JOURNAL OF CEREAL SCIENCE
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2022
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IF 4.075
Liping Ye,Wenquan Huang,Yuehua Deng,Zhiqiang Li,Yanbin Jiang,Qiuling Xie
Curcumin (Cur) has been widely studied for its chemo-preventive and chemotherapeutic effects against various types of human cancers, but the clinical application of curcumin is limited due to multiple delivery challenges, including poor water solubility, poor membrane permeability and easy degradation under alkaline conditions. Zein is an excellent carrier for pharmaceutical preparations because of its non-toxicity and biodegradability, but the plant protein source and hydrophobicity limit the application of zein in biomedical applications. The aim of this study is to overcome the limitations of Cur and zein in clinical therapy. To improve the hydrophilicity of zein and obtain a highly stable drug delivery system (DDS), zein was modified with carboxylated pluronic to prepare pluronic-zein (ZSP). The results indicated that the ZSP prepared not only has good hydrophilic and dispersibility properties, where the surface contact angle of the ZSP prepared is reduced by 33.1%–62.8%, but also its stability is not affected by pH and salinity compared with zein particles. After loading Cur into ZSP particles, Cur-ZSP DDS with good dispersibility and drug loading was prepared. Cur-ZSP DDS exhibited sustained release in the simulated in vitro environment. Cell experiments showed that ZSP presented as non-toxic. After loading with Cur, the cytotoxicity of Cur-ZSP DDS was significantly higher than that of raw Cur. The results provide new insight into the construction of zein-based oral drug delivery systems.
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JOURNAL OF ASIA-PACIFIC ENTOMOLOGY
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2022
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IF 1.58
Xiuchun Dai,Long Chen,Hongjun Zhou,Xinhua Zhou
Nanopesticides represent one of the effective ways of reducing the use of pesticides and the environmental pollution. Natural zein as a potential carrier for nanoencapsulation of pesticides has the disadvantages of large amount of organic solvents and poor dispersibility. In this study, a water soluble of zein peptides was obtained by hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions with heated and stability of nanopesticides were prepared through crosslinked after self-assemble. As the results, the zein peptides spontaneously assembled into spherical particles in an aqueous solution, the nanopesticides (avermectin, AVM), with uniform size distribution and size can be adjusted by the glutaraldehyde, have a great stability, and redispersed in water after freeze-drying. Moreover, nanoencapsulation protects avermectin from UV light, with 24% of the encapsulated AVM remaining intact after exposure to UV for 60 min, compared to less than 6% for the bare AVM. In addition, the nanoformulation had similar insecticidal activity to commercial EC and the cross-linking of particles slowed down the release rate and the curves were consistent with Higuchi model different from the abnormal diffusion in the uncross linked state. In short, this study provides a simple method to obtain stabilizable nanopesticides based on natural polymer on a green way.
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npj Science of Food
·
2026
·
IF 9.7
Yan Jiannan,Zhang Tongtong,Liu Pan,Jin Jiayi,Li Zhuo,Xu Xiuying,Zhang Hao,Zhao Chengbin,Liu Jingsheng
Ultrasound enhancement technology (120–360 W) was used to treat zein and soybean lipophilic protein (LP) complex nanoparticles, which were then used to stabilize Pickering emulsion gels. Appropriate ultrasound facilitated zein-LP interactions, leading to a more ordered, flexible, and stable complex protein structure. The particle size was reduced to 105.23 nm, and the contact angle was close to 90°, which promoted interfacial affinity. Ultrasound treatment at 240 W formed a denser microstructure of zein-LP complex emulsion gels, which also led to a more uniform distribution of emulsified oil droplets. The gel strength and water holding capacity were increased to 28.2 g and 87.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the rheological properties, physical stability, and thermal stability of the emulsion gels were improved. In addition, ultrasound-enhanced zein-LP complex emulsion gels could be applied as ideal edible inks in 3D printing of self-supporting products with high resolution. Therefore, controlling ultrasonic power improves the stability of emulsion gels by promoting structural modifications and intermolecular interactions of complex protein nanoparticles. These findings provide a theoretical basis and technical guidance for understanding the stability mechanism of ultrasound-enhanced zein-LP complex emulsion gels, as well as for the construction and application of highly stable functional emulsion gels.
