Fabrication and assessment of milk phospholipid-complexed antioxidant phytosomes with vitamin C and E: A comparison with liposomes

Phytosomes as a New Frontier and Emerging Nanotechnology Platform for Phytopharmaceuticals: Therapeutic and Clinical Applications

A complete investigation into phytosome-based formulations and innovative nanotechnology is presented in this review. This investigation aims to improve the bioavailability and therapeutic effectiveness of herbal components. Phytosomes can significantly increase solubility, absorption, and stability compared to standard herbal formulations by encapsulating active phytoconstituents into phospholipid complexes. This unique ability of phytosomes to overcome the limits of traditional herbal formulations is a potential game changer in medicine. This study highlights the different uses of phytosomes across various health disorders, such as neurodegenerative illnesses, inflammatory conditions, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and wound healing. The review also discusses the potential of phytosomes in treating infectious diseases by improving the delivery of bioactive compounds that have improved anticancer efficacy and antibacterial properties. Despite the emergence of numerous groundbreaking discoveries, substantial barriers remain that hinder their widespread application. Challenges that must be addressed include stability, large-scale manufacture, regulatory hurdles, and limited clinical translation. This review also examines the limitations present in clinical practice, mainly focusing on the variability in bioavailability. The review highlights the crucial need for future research in phytosomes, engaging the researchers and emphasizing the continuous evolution of this promising area of medicine.

Ultrasound-assisted preparation of wax-based composite gelator: Structural characterisation, in vitro antioxidant activity and application in oleogels

In recent years, the development of zero-trans fatty acid products instead of traditional hydrogenated and high-unsaturated fatty acid animal and vegetable oils has been an increasing interest in the field of food. This paper focused on the ultrasound-assisted preparation of a novel wax-based composite gelator loaded with natural antioxidant to prepare oleogels with good storage oxidation stability. The preparation of the wax-based composite gelator was to first form the anthocyanin (ACNs) and soyabean lecithin (SL) complex, and then homogenized with beeswax (BW). A complex maximum association efficiency of 86.43 % was achieved when the combination was performed for 50 min at 40 °C and 270 W ultrasonic power, and exhibited higher lipophilicity. Moreover, structural analysis results revealed that ultrasonic-assisted treatment accelerated the formation of ACNs and SL ultrasonic complexes (ASUC) by the hydrogen bonding. The results of gelators indicated the ASUC-BW composite gelator showed the highest ACNs embedding rate of 72.91 % and better antioxidant activity. XRD analysis and thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that ASUC-BW composite gelator maintained β' crystal structure and had higher thermal stability due to physical interactions between ASUC and beeswax. Accelerated storage tests at 60 °C revealed that oleogels prepared by ASUC-BW composite gelator (ALO) had significantly lower peroxide values (PV) (14.0 mmol/kg) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) (1.8 mg/kg). Overall, this paper demonstrates ultrasonic-assisted treatment is an effective way to improve dispersion and availability of ANCs in food rich in oil and can be further applied to developing novel high stability fatty food systems.

Nanocochleates as novel delivery vehicles for enhancement of water solubility, stability and controlled release of dihydromyricetin in gastrointestinal tract

Dihydromyricetin (DHM) possesses impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its effectiveness is limited by poor bioavailability. Liposomes improve the solubility and stability of insoluble bioactives but encounter challenges in gastrointestinal fluids after oral administration. Consequently, DHM-loaded nanocochleates were fabricated to enhance the solubility, stability, and release behavior of DHM. The nanoliposomes exhibited an entrapment efficiency (EE) ranging from 85.64 % to 88.79 %, a particle size between 136.20 and 150.70 nm, a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.36 to 0.43, and a zeta potential of -6.82 to -11.13 mV. In contrast, the cylindrical-shaped nanocochleates demonstrated an EE ranging from 74.94 % to 84.64 %, a particle size between 239.07 and 571.43 nm, a PDI from 0.16 to 0.61, and a zeta potential ranging from -21.97 to -27.10 mV. The nanocochleates exhibited improved water solubility (64.75 %) and retained antioxidant activity (41.38 %) compared to free DHM. Additionally, they demonstrated enhanced stability of DHM compared to nanoliposomes during 30 days of storage. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry confirmed that DHM was encapsulated within nanocochleate structures via ionic and chemical interactions. X-ray diffraction revealed a distinct organization of the nanocochleates in comparison to the nanoliposomes. The release of DHM from nanocochleates demonstrated a prolonged and controlled release in simulated gastrointestinal medium, unlike the burst release observed with nanoliposomes. This study hightlighted the potential of nanocochleates as novel delivery vehicles for enhancing the stability and bioavailability of DHM. It also offered a unique perspective on developing functional food formulations that utilize nanocochleates as promising nanocarriers for bioactives.

