Microfluidic self-assembled polysaccharide@zein-curcumin ternary nanoparticles: Polysaccharide structure, functional...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Curcumin (Cur) exhibits poor water solubility and instability, limiting its food applications.
• Developing effective delivery systems is crucial for enhancing curcumin's bioavailability and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate ternary curcumin nanoparticles (TCNPs) using polysaccharides and Zein via a microfluidic platform.
• To evaluate the impact of different polysaccharides on TCNP properties and curcumin delivery.
• To elucidate the structural interactions within the TCNPs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of TCNPs using a microfluidic platform with various polysaccharides (CMCNa, SA, Pectin, GA, CS) and Zein.
• Characterization of TCNPs for encapsulation efficiency, hydrophilicity, and stability.
• In vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion to assess release profile and bioaccessibility.
• Multispectral analysis, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to determine structural interactions.

Main Results:

• Chondroitin sulfate (CS) based TCNPs (CS@Zein-Cur) showed the highest encapsulation efficiency, hydrophilicity, and stability.
• CS@Zein-Cur demonstrated a controlled release profile, enhancing curcumin's in vitro bioaccessibility by 21-fold.
• Molecular simulations revealed hydrophobic interactions between curcumin and Zein, stabilized by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions with CS.

Conclusions:

• Chondroitin sulfate is an effective stabilizer for ternary curcumin nanoparticles, significantly improving curcumin's delivery and bioaccessibility.
• The study provides insights into the structure-function relationships of polysaccharides in nanoparticle systems.
• This research offers a rational strategy for the delivery of hydrophobic bioactives in food applications.