Rapamycin-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier modified with folic acid intended for breast cancer therapy.

Breast cancer stands as the most common form of malignancy among women globally, and it showcases commendable rates of cure when detected in early-stage and non-metastatic conditions. To overcome drug resistance and side effects observed in conventional chemotherapy, the present study aims to deliver rapamycin (RAP), a mTOR protein inhibitor, into a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) functionalized with folic acid for promoting active targeting to breast cancer cells. In the first step, the synthesis of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine-N-[amino(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (ammonium salt) with folic acid (DSPE-PEG-FA) was successfully performed and characterized by UV spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and infrared spectroscopy.

Zein-based nanospheres and nanocapsules for the encapsulation and oral delivery of quercetin.

In this study, the ability of zein nanospheres (NS) and zein nanocapsules containing wheat germ oil (NC) to enhance the bioavailability and efficacy of quercetin was evaluated. Both types of nanocarriers had similar physico-chemical properties, including size (between 230 and 250 nm), spherical shape, negative zeta potential, and surface hydrophobicity. However, NS displayed a higher ability than NC to interact with the intestinal epithelium, as evidenced by an oral biodistribution study in rats.

Encapsulated Phytomedicines against Cancer: Overcoming the "Valley of Death".

P2Et is the standardized extract of , which has shown the ability to reduce primary tumors and metastasis in animal models of cancer, by mechanisms involving the increase in intracellular Ca++, reticulum stress, induction of autophagy, and subsequent activation of the immune system. Although P2Et has been shown to be safe in healthy individuals, the biological activity and bioavailability can be increased by improving the dosage form. This study investigates the potential of a casein nanoparticle for oral administration of P2Et and its impact on treatment efficacy in a mouse model of breast cancer with orthotopically transplanted 4T1 cells.

Zein-Based Nanoparticles as Oral Carriers for Insulin Delivery.

Zein, the major storage protein from corn, has a GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) status and may be easily transformed into nanoparticles, offering significant payloads for protein materials without affecting their stability. In this work, the capability of bare zein nanoparticles (mucoadhesive) and nanoparticles coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (mucus-permeating) was evaluated as oral carriers of insulin (I-NP and I-NP-PEG, respectively). Both nanocarriers displayed sizes of around 270 nm, insulin payloads close to 80 µg/mg and did not induce cytotoxic effects in Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cell lines.

Conformational Behavior, Topographical Features, and Antioxidant Activity of Partly De-Esterified Arabinoxylans.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of arabinoxylans (AX) partial de-esterification with feruloyl esterase on the polysaccharide conformational behavior, topographical features, and antioxidant activity. After enzyme treatment, the ferulic acid (FA) content in AX was reduced from 7.30 to 5.

Maize arabinoxylan gels as protein delivery matrices.

The laccase induced gelation of maize bran arabinoxylans at 2.5% (w/v) in the presence of insulin or beta-lactoglobulin at 0.1% (w/v) was investigated.