Layer-by-layer self-assembled liposomes fabricated using sodium alginate and chitosan: Investigation of co-encapsulation of folic acid and vitamin E

In this study, we constructed layer-by-layer self-assembled liposomes were prepared using sodium alginate (SA) and chitosan (CS) to co-encapsulate folic acid (FA) and vitamin E (VE). We investigated the morphology structure, stability mechanism and digestive behavior of the liposomes with varying addition mass ratios of FA and VE (3:7, 4:6, 1:1, 6:4, and 7:3). The results showed that the particle size of FA and VE co-encapsulated liposomes (L-FA-VE) increased from 424.54 to 464.27 nm. Compared to liposomes without encapsulated FA and VE (L), L-FA-VE were uniformly distributed and with a clear fingerprint structure. Among the L-FA-VE with different addition mass ratios, L-FA-VE 3:7 exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 79.54 % and 81.57 % for FA and VE, respectively. Layer-by-layer self-assembled liposomes effectively retarded the degradation of FA and VE under strong acid, alkali, high salt environments and ultraviolet radiation. Additionally, L-FA-VE enhanced the extent of FA and VE release in the simulated gastrointestinal environment (FA: 69.26 %; VE: 83.98 %). These findings are valuable for developing of multi-component nutrient delivery systems using layer-by-layer self-assembled liposomes.

Liposomes decorated with β-conglycinin and glycinin: Construction, structure and in vitro digestive stability

Liposomes were modified with different proportions of β-conglycinin (7S) and glycinin (11S) to form Lip-7S and Lip-11S. The morphology, interaction and in vitro simulated digestion of liposomes were studied. The particle size of Lip-7S was smaller than that of Lip-11S. When the values of Lip-7S and Lip-11S were 1:1 and 1:0.75, respectively, the ζ-potential had the maximum absolute value and the dispersion of the system was good. The results of multispectral analysis showed that hydrogen-bond and hydrophobic interaction dominated protein-modified liposomes, the protein structure adsorbed on the surface of liposomes changed, the content of α-helix decreased, and the structure of protein-modified liposomes became denser. The surface hydrophobicity and micropolarity of liposomes decreased with the increase of protein ratio, and tended to be stable after Lip-7S (1:1) and Lip-11S (1:0.75). Differential scanning calorimetry showed that Lip-7S had higher phase transition temperature (≥170.5 °C) and better rigid structure. During simulated digestion, Lip-7S (22.5 %) released less Morin than Lip (40.6 %) and Lip-11S (26.2 %), and effectively delayed the release of FFAs. The environmental stability of liposomes was effectively improved by protein modification, and 7S had better modification effect than 11S. This provides a theoretical basis for 7S and 11S modified liposomes, and also provides a data reference for searching for new materials for stabilization of liposomes.

