Dados do Trabalho

Título

TRI-LAYER NANOSTRUCTURED LYCOPENE DELIVERY SYSTEM BASED ON CHITOSAN NANOSPHERES AND GELATIN NANOFIBERS

Introdução

Lycopene is a natural pigment found in tomatoes and other red fruits, which has antioxidant properties and potential health benefits in preventing chronic diseases. However, lycopene is susceptible to oxidation. For this reason, novel nanocarriers for lycopene delivery have attracted attention due to their enhanced protection and bioaccessibility. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop a carrier for lycopene delivery, which involves gelatin nanofibers with lycopene encapsulated in the inner layer and chitosan nanospheres in both outer layers.

Material e Métodos

The physicochemical properties of gelatin nanofibers and nanostructured chitosan thin films, as well as their interactions in lycopene-loaded nanostructured tri-layer, were investigated. Moreover, the bioaccessibility and kinetic release of lycopene within in vitro digestion were evaluated.

Resultados e Discussão

The lycopene-gelatin emulsion has shown droplet size at nanoscale range (412±3 nm) and low PDI value (<0.30). The lycopene-loaded electrospun nanofibers have shown a medium diameter of 139±29 nm, while the chitosan thin films were composed by nanospheres with a medium diameter of 562±248 nm. The addition of lycopene did not compromise the structural stability of the nanocarrier and even increased the crystallinity of the lycopene-loaded electrospun nanofibers. Moreover, the development of lycopene-loaded nanostructured tri-layer resulted in enhanced interactions among the functional groups of chitosan, gelatin and lycopene, leading to a material with higher molecular ordering and improved structural stability. The lycopene-loaded nanostructured tri-layer, free lycopene and lycopene-loaded electrospun nanofibers exhibited bioaccessibility values of 28.5±2.4%; 1.4±0.2% and 4.4±0.5%, respectively. The lycopene-loaded nanostructured tri-layer showed significant increase (p<0.05) in bioaccessibility. Therefore, the nanostructured chitosan thin films on the outer layers played an important role in protecting lycopene during in vitro digestion. Regarding the lycopene release profile, Peppas–Sahlin was the controlling mechanism for lycopene release during the in vitro gastric fluid simulation. The diffusion coefficient from Fick diffusion model during the initial release moments (0–20 min) was 3.53×10–9 m2 s-1, while the Peppas–Sahlin and zero–order models were the controlling mechanism for lycopene release during the in vitro intestinal fluid simulation.

Conclusão

Overall, this study provided in-depth information about a novel nanocarrier for lycopene delivery with improved protection during digestion.