within these nanoparticles were relatively high. Encapsulation improved the thermal, light, and storage stabilities of the curcumin. Moreover, the curcumin-loaded nanoparticles exhibited good redispersibility after dehydration. The in vitro digestion properties, cellular uptake, and anticancer effects of the curcumin-loaded nanoparticles were then explored. Compared to free curcumin, the bioaccessibility and cellular uptake of the curcumin were significantly improved after encapsulation in the nanoparticles. Furthermore, the nanoparticles significantly promoted the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells. This study suggests that food-grade biopolymer nanoparticles can be used to improve the bioavailability and bioactivity of an important nutraceutical.

Comparison of Alternative Protein Hydrogels for Delivering Myricetin: Interaction Mechanism and Stability Evaluation

“…In addition, it was also found that EDP hydrogels provided a more efficient protection for Myr, which might be due to that the binding interaction of Myr with EDP was more stable than other proteins (Figure 2). 45 Storage Stability. The storage stability of protein hydrogels was further estimated.…”

Regulation Mechanism of Phenolic Hydroxyl Number on Self-Assembly and Interaction between Edible Dock Protein and Hydrophobic Flavonoids

“…In addition, the gastric acids and bile salts in the gastrointestinal tracts can degrade flavonoid compounds and destroy their molecular structure . These factors greatly reduce the stability and bioactivity of flavonoids, limiting their effective application in functional foods and efficient absorption by the human body . To solve these problems, more and more delivery systems have been developed for loading flavonoid compounds in recent years.…”

“…2 These factors greatly reduce the stability and bioactivity of flavonoids, limiting their effective application in functional foods and efficient absorption by the human body. 3 To solve these problems, more and more delivery systems have been developed for loading flavonoid compounds in recent years. It is a fact that plant proteins are often used as an ideal material to design delivery systems due to their structure recombination, gelatinization, amphipathy, and nutritional and health characteristics.…”

Efferocytosis-inspired nanodrug treats sepsis by alleviating inflammation and secondary immunosuppression

“…Curcumin was a bioactive molecular with macrophage modification ability in sepsis [9,10]. However, insolubility and poor bioavailability limited the clinical application of curcumin [11,12]. Therefore, an efficient curcumin delivery system needs to be developed.…”