Hydrolysis and Transport Characteristics of Phospholipid Complex of Alkyl Gallates: Potential Sustained Release of Alkyl Gallate and Gallic Acid

Phospholipid complexes of alkyl gallates (A-GAs) including ethyl gallate (EG), propyl gallate (PG), and butyl gallate (BG) were successfully prepared by the thin film dispersion method. HPLC-UV analysis in an everted rat gut sac model indicated that A-GAs can be liberated from phospholipid complexes, which were further hydrolyzed by intestinal lipase to generate free gallic acid (GA). Both A-GAs and GA are able to cross the membrane, and the hydrolysis rate of A-GAs and the transport rate of GA are positively correlated with the alkyl chain length. Especially, compared with the corresponding physical mixtures, the phospholipid complexes exhibit slower sustained-release of A-GAs and GA. Therefore, the formation of phospholipid complexes is an effective approach to prolong the residence time in vivo and additionally enhance the bioactivities of A-GAs and GA. More importantly, through regulating the carbon skeleton lengths, controlled-release of alkyl gallates and gallic acid from phospholipid complexes will be achieved.

Ameliorative effects of vitamins-loaded flavoured nanophytosomes fortified with star anise volatile oil against CsA-Induced liver and kidney injury in rats: Application in functional ice cream

This study investigated the effect of flavoured nanophytosomes loaded with vitamins A, E, D, B complex, folic acid, and C, as well as zinc on the immunosuppressive cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced liver and kidney injury in male rats. The vitamins flavoured nanophytosomes (VFnPs) were characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency. Ice cream was flavoured with star anise volatile oil to mask the VFnPs' flavour and unacceptable taste. The study found that treatment with CsA alone resulted in increased (P > 0.05) levels of creatinine, urea, and MDA, as well as the activities of AST and ALT, while the levels of SOD, CAT, GST, proteins, CD4, INF-ᵧ, IL-6, IL-1β, and TLR4 decreased (P > 0.05). However, the group that received CsA simultaneously with VFnPs showed a significant (P > 0.05) decrease in the levels of creatinine, urea, and MDA, as well as the activities of AST and ALT, and increased (P > 0.05) levels of SOD, CAT, GST, proteins, CD4, INF-ᵧ, IL-6, IL-1β, and TLR4. The increase in the ratio of VFnPs had little effect on the physiochemical and sensory evaluation of the ice cream. Finally, the study suggests that VFnPs could potentially protect against CsA-induced liver and kidney injury and serve as a promising natural therapy for treating such conditions.

Proteosomes based on milk phospholipids and proteins to enhance the stability and bioaccessibility of β-carotene

Proteosomes (P) based on milk fat globule membrane's phospholipids (MPs), whey protein isolate (WPI) and sodium caseinate (CasNa) were developed by ultrasonication to encapsulate β-carotene. Entirely milk-ingredients based proteosomes (WPI-MPs-P and CasNa-MPs-P) revealed homogenous distribution with size diameters < 250 nm. WPI-MPs-P depicted positive ζ-potential values (+15.7 ± 0.5 mV), while CasNa-MPs-P demonstrated negative (-32.5 ± 3.4 mV) values of surface charge, respectively and hydrophilic nature of proteosomes was observed by measuring contact-angle (θ). AFM and SEM exhibited spherical to oval and slightly irregular morphology of nanocarriers. For various concentrations of β-carotene, the highest encapsulation efficiency of β-carotene was 90 ± 0.2% and 92 ± 0.8% in WPI-MPs-P and CasNa-MPs-P respectively. FTIR analyses confirmed the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions-based encapsulation of β-carotene. Beneficial antioxidant-potential of β-carotene was retained after its encapsulation in the proteosomes. Proteosomes increased the digestive-stability (>50%) and bioaccessibility (>85%) of β-carotene. Thus, milk-ingredients based proteosomes offer a novel-strategy to develop functional dairy products to overcome widespread vitamin-A-deficiency.