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高影响因子
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
·
2021
·Vol. 77
·期 7
·3300-3312
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IF 4.845
Long Chen,Yuanxiong Lin,Hongjun Zhou,Li Hao,Huayao Chen,Xinhua Zhou
BACKGROUND A large amount of pesticides that are not deposited on desired locations due to drift and rolling, endangering the ecological environment and human health. Therefore, it is urgent to develop environmentally friendly and foliar affinity formulations. The design and construction of pesticide nano-delivery system is considered to be an effective way to solve this problem. RESULTS In this research, polyamine-modified zein (AM-zein) was synthesized by incorporating ethylenediamine-terminated polyethyleneimine into zein to improve its stability as a nanocarrier, enhance electrostatic force between the carrier and pesticides and plant foliage. Avermectin (AVM)-loaded nanoparticles, containing a high positive charge, were prepared by the anti-solvent method using AM-zein as carrier. The nanoparticles can be stored for 30 days without any significant change in the particle size and stably dispersed at pH 5–9. Compared to the commercial emulsifiable concentrate (EC), nanoparticles dispersions exhibited better leaf affinity, and the retention of dispersion increased from 7.82 to 13.86 mg/cm 2 . Interestingly, we have discovered for the first time that the ultraviolet (UV) barrier effect of zein increases while prolonging the UV exposure time; 30.47% of the encapsulated AVM remained intact after exposure to UV for 60 min, compared to only 17.13% for the EC. Insecticidal activity of AVM nanoparticles did not improve compared to EC, but they demonstrated significantly lower toxicity against zebrafish. CONCLUSION This research opens up a new idea for improving the stability of zein nanoparticles, providing a novel path to deliver pesticides efficiently and eco-friendly. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Food Packaging and Shelf Life
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2021
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IF 6.429
Chaoyi Shen,Yang Cao,Jingshan Rao,Yucheng Zou,Hui Zhang,Di Wu,Kunsong Chen
In this study, solution blow spinning (SBS) was used to rapidly develop gelatin/zein/polyurethane (PU) complex nanofibers for application in food antimicrobial packaging. The mean diameters of the gelatin/zein side were between 569.1 nm and 681.7 nm. The thermal stability of the nanofibers was improved caused by the formed hydrogen bonds between natamycin and the proteins. The water contact angle was increased with natamycin mixed in, suggesting that the hydrophobicity of the fibers improved. The addition of PU improved the elongation at break of the nanofibers from 13.58 % to 531.38 %. Moreover, the nanofibers showed a continuous release of natamycin for 240 h, and possessed good antimicrobial activity against Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternate . In addition, the use of SBS technology to fabricate nanofibers obtained a rapid feed rate of 3 mL/h, indicating that SBS is a promising technology to rapidly develop nanofibers for food packaging.
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FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
·
2021
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IF 6.475
Mengna Cao,Chengzhi Liu,Jieyu Shi,Fangfang Ni,Jiaming Qi,Qing Shen,Min Huang,Gerui Ren,Shiyi Tian,Quanquan Lin,Xiaoxin Lu,Qunfang Lei,Wenjun Fang,Hujun Xie
In this work, the ZEIN-HTCC nanoparticles formed by zein and N-(2-hydroxy)propyl-3-trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC) were used as stabilizers to prepare oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions. The preparation conditions including shearing time, volume fraction of corn oil, mass ratio of ZEIN:HTCC and total concentration of ZEIN-HTCC of emulsions were optimized by measuring the droplet size, zeta potential, PDI and surface tension of emulsions. The ZEIN-HTCC emulsions are stable at the pH range of 4–9 and in the low salt ion concentrations up to 0.2 mol L −1 , and can keep stable up to 21 d during low temperature storage. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the interaction between emulsion components, revealing that zein and HTCC form a composite layer by flocculation to adsorb on the surface of oil droplets, thus preventing emulsion droplets from aggregation. This novel, long-term stable, surfactant-free, and edible zein-based Pickering emulsion could be used as potential carriers for lipophilic nutrients delivery.
