JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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2026
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IF 4.9
Pei-Ling Liu,Jia-Lin Wang,Yi-Ying Dong,Hong Liu,Jin-Ju Lei,Bin Xu,Xin-Ru Liao,Di Han,Zi-Hao He,Si-Xue Cheng
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted cancer therapy offers high selectivity and reduced toxicity. However, the therapeutic efficacy is compromised by the poor bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs such as gefitinib (GEF), and the acquired resistance. Curcumin (CUR) can sensitize tumor cells toward EGFR inhibitors and reverse drug resistance, but its application is also hindered by low solubility. To address these limitations, we developed a zein-based drug delivery system for the co-delivery of GEF and CUR. The dual-drug loaded zein-based nanoparticles (GEF/CUR@ZNP) decorated by pectin were prepared by self-assembly. GEF/CUR@ZNP exhibited a mean diameter less than 300 nm, featuring a narrow size distribution and an encapsulation efficiency higher than 80 %. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated in vitro using PC-9 cells. Compared with free drugs, GEF/CUR@ZNP led to significantly enhanced cellular uptake, resulting in improved induction of cancer cell apoptosis and higher efficiency in downregulation of proteins promote cancer progression (e.g., Sp1, Bcl-2, VEGF, Snail, and CD44). To evaluate the efficacy of the drug delivery system in a context more relevant to clinical settings, we evaluated the EGFR inhibition efficacy by using the blood samples containing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and immunofluorescence labeling confirmed that GEF/CUR@ZNP achieved most effective suppression of EGFR expression. These findings demonstrate that zein-based co-delivery of GEF and CUR can overcome multiple barriers to targeted cancer therapy, and offer a clinically relevant strategy for enhancing antitumor efficacy and personalizing cancer treatment.
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Foods
·
2026
·Vol. 15
·期 13
·2317
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IF 6
Yi Yuan,Xinrui Luo,Jiaxin Wei,Li Yang,Cuntang Wang
Advancing bio-based intelligent packaging is crucial for improving food protection and prolonging storage duration. This research fabricated zein/citric acid (Z/CA) hybrid films embedded with Fu brick tea ethanol extract (FBTE) via a casting technique. The films were comprehensively assessed for their physicochemical attributes, mechanical strength, antioxidant and antimicrobial efficacy, and biodegradability. Findings indicated that FBTE inclusion notably improved film hydrophobicity and antioxidative power, elevating DPPH and ABTS radical quenching efficiencies by 83.75% and 89.33%, respectively. However, the incorporation of high-dose FBTE (8 wt%) increased the water vapor permeability by 57.19%, which was unfavorable for moisture barrier performance, and SEM showed surface morphology and phase segregation at 8 wt% FBTE. These hybrid films demonstrated specific antibacterial behavior against Gram-positive microorganisms. Importantly, the 6 wt% FBTE film exhibited obvious inhibitory effects on lipid oxidation, decreasing peroxide value by 68%. Observations during the 28-day soil burial degradation test revealed gradual morphological changes in the film samples. These results illustrate that Z/CA/FBTE hybrid films have possess potential application value in food active packaging.
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JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING
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2023
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IF 5.5
Chuye Ji,Muhammad Aslam Khan,Kaiwen Chen,Li Liang
Zein particles are potential for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds . Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) shows good pH stability and can complex with antioxidants. In this study, DNA and DNA-quercetin complexes was used as the coating layer of zein particles. Zein particles had a size of 85.10 nm and ζ-potential of −30.73 mV at 1 mg/mL DNA. Zein/DNA particles were stable at pH 4–9. Encapsulation efficiency of kaempferol and α-tocopherol in complex particles reached 92.90% and 97.02%, respectively. The potential use of zein/DNA particles was evaluated for protecting kaempferol. Moreover, DNA-quercetin complex coating was investigated to discuss the protection of α-tocopherol in zein particles. The DNA coating improved the storage stability of kaempferol or α-tocopherol by strengthening physical barrier. DNA-quercetin complexes further improved the stability of α-tocopherol by acting as antioxidant barrier. The retention of kaempferol and α-tocopherol was about 58% in zein/DNA and zein/DNA-quercetin particles at 45 °C after 28 days.