Current Applications of Liposomes for the Delivery of Vitamins: A Systematic Review

Liposomes have been used for several decades for the encapsulation of drugs and bioactives in cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. On the other hand, the use of these phospholipid vesicles in food applications is more recent and is increasing significantly in the last ten years. Although in different stages of technological maturity-in the case of cosmetics, many products are on the market-processes to obtain liposomes suitable for the encapsulation and delivery of bioactives are highly expensive, especially those aiming at scaling up. Among the bioactives proposed for cosmetics and food applications, vitamins are the most frequently used. Despite the differences between the administration routes (oral for food and mainly dermal for cosmetics), some challenges are very similar (e.g., stability, bioactive load, average size, increase in drug bioaccessibility and bioavailability). In the present work, a systematic review of the technological advancements in the nanoencapsulation of vitamins using liposomes and related processes was performed; challenges and future perspectives were also discussed in order to underline the advantages of these drug-loaded biocompatible nanocarriers for cosmetics and food applications.

Biopolymer- and Lipid-Based Carriers for the Delivery of Plant-Based Ingredients

Natural ingredients are gaining increasing attention from manufacturers following consumers’ concerns about the excessive use of synthetic ingredients. However, the use of natural extracts or molecules to achieve desirable qualities throughout the shelf life of foodstuff and, upon consumption, in the relevant biological environment is severely limited by their poor performance, especially with respect to solubility, stability against environmental conditions during product manufacturing, storage, and bioavailability upon consumption. Nanoencapsulation can be seen as an attractive approach with which to overcome these challenges. Among the different nanoencapsulation systems, lipids and biopolymer-based nanocarriers have emerged as the most effective ones because of their intrinsic low toxicity following their formulation with biocompatible and biodegradable materials. The present review aims to provide a survey of the recent advances in nanoscale carriers, formulated with biopolymers or lipids, for the encapsulation of natural compounds and plant extracts.

Liposomes for encapsulation of liposoluble vitamins (A, D, E and K): Comparation of loading ability, storage stability and bilayer dynamics

To understand the encapsulation difference and stability mechanism of nanoliposomes (NLPs) loaded with different kinds and loads of liposoluble vitamins (LSV, including VA, VD, VE, and VK), the physicochemical stability during three-months storage and bilayer membrane properties of LSV-NLPs were evaluated. The results suggested that VD and VE were not suitable for high-load (≥30 wt%) encapsulation, but the stability of other LSV-NLPs was excellent during storage. Their particle size was less than 100 nm, the polydispersity index was less than 0.3, and the retention rate of VE and VK remained above 85 %. LSV encapsulation inhibited malondialdehyde production, decreased liposome surface roughness, and improved nanoliposome rigidity. The order of occupying capacity of LSV to the hydrophobic zone of the bilayer was VK＞VD＞VE＞VA, and the stability of LSV located in the hydrophobic region was better. Except for high-load VD and VE, the other LSV encapsulation increased the microviscosity of the lipid-water interface and hydrophobic zone by 0.5 ∼ 7.1 times and 0.5 ∼ 20 times, respectively. The accumulation of acyl chain was enhanced by 0.2 ∼ 4 times, and the interchain longitudinal and intra-chain transverse order degree was increased by 10.89 %∼144.35 % and 3.26 %∼115.52 %, respectively. High microviscosity and tight chain stacking limited bilayer fluidity and thus improve LSV-NLPs stability. This work will contribute to the application of nanoliposomes as liposoluble vitamin carriers in the food industry.

Natural carriers: Recent advances in their use to improve the stability and bioaccessibility of food active compounds

In the last decades, the incorporation of bioactive compounds in food supplements aroused the attention of scientists. However, these ingredients often exhibit both low solubility and stability and their poor bioaccessibility within the gastrointestinal tract limits their effectiveness. To overcome these drawbacks, many carriers have been investigated for encapsulating nutraceuticals and enhancing their bioavailability. It is note that several different vegetable wall materials have been applied to build delivery systems. Considering their encapsulation mechanism, lipid and protein-based carriers display specific interaction patterns with bioactives, whereas polysaccharidic-based carriers can entrap them by creating porous highly stable networks. To maximize the encapsulation efficiency, mixed systems are very promising. Following the current goal of using natural and sustainable ingredients, only a limited number of studies about the isolation of new ingredients from agro-food waste are available. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the state of art in the development of innovative natural lipid-, protein- and polysaccharide-based plant carriers is presented, focusing on their application as food active compounds. Different aspects to be considered in the design of delivery systems are discussed, including the carrier structure and chemical features, the interaction between the encapsulating and the core material, and the parameters affecting bioactives entrapment.

