How Could Agronomic Biofortification of Rice Be an Alternative Strategy with Higher Cost-Effectiveness for Human Iron and Zinc Deficiency in China?

BACKGROUND: Iron and zinc deficiencies affect human health globally, especially in developing countries. Agronomic biofortification, as a strategy for alleviating these issues, has been focused on small-scale field studies, and not widely applied while lacking of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). OBJECTIVE: We conducted the CEA of agronomic biofortification, expressed as USD per disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) saved, to recommend a cost-effectiveness strategy that can be widely applied. METHODS: The DALYs were applied to quantify the health burden due to Fe and/or Zn deficiency and health cost of agronomic biofortification via a single, dual, or triple foliar spray of Fe, Zn, and/or pesticide in 4 (northeast, central China, southeast, and southwest) major Chinese rice-based regions. RESULTS: The current health burden by Fe or Zn malnutrition was 0.45 to 1.45 or 0.14 to 0.84 million DALYs for these 4 regions. Compared to traditional rice diets, the daily Fe and/or Zn intake from Fe and/or Zn-biofortified rice increased, and the health burden of Fe and/or Zn deficiency decreased by 28% and 48%, respectively. The cost of saving 1 DALYs ranged from US$376 to US$4989, US$194 to US$2730, and US$37.6 to US$530.1 for the single, dual, and triple foliar Fe, Zn, and/or pesticide application, respectively, due to a substantial decrease in labor costs by the latter 2 applications. CONCLUSIONS: Agronomic biofortification of rice with the triple foliar spray of Fe, Zn, and pesticide is a rapidly effective and cost-effectiveness pathway to alleviate Fe and Zn deficiency for rice-based dietary populations.

[Silica-coated ethosome as a novel oral delivery system for enhanced oral bioavailability of curcumin].

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of silica-coated ethosome as a novel oral delivery system for the poorly water-soluble curcumin (as a model drug). The silica-coated ethosomes loading curcumin (CU-SE) were prepared by alcohol injection method with homogenization, followed by the precipitation of silica by sol-gel process. The physical and chemical features of CU-SEs, and curcumin release were determined in vitro. The pharmacodynamics and bioavailability measurements were sequentially performed. The mean diameter of CU-SE was (478.5 +/- 80.3) nm and the polydispersity index was 0.285 +/- 0.042, while the mean value of apparent drug entrapment efficiency was 80.77%. In vitro assays demonstrated that CU-SEs were significantly stable with improved release properties when compared with curcumin-loaded ethosomes (CU-ETs) without silica-coatings. The bioavailability of CU-SEs and CU-ETs was 11.86- and 5.25-fold higher, respectively, than that of curcumin suspensions (CU-SUs) in in vivo assays. The silica coatings significantly promoted the stability of ethosomes and CU-SEs exhibited 2.26-fold increase in bioavailablity relative to CU-ETs, indicating that the silica-coated ethosomes might be a potential approach for oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs especially the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine with improved bioavailability.