5 research outputs found
Food Protein Based Core–Shell Nanocarriers for Oral Drug Delivery: Effect of Shell Composition on in Vitro and in Vivo Functional Performance of Zein Nanocarriers
The
study was aimed at systematically investigating the influence
of shell composition on the particle size, stability, release, cell
uptake, permeability, and in vivo gastrointestinal distribution of
food protein based nanocarriers for oral delivery applications. Three
different core–shell nanocarriers were prepared using food-grade
biopolymers including zein-casein (ZC) nanoparticles, zein-lactoferrin
(ZLF), nanoparticles and zein-PEG (ZPEG) micelles. Nile red was used
as a model hydrophobic dye for in vitro studies. The nanocarriers
had negative, positive, and neutral charge, respectively. All three
nanocarriers had a particle size of less than 200 nm and a low polydispersity
index. The nanoparticles were stable at gastrointestinal pH (2–9)
and ionic strength (10–200 mM). The nanocarriers sustained
the release of Nile red in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids.
ZC nanoparticles showed the slowest release followed by ZLF nanoparticles
and ZPEG micelles. The nanocarriers were taken up by endocytosis in
Caco-2 cells. ZPEG micelles showed the highest cell uptake and transepithelial
permeability followed by ZLF and ZC nanoparticles. ZPEG micelles also
showed P-gp inhibitory activity. All three nanocarriers showed bioadhesive
properties. Cy 5.5, a near IR dye, was used to study the in vivo biodistribution
of the nanocarriers. The nanocarriers showed longer retention in the
rat gastrointestinal tract compared to the free dye. Among the three
formulations, ZC nanoparticles was retained the longest in the rat
gastrointestinal tract (≥24 h). Overall, the outcomes from
this study demonstrate the structure–function relationship
of core–shell protein nanocarriers. The findings from this
study can be used to develop food protein based oral drug delivery
systems with specific functional attributes