Nano-vesicular carriers for bioactive compounds and their applications in food formulations

The most commonly used vesicular systems in the food industry include liposomes, niosomes, phytosomes, or transfersomes. This review focuses on showing how nano-vesicular carriers (NVCs) amend the properties of bioactive compounds (bioactives), making them suitable for food applications, especially functional foods. In this research, we elaborate on the question of whether bioactive-loaded NVCs affect various food aspects such as their antioxidant capacity, or sensory properties. This review also shows how NVCs improve the long-term release profile of bioactives during storage and at different pH values. Besides, the refinement of digestibility and bioaccessibility of diverse bioactives through NVCs in the gastrointestinal tract is elucidated. NVCs allow for stable vesicle formation (e.g. from anthocyanins) which reduces their cytotoxicity and proliferation of cancer cells, prolongs the release bioactives (e.g. d-limonene) with no critical burst, reduces the biofilm formation capacity of both Gram-positive/negative strains and their biofilm gene expression is down-regulated (in the case of tannic acid), low oxidation (e.g. iron) is endured when exposed to simulated gastric fluid, and unpleasant smell and taste are masked (in case of omega-3 fatty acids). After the incorporation of bioactive-loaded NVCs into food products, their antioxidant capacity is enhanced, maintaining high encapsulation efficiency and enduring pasteurization conditions, and they are not distinguished from control samples in sensory evaluation despite the reverse situation about free bioactives.

Micron and nano hybrid ufasomes from conjugated linoleic acid, their vesiculation and encapsulation of ginsenoside Rg3

BACKGROUND

Unsaturated fatty acids used to form unstable micro-vesicles, while conjugate linoleic acid (CLA)-sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) can self-assembly to stable nano-conjugate linoleic acid vesicles (nano-CLAVs). Generally, micro-capsule could geometrically provide higher loading capacity but also generate concerns in construction convenience, sustained release, bioaccessibility and stability. Hence there is a contradiction between loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency. Therefore, the study of the factors that decide the capsule size falling in nano or micron size with same capsule material would be a benefit to food or drug delivery science.

RESULTS

The micron- and nano-CLAVs were constructed for encapsulation and sustained release of ginsenoside Rg3. The formation mechanism of nano or micron capsule,s the effect of vesicle sizes on encapsulation efficiency, drug loading efficiency and stability of the encapsulated Rg3 were investigated. It was found that with the addition of salt (PBS), the size of CLAVs jumped from nano to micron. Furthermore, the salt concentration is the key factor that decides the vesicle size of nano or micron. The pH at fabrication triggers the vesiculation and dramatically affects the vesicle size over the nano and micron scales.

CONCLUSION

Compared to the nano-CLAVs, micron vesicles enhanced the loading capacity to 137.6% and the encapsulation efficiency to 138.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, the micron-CLAVs performed similar sustained release of Rg3 as the nano-CLAVs did, and was stable for 120 days at room temperature or sustained 98.9% of capsules after centrifuge at 6090 × g for 20 min. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Tailoring the multi-functional properties of phospholipids for simple to complex self-assemblies

The unique interfacial properties, huge diversity, and biocompatible nature of phospholipids make them an attractive pharmaceutical excipient. The amphiphilic nature of these molecules offers them the property to self-assemble into distinct structures. The solubility, chemical and structural properties, surface charge, and critical packing parameters of phospholipids play an essential role during formulation design. This review focuses on the relationship between the structural features of a phospholipid molecule and the formation of different lipid-based nanocarrier drug delivery systems. This provides a rationale and guideline for the selection of appropriate phospholipids while designing a drug delivery system. Finally, we refer to relevant recent case studies covering different types of phospholipid-based systems including simple to complex assemblies. Different carriers in the size range of 50 nm to a few microns can be prepared using phospholipids. The carriers can be delivered through oral, intravenous, nasal, dermal, transmucosal, and subcutaneous routes. A wide range of applicability can be achieved by incorporating various hydrophilic and lipophilic additives in the phospholipid bilayer. Advanced research has led to the discovery of phospholipid complexes and cell membrane mimicking lipids. Overall, phospholipids remain a versatile pharmaceutical excipient for drug delivery. They play multiple roles as solubilizer, emulsifier, surfactant, permeation enhancer, coating agent, release modifier, and liposome former.

