Zein-Based Nanofibres for Drug Delivery: Classes and Current Applications

Abstract

Plant proteins have been drawing increasing attention owing to their safety, abundance and relatively low cost in comparison with animal proteins. The development of plant protein-based delivery vehicles may lead to the provision of novel pharmaceutical products to patients. Zein is a class of alcohol-soluble prolamine proteins present in maize endosperm that was approved as a generally recognised as safe excipient in 1985 by the US FDA for use in pharmaceutical film coatings. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have been carried out to illustrate zein's potential for novel applications in the biomedical field. This paper reviews the present status of zein-based nanofibres, with emphasis on their fabrication and biomedical applications, particularly for drug delivery. Their benefits and limitations are also discussed to provide further insight into zein's potential as a promising biomaterial.

Size-controlled fabrication of zein nano/microparticles by modified anti-solvent precipitation with/without sodium caseinate

“…1 Among these, zein and zein-based carriers have drawn much attention from experts in both food and pharmaceutical fields due to its molecular characterization, cytocompatibility, and biodegradability. [2][3][4][5] Zein belongs to the class of prolamin proteins and is the main storage protein of maize. Zein is primarily present as protein bodies in endosperm cells and can be extracted and separated with various technologies.…”

“…Commercial zein usually refers to α-zein with a purity higher than 90%. Numerous studies have demonstrated that zein could be fabricated into various carriers, such as films, 3 nanofibers, 4 nano/microparticles, 8 nano/microcapsules, 9,10 and micelles. 11 These carriers and their biomedical applications have been reviewed recently.…”

“…11 These carriers and their biomedical applications have been reviewed recently. [3][4][5] Currently, although zein film coating for tablets and pellets is the only approved biomedical usage by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), other zein-based…”

“…[2][3][4][5] The fabrication of zein-based nano/microparticles can be realized with various methods, including chemical crosslinking, 12 antisolvent precipitation, 13 supercritical anti-solvent technique, 14 spray drying, 15,16 emulsification-solvent evaporation, 17 and emulsification-precipitation-gelation technique. 18 These methods involve different mechanisms and vary in their simplicity and scale-up potential.…”

Electrospun Zein Fibers Incorporating Poly(glycerol sebacate) for Soft Tissue Engineering

“…One of the main plant proteins is the corn prolamin protein called zein [ 6 , 7 ]. Zein, the major storage protein in the endosperm of corn, is classified into three different fractions, based on differences in solubility and molar mass: α-, β- and γ-zein [ 8 ]. It has been shown to be resistant to microbial attacks, it has low toxicity, is biologically compatible, biodegradable, renewable and FDA approved as one of the recognized, safe excipients for film coatings of pharmaceuticals [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”