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LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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2020
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IF 4.006
Ru Song,Yu Qi,Zhe Jia,Xinyan Liu,Rongbian Wei
Astaxanthin (Asta), extracted from shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ) by-products, was used to fabricate Asta-loaded zein microparticles coated with resulting calcium alginate (CA) layer. The encapsulation efficiency of Asta to zein/CA (freeze dried, 40 °C or 50 °C oven dried) was across 80%. Some pits were distributed on CA coating layer under scanning electronic microscopy observation. Hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic effects and electrostatic attractions were involved in the interactions of Asta-loaded zein/CA microparticles fabrication by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry assays. All of Asta-loaded zein/CA microparticles displayed a two-step biphasic process, initial burst effect followed by subsequent attenuating release, in simulating fatty food system at 4 °C and 25 °C. The cumulative release of Asta from all of the experimental microparticles fit best with Higuchi model at 25 °C. Comparably, the release of Asta from oven dried groups fit best with First-order model (40 °C oven dried group), and Ritger-Peppas model (50 °C oven dried group) at 4 °C. The release kinetics suggested that the release of Asta from the skeleton of the microparticles had a good correlation with time, and could be explained by Fickian diffusion mechanism. Our research proposed a delicate and convenient approach for the controlled release of Asta in fatty food system.
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JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY
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2020
·Vol. 72
·期 4
·496-506
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IF 2.571
Zha Liqiong,Wang Beilei,Qian Jiajia,Fletcher Brock,Zhang Caiyun,Dong Qiannian,Chen Weidong,Hong Lufeng
ObjectivesZein nanoparticles (Zein NPs) were used as a hydroxyapatite (HA) biomineralization template to generate HA/Zein NPs. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was loaded on HA/Zein NPs (HA/Zein-DOX NPs) to improve its pH-sensitive release, bioavailability and decrease cardiotoxicity.MethodsHA/Zein-DOX NPs were prepared by phase separation and biomimetic mineralization method. Particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), Zeta potential, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of HA/Zein-DOX NPs were characterized. The nanoparticles were then evaluated in vitro and in vivo.Key findingsThe small PDI and high Zeta potential demonstrated that HA/Zein-DOX NPs were a stable and homogeneous dispersed system and that HA was mineralized on Zein-DOX NPs. HA/Zein-DOX NPs showed pH-sensitive release. Compared with free DOX, HA/Zein-DOX NPs increased cellular uptake which caused 7 times higher in-vitro cytotoxicity in 4T1 cells. Pharmacokinetic experiments indicated the t1/2β and AUC0–t of HA/Zein-DOX NPs were 2.73- and 3.12-fold higher than those of DOX solution, respectively. Tissue distribution exhibited HA/Zein-DOX NPs reduced heart toxicity with lower heart targeting efficiency (18.58%) than that of DOX solution (37.62%).ConclusionIn this study, HA/Zein-DOX NPs represented an antitumour drug delivery system for DOX in clinical tumour therapy with improved bioavailability and decreased cardiotoxicity.
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高影响因子
FOOD CHEMISTRY
·
2024
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IF 8.5
Haoning Yang,Yu Mu,Dan Zheng,Tess Puopolo,Lejie Zhang,Zhuo Zhang,Sai Gao,Navindra P. Seeram,Hang Ma,Xueshi Huang,Liya Li
Guavinoside B (GUB) is a characteristic constituent from guava with strong antioxidant activity ; however, its low water solubility limits its utilization. Herein, we investigated the interaction between GUB and zein , a prolamin with self-assembling property, using multiple spectroscopic methods and fabricated GUB-zein-NaCas nanoparticles (GUB- Z -N NPs) via the antisolvent coprecipitation approach. GUB caused fluorescence quenching to zein via the static quenching mechanism. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and computational analysis revealed that GUB bound to zein via van der Waals interaction , hydrogen bond , and hydrophobic forces. The GUB- Z -N NPs were in the nanometric size range (< 200 nm) and exhibited promising encapsulation efficiency and redispersibility after freeze-drying. These particles remained stable for up to 31 days at 4 °C and great resistance to salt and pH variation, and displayed superior antioxidant activity to native GUB. The current study highlights the potential of zein-based nanoparticles as delivery vehicles for GUB in the food industry.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