Formulation of Nano/Micro-Carriers Loaded with an Enriched Extract of Coffee Silverskin: Physicochemical Properties, In Vitro Release Mechanism and In Silico Molecular Modeling

Designing strategies for an effective transformation of food waste into high-value products is a priority to address environmental sustainability concerns. Coffee silverskin is the major by-product of the coffee roasting industry, being rich in compounds with health benefits. Such composition gives it the potential to be transformed into high-value products. In this study, coffee silverskin extracts were enriched, regarding caffeine and chlorogenic acid contents, by adsorbent column chromatography. The compounds content increased 3.08- and 2.75-fold, respectively, compared to the original extract. The enriched fractions were loaded into nano-phytosomes or cholesterol-incorporated nano-phytosomes (first coating layers) to improve the physiochemical properties and permeation rate. These nano-lipid carriers were also subjected to a secondary coating with different natural polymers to improve protection and stability against degradation. In parallel, and for comparison, different natural polymers were also used as first coating layers. The produced particles were evaluated regarding product yield, encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, particle size, surface charge, and in vitro release simulating gastrointestinal conditions. All samples exhibited anionic surface charge. FTIR and molecular docking confirmed interactions between the phytoconstituents and lipid bilayers. The best docking score was observed for 5-caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid) exhibiting a stronger hydrogen binding to the lipid bilayer. Among several kinetic models tested, the particle release mechanism fitted well with the First-order, Korsmeyer-Peppas, and Higuchi models. Moreover, most of the formulated particles followed the diffusion-Fick law and anomalous transport.

Lipid-Based Nanovesicular Drug Delivery Systems

In designing a new drug, considering the preferred route of administration, various requirements must be fulfilled. Active molecules pharmacokinetics should be reliable with a valuable drug profile as well as well-tolerated. Over the past 20 years, nanotechnologies have provided alternative and complementary solutions to those of an exclusively pharmaceutical chemical nature since scientists and clinicians invested in the optimization of materials and methods capable of regulating effective drug delivery at the nanometer scale. Among the many drug delivery carriers, lipid nano vesicular ones successfully support clinical candidates approaching such problems as insolubility, biodegradation, and difficulty in overcoming the skin and biological barriers such as the blood-brain one. In this review, the authors discussed the structure, the biochemical composition, and the drug delivery applications of lipid nanovesicular carriers, namely, niosomes, proniosomes, ethosomes, transferosomes, pharmacosomes, ufasomes, phytosomes, catanionic vesicles, and extracellular vesicles.

Phytosomes as Innovative Delivery Systems for Phytochemicals: A Comprehensive Review of Literature

Nowadays, medicinal herbs and their phytochemicals have emerged as a great therapeutic option for many disorders. However, poor bioavailability and selectivity might limit their clinical application. Therefore, bioavailability is considered a notable challenge to improve bio-efficacy in transporting dietary phytochemicals. Different methods have been proposed for generating effective carrier systems to enhance the bioavailability of phytochemicals. Among them, nano-vesicles have been introduced as promising candidates for the delivery of insoluble phytochemicals. Due to the easy preparation of the bilayer vesicles and their adaptability, they have been widely used and approved by the scientific literature. The first part of the review is focused on introducing phytosome technology as well as its applications, with emphasis on principles of formulations and characterization. The second part provides a wide overview of biological activities of commercial and non-commercial phytosomes, divided by systems and related pathologies. These results confirm the greater effectiveness of phytosomes, both in terms of biological activity or reduced dosage, highlighting curcumin and silymarin as the most formulated compounds. Finally, we describe the promising clinical and experimental findings regarding the applications of phytosomes. The conclusion of this study encourages the researchers to transfer their knowledge from laboratories to market, for a further development of these products.

