Theoretical and Experimental Insights into the Possible Interfacial Interactions between β-Glucan and Fat Molecules in Aqueous Media

Abstract

Excessive body fat and high cholesterol are one of the leading reasons for triggering cardiovascular risk factors, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Beta-glucan (BG)-based dietary fibers are found to be effective for lowering fat digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. However, the fat capturing mechanism of BG in aqueous medium is still elusive. In this report, we studied the dietary effect of barley-extracted BG on docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, a model fat molecule) uptake and the impact of the aqueous medium on their interactions using computational modeling and experimental parameters. The possible microscale and macroscale molecular interactions between BG and DHA in an aqueous medium were analyzed through density functional theory (DFT), Monte-Carlo (MC), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. DFT analysis revealed that the BG polymer extends hydrogen bonding and nonbonding interactions with DHA. Bulk simulation with multiple DHA molecules on a long-chain BG showed that a viscous colloidal system is formed upon increasing DHA loading. Experimental size and zeta potential measurements also confirmed the electrostatic interaction between BG−DHA systems. Furthermore, simulated and experimental diffusion and viscosity measurements showed excellent agreement. These simulated and experimental results revealed the mechanistic pathway of how BG fibers form colloidal systems with fat molecules, which is probably responsible for BG-induced delayed fat digestion and further halting of fatty molecule absorption in the GI tract.

Oral delivery of RNAi for cancer therapy

“…IL-1β shRNA significantly reduced the inflammatory responses by down-regulating the IL-1β expression of macrophages in the intestine, bone marrow, and articular cartilage. Upon the treatment, a reduction in the expression of osteoarthritis markers Col X and MMP13 was observed, indicating the effectiveness of this yeast—shRNA therapeutic microcapsules in protecting the articular cartilage joints of the mice models [ 209 , 210 ]. In the same way, for the treatment of high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity, the oral delivery of yeast-encapsulated shRNA (IL-1β shRNA interference vectors) microcapsules were examined by Zhang et al In the investigation, the microcapsules were orally administered in HFD obese mice models in a dose of 10 mg/kg every 2 days from day 1 to day 29, and the body weight, food intake, and blood glucose were recorded weekly.…”

β-Glucan-Mediated Oral Codelivery of 5FU and Bcl2 siRNA Attenuates Stomach Cancer

“…13 In order to overcome these issues, we aim to develop an oral local delivery vehicle, made from the mucoadhesive carrier b-glucan (BG). 14 BG is a unique carbohydrate polymer that is naturally present in the cell wall of yeast, fungi, and cereal. BG used in this study is a barley-derived low-viscosity glucose polymer with a molecular weight of 179,000 Da.…”

“…The retention duration of any orally administered drug to the stomach is 10–30 min, much less than the duration often needed to induce an adequate therapeutic effect and maintain the appropriate therapeutic concentration within the cancer site. , Finally, oral delivery of therapeutic modalities is challenging because of the significantly low bioavailability resulting from poor intestinal permeability, enzymatic degradation, thick mucus membrane barrier, and off-target localization . In order to overcome these issues, we aim to develop an oral local delivery vehicle, made from the mucoadhesive carrier b-glucan (BG) . BG is a unique carbohydrate polymer that is naturally present in the cell wall of yeast, fungi, and cereal.…”

Bile acid linked β-glucan nanoparticles for liver specific oral delivery of biologics

“…[21][22][23][24][25][26] Recently, we have investigated how β-glucan interacts with lipid molecules in the presence of water and that resulted in the formulation of nano/microparticles. 27 In this study, we have hypothesized that the use of β-glucan, an acid-resistant polysaccharide, can protect a sophisticated biological molecule from the hostile intra-gastric environment. On top of protection, β-glucan also works as an intestinal drug transporter and enhancer by binding to the dectin-1 receptor on dendritic cells.…”