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COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
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2023
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IF 5.2
Caifu Yi,Tianzhong Yuan,Huining Xiao,Hao Ren,Huamin Zhai
Paper-based packaging materials have drawn increased attention under the rising awareness of environmental issues, whereas the barrier properties of paper are inadequate for food packaging. This study aimed to improve the barrier properties of paper by multi-coating method. Chitosan was coated as the first layer primarily to improve the oil resistance of the paper, whereas hydrophobic modified nanocellulose was applied as the second layer to render the paper water-repellent as well as to further enhance its oil resistance. Finally, zein was coated as the third layer to achieve the heat-sealing property of paper, and further enhance the water and oil resistance of paper. The obtained triple-layer paper had a high kit number of 12 and a low Cobb 60 value of 2.6 g/m 2 , and exhibited heat-sealing ability without any adhesive agent, which has a peel strength of 372.6 N/m. The triple layers also effectively improved the mechanical properties , and decreased the moisture and oxygen permeability of the paper substrate. Moreover, the triple-layer paper possesses good antibacterial activity and cytocompatibility. This study may provide inspiration for improving the barrier properties of food packaging paper and endowing it with heat-sealing property.
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FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
·
2023
·
IF 10.7
Xin Liu,Fang Xie,Jiaojao Zhou,Jiangling He,Zia-ud Din,Shuiyuan Cheng,Jie Cai
Food-grade compound-stabilized high-internal-phase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs) have received widespread attention in food industry and functional foods. However, challenges are still there regarding the inclusion of active substances and quickly processing molding for food manufacturing. Herein, we used zein , tannic acid (TA) and sodium alginate (SA) to synergistically increase the stability of HIPEs. Owing to electrostatic, hydrophobic and hydrogen-bond interactions among protein, polyphenol and polysaccharide , Zein-TA-SA composite particles-stabilized HIPEs (ZTS-HIPEs) exhibited good pH and ionic strength stability. The HIPEs could further be used to load and solubilize β-carotene, while significantly improved the retention of β-carotene in different environments. Simulated in vitro digestion experiments showed that the release rate of free fatty acids and bioaccessibility of β-carotene in HIPEs were significantly improved, indicating that HIPEs might achieve efficient delivery of β-carotene in the gastrointestinal environment. In addition, the ZTS-HIPEs could be 3D printed as food-grade inks due to their good rheological properties as the printed models showed good precision and stability. In summary, the ZTS-HIPEs prepared in this study could be used not only as an effective delivery carrier of β-carotene, but also as a potential ink for 3D printing. The research findings in this study are expected to provide novel insight on HIPEs for nutrition delivery systems and future food manufacturing.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
·
2023
·
IF 8.2
Yue Zhuo,Yuehui Liang,Duoxia Xu,David Julian McClements,Suqing Wang,Qi Li,Yahong Han,Fuguo Liu,Shuai Chen
Zein-quercetagetin-chondroitin sulfate (Zein-Que-CS) composite nanoparticles with different compositions were successfully fabricated using a novel antisolvent co-precipitation method. The mean particle diameter (97.5 to 219.4 nm), negative surface potential (−29.9 to −51.1 mV), and turbidity (265 to 370 NTU) of suspensions of Zein-Que nanoparticles increased after the addition of CS. Electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic attraction were the main driving forces for the formation of the composite nanoparticles. The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of the quercetagetin within the Zein-Que-CS (100:10:30) nanoparticles were 91.6 % and 6.1 %, respectively. The photostability and thermal stability of the encapsulated quercetagetin were 3.4- and 3.2- fold higher than that of the free form. The nanoparticles had good resistance to sedimentation and exhibited slow-release properties under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The Zein-Que-CS nanoparticles developed in this study may therefore be useful for the encapsulation, protection, and delivery of quercetagetin.