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2024
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IF 7.7
Congjian He,Jiahui Zhou,Xixi Wu,Yujin Zhou,Siya Wang,Bo Liu,Ting Luo,Ying Chen,Jia Yuan,Di Wang,Chen Zhang,Jinfeng Shi
Low concentrations or limited residence times in tumor tissues, making celastrol (Cel) difficult to exert significant therapeutic effects. Thus, we developed Zein/hyaluronic acid core-shell nanoparticles (Cel/Zein@HA NPs) for active targeted delivery of Cel via CD44 receptor over-expression on cancer cells, which may strengthen the therapeutic efficacy of Cel and improve delivery targeting. Cel-loaded Zein nanoparticles (core), are elegantly enveloped by a hydrophilic HA coating that forms the shell, resulting in significantly improved encapsulation efficiency and ensured good stability. The cellular uptake of Cel/Zein@HA NPs in HepG2 cells was 1.57-fold higher than nontargeting Cel/Zein NPs. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging confirmed the accumulation of Cel/Zein@HA NPs in H22 liver cancer tumors in mice, resulting in effective antitumor effects and good biosafety. Besides, in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that compared with Cel/Zein NPs, Cel/Zein@HA NPs had more efficient inhibitory effect on tumor proliferation and lower systemic toxicity. Further studies revealed that Cel/Zein@HA NPs induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by modulating Bax and Bcl-2 expression, while also inhibiting tumor angiogenesis by decreasing CD31 and VEGF levels. Overall, this study presents a promising strategy for enhancing targeted liver cancer therapy through the utilization of biopolymer nanoparticle-based nano-pharmaceuticals that facilitate CD44-mediated cellular uptake.
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JOURNAL OF POLYMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
·
2025
·
IF 5
Roopashree R.,Gupta Anchal,Rathore Mahendra Singh,Sharma Kamini,Chinnathambi Arunachalam,Alharbi Sulaiman Ali,Ramar Mohankumar,Kalaiarasi Giriraj,Thangavelu Indumathi,Suriyaprakash Jagadeesh
Oral cancer remains a significant health challenge, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies to enhance treatment efficacy and minimize side effects. This study investigates the potential of kaempferol-loaded zein nanoparticles (KZNPs) for this purpose. Kaempferol, a flavonoid with anticancer properties, has poor water solubility, limiting its effectiveness. Zein nanoparticles (ZNPs) offer a promising delivery system for such bioactive compounds. UV-Vis spectroscopy identified Kaempferol’s absorption peaks at 347 and 253 nm, which shifted to 338 nm when encapsulated in ZNPs, indicating a change in π–π* conjugation. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that sodium caseinate (SC) stabilizes ZNPs, resulting in spherical particles with optimal size and stability. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy suggested enhanced hydrogen bonding between Kaempferol and zein. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed the absence of Kaempferol’s crystalline peaks in KZNPs. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) was 98.39%, and drug release studies showed a controlled release of 79% kaempferol over 8 h. In vitro assays demonstrated that KZNPs significantly increased Kaempferol’s cytotoxicity against PCI-13 oral cancer cells without affecting normal NIH3T3 cancer cells. Overall, these results demonstrate that our KZNPs enhanced biocompatibility and anticancer properties for oral cancer cells.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
·
2024
·
IF 7.7
Xiao-Jie Yue,Peng-Wei Xu,Xiao-Chuan Luo,Bing Zhao
The purpose of this study was to compare and characterize the theoretical properties and interaction mechanisms of zein and isoquercetin (ISO) from experimental and theoretical perspectives. Zein nanoparticles with different ISO concentrations (ZINPs) were prepared by the antisolvent precipitation method. The experimental results indicated all particles appeared spherical. When the mass ratio of zein to ISO was 10:1, the encapsulation efficiency of ZINPs reached 88.19 % with an average diameter of 126.67 nm. The multispectral method and molecular docking results confirmed that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals force played a dominant role for the binding of ISO to zein, and the primary fluorescence quenching mechanism for zein by ISO was static quenching. Furthermore, ZINPs had greater solubility and antioxidant activity, as well as inhibited the release of ISO during simulated gastrointestinal digestion processes. This research contributes to the understanding of the non-covalent binding mechanism between zein and ISO, providing a theoretical basis for the construction of ISO active carriers.
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