Chunqing Bai

A pH-responsive nano-carrier with mesoporous silica nanoparticles cores and poly(acrylic acid) shell-layers: Fabrication, characterization and properties for controlled release of salidroside

A novel pH-responsive nano-carrier MSNs-PAA, possessing mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) cores and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) shell-layers, was developed for controlled release of salidroside. The vinyl double bonds modified MSNs were synthesized by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as templates, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as silicon source, and 3-(trimethoxylsilyl) propyl methacrylate (MPS) as surface modification functionalities. The pH-responsive layers of PAA were grafted onto the vinyl double bonds of the MSNs via precipitation polymerization, producing the MSNs-PAA with a hollow cubic core and mesoporous shell with penetrating pore channels. The characteristic results also showed that PAA was successfully grafted onto the surface of the MSNs. The MSNs-PAA was investigated as carriers for loading and regulating the release of salidroside in different pH solutions for the first time. The results demonstrated that the PAA layers on the surface of MSNs-PAA exhibited opened and closed states at different pH values, and thus could regulate the uptake and release of salidroside. The application of such pH-responsive nano-carrier might offer a potential platform for controlled delivery and increasing the bioavailability of drugs.

Physicochemical properties and emulsion stabilization of rice dreg glutelin conjugated with κ-carrageenan through Maillard reaction.

BACKGROUND Rice dreg is an underutilized source of cereal protein with good potential for application in the food industry. Glutelin represents about 850 g kg(-1) of total storage protein in rice dreg. The objective of this study was to characterize the physicochemical properties and emulsion stabilization of the Maillard type conjugate formed with rice dreg glutelin (RDG) and κ-carrageenan (1:2 weight ratio) dry-heated at 60 °C and 79% relative humidity for 24 h. RESULTS Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Fourier transform-infrared analysis provided evidence on the formation of the Maillard type conjugation. Amino acid analysis suggested that the major locus during the Maillard reaction were lysine and arginine. Circular dichroism spectra showed decreasing amounts of α-helix and β-strand in the products with increment in the amount of turns and random coil. Conjugation with κ-carrageenan could significantly improve solubility of RDG (P < 0.05). Measurements of mean droplet size and creaming stability in oil-in-water emulsions showed that the conjugate was more effective at stabilizing emulsions at low pH or in the presence of high ionic strength. CONCLUSION The Maillard reaction can be successfully used as a coupling method for RDG and κ-carrageenan to form the conjugate with improved solubility and emulsion stabilization.

Antioxidant activities of Se-SPI produced from soybean as accumulation and biotransformation reactor of natural selenium.

A study to compare the uptake, translocation, and distribution of selenium (Se) in soybean planted in natural seleniferous soil in Fengcheng city of China was conducted to clarify the relationship between the Se content levels of soybean proteins and their radical scavenging activity. The data showed that the total Se content in different parts of soybean plants varied with the growth periods. The selenoprotein (Se-SPI) content increased remarkably with the increase of Se content in seleniferous soils. The Se-SPI content obtained from the region with the highest Se level was almost 18 times higher than that of the control group, while antioxidant activities were about 4-fold compared to the control, suggesting that Se played a positive role in enhancing the antioxidant activity of Se-SPI. The increase in the Se level also led to changes in amino acids composition, but with nearly no effects on the subunit composition of soybean Se-SPI.

Rice Dreg Protein as an Alternative to Soy Protein Isolate: Comparison of Nutritional Properties

Rice dreg protein could be a valuable source of plant-based proteins, as an alternative to soy proteins in some food products. Here, nutritional properties of rice dreg protein were compared with those of soy protein isolate. The protein content of rice dreg protein was approximately 62.6 g/100 g sample, with large amounts of fat, carbohydrate, and ash. The denaturation temperatures of rice protein isolate from rice dreg protein were 47.4 and 97.2°C, respectively. This indicated that these proteins could be denatured during rice syrup processing to form aggregates, but were relatively more stable than rice endosperm protein and soy protein isolate. The main amino acids in rice dreg protein and rice protein isolate were Glu, Pro, Arg, Asp, and Leu, with Lys as the lowest content. Most of essential amino acids and nutritional parameters of rice protein isolate and rice dreg protein met the suggested nutritional requirements for a child according to FAO/WHO, and were relatively higher than those of soy protein isolate. In addition, rice protein isolate showed better digestibility than soy protein isolate during four hours sequential pepsin and pancreatin digestions. The final digestibility value was 96.66% for rice protein isolate compared to 91.41% for soy protein isolate. Thus rice dreg protein could potentially replace soy proteins as a good source of value-added protein for human nutrition in response to the increasing demand for plant proteins.

A Comparison Investigation of Coix Seed Oil Liposomes Prepared by Five Different Methods

The physicochemical properties of coix seed oil (CSO) liposomes prepared by five different methods were evaluated for morphology, encapsulating efficiency, particle size, storage stability, and in vitro release. The different preparation methods resulted in several types of vesicles with different properties. The type of vesicles was closely related to leakage pattern, which affected the storage stability and in vitro release profiles. Ethanol injection method was the best choice for preparing safe and stable liposomes with controlled release. The release mechanisms might account for the diffusion of CSO, and Higuchi was the most suitable model for liposomes stored at high temperature or released in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF).

Juglone Thermosensitive Liposomes: Preparation, Characterization, in vitro Release and Hyperthermia Cell Evaluation

Abstract In this research, thermosensitive liposomes (t-L) containing juglone were prepared with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and cholesterol by aether injection method. Morphological characteristics, encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, zeta potential, in vitro release, and cell viability of t-L were investigated and compared with those of conventional liposomes (c-L). Results indicated that t-L are multilamellar vesicles with lower negative charge, larger particle diameter, and higher EE than c-L. Moreover, in vitro juglone release from t-L was temperature dependent. Up to 60 % of the loaded juglone was released from t-L in 20 min when environmental temperature was increased from 37 °C to 42 °C; by contrast, >60 % of the drug remained inside for 24 h at 37 °C. Furthermore, MTT assay results revealed that t-L significantly increased the inhibitory effect on HepG2 cell growth and proliferation when these cells were exposed to hyperthermia; therefore, t-L could be applied for targeted therapy.