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JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
·
2023
·Vol. 21
·期 1
·1-25
·
IF 10.2
Yan Haozhao,Hao Li,Chen Huayao,Zhou Xinhua,Ji Hongbing,Zhou Hongjun
Background There is a serious global problem of salinization of arable land, causing large reduction in world food production. Use of plant hormones is an effective way to reduce damage caused to crops and salt stress.Results In this study, PEI-EDA was modified with AM-zein and grafted with plant hormone SA (AM-zein-SA) and used as a nano-pesticide carrier to load emamectin benzoate (EB). The use of AM-zein-SA as a nano-pesticide carrier could reduce the damage caused by salt stress to crops. The structure of AM-zein-SA was characterized by FTIR, UV, fluorescence, Raman, and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques. AM-zein-SA could effectively improve the resistance of EB to ultraviolet radiations, resistance of cucumber to salt stress, and the absorption of EB by plants. The experimental results showed that AM-zein-SA could effectively improve the anti-UV property of EB by 0.88 fold. When treated with 120 mmol NaCl, the germination rate of cucumber seeds under salt stress increased by 0.93 fold in presence of 6.25 mg/L carrier concentration. The POD and SOD activities increased by 0.50 and 1.21 fold, whereas the content of MDA decreased by 0.23 fold. In conclusion, AM-zein-SA nano-pesticide carrier could be used to improve the salt resistance of crops and the adhesion of pesticides to leaves.Conclusion AM-zein-SA, without undergoing any changes in its insecticidal activity, could simultaneously improve the salt stress resistance and salt stress germination rate of cucumber, reduce growth inhibition due to stress under high-concentration salt, and had a good effect on crops. In addition, EB@AM-zein-SA obviously improved the upward transmission rate of EB, as compared with EB. In this study, SA was grafted onto zein-based nano-pesticide carrier, which provided a green strategy to control plant diseases, insects, and pests while reducing salt stress on crops in saline-alkali soil.Graphical Abstract
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FOOD CHEMISTRY
·
2023
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IF 8.8
Yufan Shi,Shuang Rong,Tingxian Guo,Ruyi Zhang,Duoxia Xu,Yahong Han,Fuguo Liu,Jiaqi Su,Hongxin Xu,Shuai Chen
The main purpose of this study was to prepare zein-chondroitin sulfate (ZC) nanocomplex by anti-solvent co-precipitation, and to encapsulate, protect and controlled-release curcumin. As the proportion of chondroitin sulfate (CS) increased, the particle size, turbidity and zeta-potential of the ZC nanocomplexes all increased. When the mass ratio of zein and CS was 10:3, the ZC nanocomplex had small particle size (129 nm) and low polydispersity index (0.3). According to FTIR, FS, CD and XRD results, zein and CS were tightly bound by electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic effect and hydrogen bonding. The ZC nanocomplex was designed to encapsulate curcumin with high encapsulation efficiency (94.7%) and loading capacity (3.8%), and also enhanced the resistance of curcumin to light and thermal degradation by 2.9 and 2.4 times. It also exhibited controlled release capability during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. These results suggested the ZC nanocomplex is a good delivery vehicle to facilitate the application of curcumin.
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FOOD CHEMISTRY
·
2023
·
IF 8.8
Qin Ouyang,Yanna Rong,Baoning Wang,Waqas Ahmad,Shuangshuang Liu,Quansheng Chen
Pickled frequently contains nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a mutagenic and carcinogenic substance that is dangerous for the general public's health. This study reports on the fabrication of a fluorescent biosensor using zein film and aptamer functionalized upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) for on-site monitoring of NDMA in meat. UCNPs were first prepared followed by aptamer binding and mixing with zein film, which was further conjugated with cDNA of dabcyl modified at 5′. The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism between the UCNPs and dabcyl was exploited. The fluorescence signals of the zein film recovered when NDMA was present because it was selectively collected by the particular aptamer and damaged the cDNA structure. The designed functionalized zein film was used for on-site and portable determination of NDMA with a lower limit of detection of 0.017 ng/mL, and possessed a satisfactory recovery ranging from 95.8% to 100.2% with no significant difference compared with the GC–MS method.
