Preparation and Primary Bioactivity Evaluation of Novel Water-Soluble Curcumin-Loaded Polymeric Micelles Fabricated with Chitooligosaccharides and Pluronic F-68.

Curcumin (CU) is a bioactive compound extracted from turmeric and has various advantages. However, the benefit of CU is limited by its low water solubility (11 ng/mL). This research aimed to fabricate a water-soluble CU nano-formulation with chitooligosaccharides (COS) and pluronic F-68 (PF) utilizing the polymeric micelle method. The optimized curcumin-loaded chitooligosaccharides/pluronic F-68 micelles (COSPFCU) exhibited high encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity (75.57 ± 2.35% and 10.32 ± 0.59%, respectively). The hydrodynamic diameter of lyophilized COSPFCU was 73.89 ± 11.69 nm with a polydispersity index below 0.3. The COSPFCU could be completely redispersed in water and showed high DPPH scavenging ability. Meanwhile, COSPFCU could significantly reduce the cytotoxicity of the RAW 264.7 cells compared to native CU. Furthermore, COSPFCU improved the inhibition of NO release activity at 72.83 ± 2.37% but 33.20 ± 3.41% for the CU, with a low cytotoxicity concentration in the RAW 264.7 cells.

Nanoparticles Based on Chondroitin Sulfate from Tuna Heads and Chitooligosaccharides for Enhanced Water Solubility and Sustained Release of Curcumin.

This study aimed to separate chondroitin sulfate (CS) from the heads of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), by-products derived from canned tuna processing, via a biological process. The use of 1% w/w papain and an incubation time of 48 h resulted in a degree of hydrolysis of 93.75 ± 2.94% and a CS content of 59.53 ± 1.77 mg/100 g. The FTIR spectra of extracted CS products exhibited identical functional groups found in commercially available CS. The molecular weights of CS extracted from skipjack and yellowfin tuna heads were 11.0 kDa and 7.7 kDa, respectively. Subsequently, a CH:CS ratio of 3:2 for CS and chitooligosaccharides (CH) was chosen as the optimal ratio for the preparation of spherical nanoparticles, with %EE, mean particle size, PDI, and zeta potential values of 50.89 ± 0.66%, 128.90 ± 3.29 nm, 0.27 ± 0.04, and -12.47 ± 2.06, respectively. The CU content was enhanced to 127.21 ± 1.66 µg/mL. The release of CU from this particular nanosystem involved mainly a drug diffusion mechanism, with a burst release in the first 3 h followed by a sustained release of CU over 24 h. The DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity results confirmed the efficient encapsulation of CU into CHCS nanoparticles. This study will provide a theoretical basis for CS derived from tuna head cartilages to be used as a functional component with specific functional properties in food and biomedical applications.

Preparation and Characterization of Astaxanthin-loaded Liposomes Stabilized by Sea Cucumber Sulfated Sterols Instead of Cholesterol.

Liposomes are widely used as carrier system for bioactive ingredients and usually need to be stabilized by cholesterol. However, the relationship between cholesterol intake and human health has been controversial. The objective of this study was to develop novel multifunctional nanoliposomes stabilized by sea cucumber sulfated sterols via the thin-film hydration method. The liposomes obtained from this study were obviously stable for more than 27 days at 4°C. Astaxanthin was successfully encapsulated by a novel uniform liposome prepared with a mass ratio of egg yolk lecithin to sea cucumber sulfated sterols at 3:1. The mean particle size was 109.53±0.30 nm with 0.241±0.005 polydispersity index and zeta potential value of -21.13±1.01 mV. Astaxanthin-loaded liposome stabilized by sea cucumber sulfated sterols exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activities in terms of DPPH radical-scavenging activity and reducing power than the mixture of astaxanthin and blank sea cucumber sulfated sterols liposome during storage of 6 and 12 days, respectively. The in vivo digestion and absorption results showed that the bioavailability of dietary astaxanthin encapsulated in liposomes could significantly be improved. Being an efficient carrier with multifunctions, the novel liposome stabilized by sea cucumber sulfated sterols had great potential in functional food development and biomedical applications.

Impact of Crystalline Structural Differences Between α- and ß-Chitosan on Their Nanoparticle Formation Via Ionic Gelation and Superoxide Radical Scavenging Activities.

α- and ß-Chitosan nanoparticles were obtained from shrimp shell and squid pen chitosan with different set of deacetylation degree (%DD) and molecular weight (MW) combinations. After nanoparticle formation via ionic gelation with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), the % crystallinity index (%CI) of the α- and ß-chitosan nanoparticles were reduced to approximately 33% and 43% of the initial %CI of the corresponding α- and ßchitosan raw samples, respectively. Both forms of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles scavenged superoxide radicals in a dose-dependent manner. The %CI of α- and ß-chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles was significantly negatively correlated with superoxide radical scavenging abilities over the range of concentration (0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mg/mL) studied. High %DD, and low MW ß-chitosan exhibited the highest superoxide radical scavenging activity (p < 0.05). α- and ß-Chitosan nanoparticles prepared from high %DD and low MW chitosan demonstrated the highest abilities to scavenge superoxide radicals at 2.0-3.0 mg/mL (p < 0.05), whereas α-chitosan nanoparticles, with the lowest %CI, and smallest particle size (p < 0.05), prepared from medium %DD, and medium MW chitosan showed the highest abilities to scavenge superoxide radicals at 0.5-1.0 mg/mL (p < 0.05). It could be concluded that α- and ß-chitosan nanoparticles had superior superoxide radical scavenging abilities than raw chitosan samples.

In Vitro Antioxidant, Antityrosinase, and Cytotoxic Activities of Astaxanthin from Shrimp Waste.

Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant compared with vitamins and other antioxidants. However, astaxanthin extract from shrimp processing waste has not yet been used in cosmetic products. This study aimed to explore the natural astaxanthin from shrimp shells for antioxidant and antityrosinase activities as well as potential toxicity. The antioxidant activities were performed with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, ß-carotene bleaching, and singlet oxygen quenching assays. The results revealed that astaxanthin extract demonstrated potent antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals, and prevented the bleaching of ß-carotene and quenching of singlet oxygen (EC50 17.5 ± 3.6, 7.7 ± 0.6, 15.1 ± 1.9 and 9.2 ± 0.5 µg/mL, respectively). Furthermore, the astaxanthin extract could inhibit tyrosinase activity (IC50 12.2 ± 1.5 µg/mL) and had no toxic effects on human dermal fibroblast cells. These results suggested that shrimp astaxanthin would be a promising dietary supplement for skin health applications.