Fast Dissolving Electrospun Nanofibers Fabricated from Jelly Fig Polysaccharide/Pullulan for Drug Delivery Applications

The fast-dissolving drug delivery systems (FDDDSs) are developed as nanofibers using food-grade water-soluble hydrophilic biopolymers that can disintegrate fast in the oral cavity and deliver drugs. Jelly fig polysaccharide (JFP) and pullulan were blended to prepare fast-dissolving nanofiber by electrospinning. The continuous and uniform nanofibers were produced from the solution of 1% (w/w) JFP, 12% (w/w) pullulan, and 1 wt% Triton X-305. The SEM images confirmed that the prepared nanofibers exhibited uniform morphology with an average diameter of 144 ± 19 nm. The inclusion of JFP in pullulan was confirmed by TGA and FTIR studies. XRD analysis revealed that the increased crystallinity of JFP/pullulan nanofiber was observed due to the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The tensile strength and water vapor permeability of the JFP/pullulan nanofiber membrane were also enhanced considerably compared to pullulan nanofiber. The JFP/pullulan nanofibers loaded with hydrophobic model drugs like ampicillin and dexamethasone were rapidly dissolved in water within 60 s and release the encapsulants dispersive into the surrounding. The antibacterial activity, fast disintegration properties of the JFP/pullulan nanofiber were also confirmed by the zone of inhibition and UV spectrum studies. Hence, JFP/pullulan nanofibers could be a promising carrier to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs for fast-dissolving/disintegrating delivery applications

Fast Dissolving Electrospun Nanofibers Fabricated from Jelly Fig Polysaccharide/Pullulan for Drug Delivery Applications

The fast-dissolving drug delivery systems (FDDDSs) are developed as nanofibers using food-grade water-soluble hydrophilic biopolymers that can disintegrate fast in the oral cavity and deliver drugs. Jelly fig polysaccharide (JFP) and pullulan were blended to prepare fast-dissolving nanofiber by electrospinning. The continuous and uniform nanofibers were produced from the solution of 1% (w/w) JFP, 12% (w/w) pullulan, and 1 wt% Triton X-305. The SEM images confirmed that the prepared nanofibers exhibited uniform morphology with an average diameter of 144 ± 19 nm. The inclusion of JFP in pullulan was confirmed by TGA and FTIR studies. XRD analysis revealed that the increased crystallinity of JFP/pullulan nanofiber was observed due to the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The tensile strength and water vapor permeability of the JFP/pullulan nanofiber membrane were also enhanced considerably compared to pullulan nanofiber. The JFP/pullulan nanofibers loaded with hydrophobic model drugs like ampicillin and dexamethasone were rapidly dissolved in water within 60 s and release the encapsulants dispersive into the surrounding. The antibacterial activity, fast disintegration properties of the JFP/pullulan nanofiber were also confirmed by the zone of inhibition and UV spectrum studies. Hence, JFP/pullulan nanofibers could be a promising carrier to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs for fast-dissolving/disintegrating delivery applications

Microalgae cultivation and purification of carotenoids using supercritical anti-solvent recrystallization of CO2 + acetone solution

Zeaxanthin is a type of xanthophyll found in carotenoids, which is produced as a food supplement frequently used for human retinal protection. These works investigated growth rate and harvest of the sea water algal species of Nannochloropsis oculata (N. oculata) by in-door and out-door cultivations; stirred ultrasonic acetone extraction of zeaxanthin from; employed column fractionation to obtain zeaxanthinrich elution; and then coupled it with supercritical carbon dioxide anti-solvent (SAS) precipitation to generate the highly pure submicron-sized zeaxanthin. The ultrasonic extract contained 38.2 mg/g of zeaxanthin and then the column elution fractionation increased the zeaxanthin content to 41% (410.3 mg/g) with a recovery of 82.3%. The SAS precipitation at 215 bar, 50 ◦C for 24 min of injection time enhanced the zeaxanthin content to 58% (582.4 mg/g) with a recovery of 67.2%. Experimental results showed that the amount of zeaxanthin increased with total SAS time and feed concentration had an effect of enlarging the precipitates due to agglomeration and accumulation. The SAS precipitation of the column purified algal solution demonstrated a production of micro/nano-sized lamellar particulates that contained high amounts of zeaxanthin

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α Activation Is Not the Main Contributor to Teratogenesis Elicited by Polar Compounds from Oxidized Frying Oil

We previously reported that polar compounds (PO) in cooking oil are teratogenic and perturbed retinoic acid (RA) metabolism. Considering PO as a potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) activator, this study aimed to investigate the role of PPARα in PO-induced teratogenesis and disturbance of RA metabolism. Female PPARα knockout or wild type mice were mated with males of the same genotype. Pregnant mice were fed a diet containing 10% fat from either fresh oil (FO) or PO from gestational day1 to day18, and killed at day18. The PO diet significantly increased the incidence of teratogenesis and fetal RA concentrations, regardless of genotype. Though PPARα deficiency disturbed maternal RA homeostasis, itself did not contribute to teratogenesis as long as FO diet was given. The mRNA profile of genes involved in RA metabolism was differentially affected by diet or genotype in mothers and fetuses. Based on hepatic mRNA levels of genes involved in xenobiotic metabolism, we inferred that PO not only activated PPARα, but also altered transactivity of other xenobiotic receptors. We concluded that PO-induced fetal anomalies and RA accumulation were independent of PPARα activation

The Cholesterol-Modulating Effect of Methanol Extract of Pigeon Pea (<i>Cajanus cajan</i> (L.) Millsp.) Leaves on Regulating LDLR and PCSK9 Expression in HepG2 Cells

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is a legume crop consumed as an indigenous vegetable in the human diet and a traditional medicinal plant with therapeutic properties. The current study highlights the cholesterol-modulating effect and underlying mechanisms of the methanol extract of Cajanus cajan L. leaves (MECC) in HepG2 cells. We found that MECC increased the LDLR expression, the cell-surface LDLR levels and the LDL uptake activity in HepG2 cells. We further demonstrated that MECC suppressed the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) mRNA and protein expression, but not affected the expression of other cholesterol or lipid metabolism-related genes including inducible degrader of LDLR (IDOL), HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR), fatty acid synthase (FASN), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1), and liver X receptor-&#945; (LXR-&#945;) in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MECC down-regulated the PCSK9 gene expression through reducing the amount of nuclear hepatocyte nuclear factor-1&#945; (HNF-1&#945;), a major transcriptional regulator for activation of PCSK9 promoter, but not that of nuclear sterol-responsive element binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) in HepG2 cells. Finally, we identified the cajaninstilbene acid, a main bioactive stilbene component in MECC, which significantly modulated the LDLR and PCSK9 expression in HepG2 cells. Our current data suggest that the cajaninstilbene acid may contribute to the hypocholesterolemic activity of Cajanus cajan L. leaves. Our findings support that the extract of Cajanus cajan L. leaves may serve as a cholesterol-lowering agent

由酒粕產製具有抗氧化及抑制酪氨酸酶活性的保健原料之方法

一種由酒粕產製具有抗氧化及抑制酪氨酸酶活性的保健原料之方法，主要是利用超臨界流體分離程序萃取黃酒粕的有效成分

超臨界流體結晶蜂膠中生化活性物質

本發明提供超臨界流體結晶蜂膠中生化活性物質，自巴西特級綠蜂膠原塊之乙醇萃出液中，純化生化抗癌物質。以批次及連續式超臨界反溶劑法，進行微粒化蜂膠乙醇萃取物之類黃酮、酚酸及阿特匹靈有效成分，並藉此結晶程序，提升其純度