Biopolymer-based nanoparticles, specifically sodium caseinate (NaCas), have drawn great attention in the field of nanocarrier delivery fabrication due to its amphiphilicity and high affinity for hydrophobic cargos. Protein-polysaccharide complex nanoparticles can be readily assembled via electrostatic interactions between negatively-charged proteins and chitosan (CS), a positively-charged polysaccharide. In this study, we aim to develop novel biopolymer-based nanoparticles as an oral delivery system using stearic acid-chitosan conjugate (SA-CS) as a coating material for the NaCas core to increase water solubility, while also chemically cross-linking with non-toxic oxidized dextran (Odex) to increase gastrointestinal (GI) stability which is the major challenge of oral delivery systems. Effects of heating temperature and time and mass ratio of SACS to Odex on particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), GI-stability in SGF and SIF were comprehensively investigated and optimized. Three-dimensional response surface plots were used to acquire the optimized formulation with a mass ratio of SA-CS to Odex of 1:1.95, heating temperature of 76 °C, and heating time of 43 min. Fourier Transform Infrared showed that the nanoparticles were successfully crosslinked by Odex. The optimized nanoparticles were then used to encapsulate astaxanthin (ASTX), a lipophilic bioactive compound. The ASTX-loaded nanoparticles with 3% loading efficiency and 70.2% encapsulation efficiency (72.1 μM ASTX) were prepared. Nano-encapsulated ASTX showed significantly greater free-radical scavenging activity than free ASTX according to ABTS Radical Scavenging. Cell studies were conducted to test the anti-fibrosis activity of ASTX in human hepatic stellate cells (LX-2). Western Blot showed that nano-encapsulated ASTX was more effective at silencing the TGFβ-1 gene than free ASTX. Empty and ASTX-loaded nanoparticles showed no toxicity to LX-2 cells. Therefore, the SA-CS/NaCas/Odex nanoparticles developed in this study are a promising oral delivery system for lipophilic compounds.

Preparation, characterization and evaluation of biopolymer complex nanoparticles for delivery of astaxanthin

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.