Colloidal and vesicular delivery system for herbal bioactive constituents

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the present review is to explore and examine the effectiveness of currently developed novel techniques to resolve the issues which are associated with the herbal constituents/extract.

METHODS

A systematic thorough search and collection of reviewed information from Science direct, PubMed and Google Scholar databases based on various sets of key phrases have been performed. All the findings from these data have been studied and briefed based on their relevant and irrelevant information.

RESULT

Herbal drugs are gaining more popularity in the modern world due to their applications in curing various ailments with minimum toxic effects, side effect or adverse effect. However, various challenges exist with herbal extracts/plant actives such as poor solubility (water/lipid), poor permeation, lack of targeting specificity, instability in highly acidic pH, and liver metabolism, etc. Nowadays with the expansion in the technology, novel drug delivery system provides avenues and newer opportunity towards the delivery of herbal drugs with improved physical chemical properties, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic. Developing nano-strategies like Polymeric nanoparticles, Liposomes, Niosomes, Microspheres, Phytosomes, Nanoemulsion and Self Nano Emulsifying Drug Delivery System, etc. imparts benefits for delivery of phyto formulation and herbal bioactives. Nano formulation of phytoconstituents/ herbal extract could lead to enhancement of aqueous solubility, dissolution, bioavailability, stability, reduce toxicity, permeation, sustained delivery, protection from enzymatic degradation, etc. CONCLUSION: Based on the above findings, the conclusion can be drawn that the nano sized novel drug delivery systems of herbal and herbal bioactives have a potential future for upgrading the pharmacological action and defeating or overcoming the issues related with these constituents. The aims of the present review was to summarize and critically analyze the recent development of nano sized strategies for promising phytochemicals delivery systems along with their therapeutic applications supported by experimental evidence and discussing the opportunities for further aspects.

Advancements in liposome technology: Preparation techniques and applications in food, functional foods, and bioactive delivery: A review

Liposomes play a significant role in encapsulation of various bioactive compounds (BACs), including functional food ingredients to improve the stability of core. This technology can be used for promoting an effective application in functional food and nutraceuticals. Incorporation of traditional and emerging methods for the developments of liposome for loading BACs resulted in viable and stable liposome formulations for industrial applications. Thus, the advance technologies such as supercritical fluidic methods, microfluidization, ultrasonication with traditional methods are revisited. Liposomes loaded with plant and animal BACs have been introduced for functional food and nutraceutical applications. In general, application of liposome systems improves stability, delivery, and bioavailability of BACs in functional food systems and nutraceuticals. This review covers the current techniques and methodologies developed and practiced in liposomal preparation and application in functional foods.

Fiber-Reinforced-Phospholipid Vehicle-Based Delivery of l-Ascorbic Acid: Development, Characterization, ADMET Profiling, and Efficacy by a Randomized, Single-Dose, Crossover Oral Bioavailability Study

l-ascorbic acid (AA) or vitamin C is a crucial nutrient needed for optimal health. However, being unable to be synthesized by the body, it is thus necessary to be included in health care products. Moreover, AA is one of the antioxidants that occur naturally, which is used in pharmaceutical and food products as an antioxidant additive. However, AA is vulnerable to environmental settings and undergoes oxidative degradation to dehydroascorbic acid and further to inactive products. Therefore, new research strategies and approaches are required to augment its stability. The objective of this study is to develop and characterize a fiber-reinforced-phospholipid (FRP) matrix-based vehicle, Zeal-AA, for the delivery of AA and optimize the oral bioavailability of the obtained AA powder using an efficacy study by open-label, randomized, single-dose, two-treatment, two-sequence, two-period, two-way crossover. The structural and surface morphologies were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry studies. Encapsulation efficiency, mean particle size, size distribution, ζ-potential measurements, and ADMET profiling revealed the potential delivery system for AA. AUC0-t was found to be 55.23 (mg/dL) for Zeal-AA, whereas it was 9.38 (mg/dL) for AA, and C max was found to be 6.69 (mg/dL) for Zeal-AA, whereas it was 1.23 (mg/dL) for AA, with a fold difference of bioavailability in terms of AUC found to be 5.9 fold. The results show that a single oral dose of Zeal-AA is capable of rising the AA levels in the body relative to the control up to 24 h.

