A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Improved uptake of anthocyanins-loaded nanoparticles based on phenolic acid-grafted zein and lecithin
Authors: Li, Zhiying; Tian, Jinlong; Tian, Qilin; Zang, Zhihuan; Wang, Yumeng; Jiang, Qiao; Chen, Yi; Yang, Baoru; Yang, Shufang; Yang, Yiyun; Li, Bin
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Food Chemistry
Journal name in source: Food Chemistry
Journal acronym: Food Chem
Article number: 142235
Volume: 466
ISSN: 0308-8146
eISSN: 1873-7072
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142235
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142235
Anthocyanins (ACNs) exhibit various physiological activities but have low bioavailability. This study aimed to improve cellular uptake and permeability of ACNs by utilizing phenolic acids grafted zein and lecithin (ZLAs) as the carrier. With the highest grafting rate achieved in rosmarinic acid (RA)-zein at 39.79 ± 0.40 % using alkali treatment, the grafted zein samples were characterized through spectroscopy, NMR, and analysis of physicochemical properties. Ferulic acid (FA)-ZLAs exhibited the smallest particle size (69.72 ± 0.50 nm) and PDI value of 0.206 ± 0.012. Multi-spectroscopy indicated hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces were the major forces to stabilize ACNs. Moreover, carrier binding including electrostatic interaction effectively enhanced processing, thermal degradation, color, and gastrointestinal stability. In Caco-2 monolayers, FA-ZLAs significantly improved cellular transport efficiency, resulting in up to a 1.9-fold enhancement. RA-ZLAs exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity. This work proposes a feasible strategy for stabilizing ACNs and propelling their use in dietary supplements.
Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A20273 and 32202074), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD2100803), the Liaoning “Revitalization Talents Program” Leading Talents Funding Support Project (XLYC2202023), and Zhejiang Leading Geese Project (2023C02046).