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LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
·
2023
·
IF 6
Renjie Li,Jin Chen,Huihui Li,Zhuangwei Zhang,Hongjin Tang
Zein-gum arabic-tea polyphenols ternary complex nanoparticles have been developed for the encapsulation of luteolin, but there are still shortages existed in their particle properties such as encapsulation efficiency, stability, and release ability of luteolin. To improve their performance, calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) were employed as a cross-linking stabilizer to investigate their effects on particle properties and functional performance. Particle parameters, physicochemical stability, antioxidant activity, and in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion were evaluated based on zetasizer measurement and multi-spectral methods, which were analyzed using Graphpad Prism v6.0.2. As a result, low concentrations of Ca 2+ induced the formation of smaller and more compact nanoparticles with improved luteolin encapsulation efficiency, while higher concentrations had the opposite effect. Hydrophobic, electrostatic, and hydrogen bonding interactions were found to be responsible for nanoparticle assembly and stability with Ca 2+ incorporation. Appropriate amounts of Ca 2+ promoted the physicochemical stability of the nanoparticles under different conditions such as pH, salt ion concentration, temperature, and storage time. Additionally, low levels of Ca 2+ strengthened the antioxidant activity of the nanoparticles and improved sustained release of luteolin under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions. These findings suggest that zein-gum arabic-tea polyphenols nanoparticles assembled with Ca 2+ have potential applications as a delivery system for bioactive substances.
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npj Science of Food
·
2023
·Vol. 7
·期 1
·1-10
·
IF 6.4
Qiu Chao,Zhang Zhiheng,Li Xiaojing,Sang Shangyuan,McClements David Julian,Chen Long,Long Jie,Jiao Aiquan,Xu Xueming,Jin Zhengyu
In this study, composite nanoparticles consisting of zein and hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin were prepared using a combined antisolvent co-precipitation/electrostatic interaction method. The effects of calcium ion concentration on the stability of the composite nanoparticles containing both curcumin and quercetin were investigated. Moreover, the stability and bioactivity of the quercetin and curcumin were characterized before and after encapsulation. Fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions were the main driving forces for the formation of the composite nanoparticles. The addition of calcium ions promoted crosslinking of the proteins and affected the stability of the protein–cyclodextrin composite particles through electrostatic screening and binding effects. The addition of calcium ions to the composite particles improved the encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant activity, and stability of the curcumin and quercetin. However, there was an optimum calcium ion concentration (2.0 mM) that provided the best encapsulation and protective effects on the nutraceuticals. The calcium crosslinked composite particles were shown to maintain good stability under different pH and simulated gastrointestinal digestion conditions. These results suggest that zein–cyclodextrin composite nanoparticles may be useful plant-based colloidal delivery systems for hydrophobic bio-active agents.
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INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
·
2022
·
IF 6.449
Wenquan Huang,Shiyuan Liu,Zhiqiang Li,Yingying Liu,Qiuling Xie,Yanbin Jiang
The past decade has witnessed rapid development in zein-based drug delivery systems . However, the lack of a deep understanding of self-assembly and co-self-assembly between drug and zein has limited its application. In this work, α and β-zein, the main ingredients of zein, were separated and the different self-assembly behaviour was investigated, respectively. In ethanol solution, α-zein shows uncontrollable self-assembly and explosive nucleation. The nano-mechanical properties investigated by AFM show that α-zein nanoparticles self-assembled in the ethanol possessed a higher adhesion force (99.45 ± 6.90 nN), which explains its uncontrollable self-assembly. After loading with paclitaxel (PTX), Young’s modulus of α-zein had significantly reduced from 525.57 ± 53.82–95.35 ± 20.98 MPa, which implies that the PTX-α-zein nanoparticle has a loose structure. The interaction between drug and carrier was studied using a fluorescence quenching experiment, and the mathematical model was established. The result shows that the main driving force for interaction between PTX and α-zein is the hydrophobic force, while interaction between PTX and β-zein is hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals forces. The negative ΔG value indicates that the binging between PTX and α-zein or β-zein is a spontaneous process although the nature of the interaction is somewhat different. An in vitro cytotoxicity study shows that the different self-assembly behaviour resulted in different cell viability . Finally, a possible self-assembly mechanism of α and β-zein was proposed. It is anticipated that a fundamental understanding of self-assembly between drug and α or β-zein will provide an important foundation for its application in biological and material fields.
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