Potential of Nanonutraceuticals in Increasing Immunity

Nutraceuticals are defined as foods or their extracts that have a demonstrably positive effect on human health. According to the decision of the European Food Safety Authority, this positive effect, the so-called health claim, must be clearly demonstrated best by performed tests. Nutraceuticals include dietary supplements and functional foods. These special foods thus affect human health and can positively affect the immune system and strengthen it even in these turbulent times, when the human population is exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these special foods are supplemented with nanoparticles of active substances or processed into nanoformulations. The benefits of nanoparticles in this case include enhanced bioavailability, controlled release, and increased stability. Lipid-based delivery systems and the encapsulation of nutraceuticals are mainly used for the enrichment of food products with these health-promoting compounds. This contribution summarizes the current state of the research and development of effective nanonutraceuticals influencing the body's immune responses, such as vitamins (C, D, E, B12, folic acid), minerals (Zn, Fe, Se), antioxidants (carotenoids, coenzyme Q10, polyphenols, curcumin), omega-3 fatty acids, and probiotics.

Self-assembled lipids for food applications: A review

Lipids play an important role in human nutrition. Several foodstuffs can be manufactured from the simple, compound and derived lipids. In particular, the use of self-assembled lipids (SLs, e.g. self-assembled L-α-lecithin) has brought great attention for the development of tailored, tuned and targeted colloidal structures loading degradation-sensitive substances with valuable antimicrobial, antioxidant and nutraceutical properties for food applications. For example, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and essential oils can be protected from degradation, thus improving their bioavailability in general terms in consumers. From a nanotechnological point of view, SLs allow the development of advanced and multifaceted architectures, in which each molecule of them are used as building blocks to obtain designed and ordered structures. It is important to note before beginning this review, that simple and compound lipids are the main SLs, while essential fatty acids and derived lipids in general have been considered by many research groups as the bulk loaded substances within several structures from self-assembled carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. However, this review paper is addressed on the analysis of the lipid-lipid self-assembly. Lipids can be self-assembled into various structures (micelles, vesicular systems, lyotropic liquid crystals, oleogels and films) to be used in different food applications: coatings, controlled and sustained release materials, emulsions, functional foods, etc. SLs can be obtained via non-covalent chemical interactions, primarily by hydrogen, hydrophilic and ionic bonding, which are influenced by the conditions of ionic strength, pH, temperature, among others. This manuscript aims to give an analysis of the specific state-of-the-art of SLs for food applications, based primarily on the literature reported in the past five years.

Lipid vesicles: A versatile drug delivery platform for dermal and transdermal applications

Topical and transdermal application of active pharmaceutical ingredients to the skin is an attractive strategy being explored by formulation scientists to treat disease conditions rather than the oral drug delivery. Several approaches have been attempted, and many of them have emerged with significant clinical potential. However, the delivery of drugs across the skin is an arduous task due to permeation limiting barriers. It, therefore, requires the aid of external agents or carrier systems for efficient permeation. Lipid-based vesicular systems are carriers for the transport of drugs through the stratum corneum (dermal drug delivery) and into the bloodstream for systemic action (transdermal drug delivery) overcoming the barrier properties. This review article describes the various vesicular systems reported for skin delivery of actives with relevant case studies. The vesicular systems presented here are in the order of their advent from conventional systems to the advanced lipid vesicles. The design and development of drugs in vesicular systems have brought a new dimension to the treatment of disease conditions overcoming the permeation limiting barriers, thus improving its efficacy.