Encapsulation of Vitamin B12 by Complex Coacervation of Whey Protein Concentrate-Pectin; Optimization and Characterization.

Vitamin B12 (VB12) is one of the essential vitamins for the body, which is sensitive to light, heat, oxidizing agents, and acidic and alkaline substances. Therefore, the encapsulation of VB12 can be one of the ways to protect it against processing and environmental conditions in food. In this work, the influence of pectin concentration (0.5−1% w/v), whey protein concentrate (WPC) level (4−8% w/v) and pH (3−9) on some properties of VB12-loaded pectin−WPC complex carriers was investigated by response surface methodology (RSM). The findings showed that under optimum conditions (1:6.47, pectin:WPC and pH = 6.6), the encapsulation efficiency (EE), stability, viscosity, particle size and solubility of complex carriers were 80.71%, 85.38%, 39.58 mPa·s, 7.07 µm and 65.86%, respectively. Additionally, the formation of complex coacervate was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In addition, it was revealed that the most important factor in VB12 encapsulation was pH; at a pH < isoelectric point of WPC (pH = 3), in comparison with higher pH values (6 and 9), a stronger complex was formed between pectin and WPC, which led to an increase in EE, lightness parameter, particle size and water activity, as well as a decrease in the zeta-potential and porosity of complex carriers.

Possible therapeutic effects of boron citrate and oleoylethanolamide supplementation in patients with COVID-19: A pilot randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to assess the therapeutic effects of boron citrate and oleoylethanolamide supplementation in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: Forty adult patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 were recruited in the present study. Patients were randomized in a 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio to 1of 4 treatment groups: (A) 5 mg of boron citrate twice a day, (B) 200 mg of oleoylethanolamide twice a day, (C) both therapies, or (D) routine treatments without any study medications. At pre-and post-intervention phase, some clinical and biochemical parameters were assessed. RESULTS: Supplementation with boron citrate alone or in combination with oleoylethanolamide significantly improved O2 saturation and respiratory rate (p < 0.01). At the end of the study, significant increases in white blood cell and lymphocyte count were observed in the boron citrate and combined groups (p < 0.001). Boron citrate supplementation led to a significant decrease in serum lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.026) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p = 0.014), compared with other groups. Furthermore, boron citrate in combination with oleoylethanolamide resulted in a significant reduction in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-1ß concentrations (p = 0.031 and p = 0.027, respectively). No significant differences were found among four groups post-intervention, in terms of hemoglobin concentrations, platelet count, and serum interleukin-6 levels. At the end of the study, common symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and myalgia significantly improved in the supplemented groups, compared to the placebo (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Supplementation with boron citrate alone or in combination with oleoylethanolamide could improve some clinical and biochemical parameters in COVID-19 patients.

Assessment of boron-containing compounds and oleoylethanolamide supplementation on the recovery trend in patients with COVID-19: A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we investigate the effect of boron-containing compounds and oleoylethanolamide supplementation on the recovery trend in patients with COVID-19. TRIAL DESIGN: The current study is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with parallel groups. PARTICIPANTS: The inclusion criteria include male and female patients≥18 years of age, with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or antibody test and with written informed consent to participate in this trial. The exclusion criteria include regular use of any other supplement, severe and critical COVID-19 pneumonia, pregnancy and breastfeeding. This study is being conducted at Imam Reza Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: Patients are randomly assigned to four groups. The first group (A) will take one capsule containing 5 mg of boron compounds twice a day for two weeks. The second group (B) will take one capsule containing 200 mg oleoylethanolamide twice a day for two weeks. The third group (C) will take one capsule containing 5 mg boron compounds with 200 mg oleoylethanolamide twice a day for two weeks, and the fourth group (D) does not receive any additional treatment other than routine treatments. Boron-containing compounds and oleoylethanolamide capsules will be synthesized at Nutrition Research Center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. MAIN OUTCOMES: The primary end point of this study is to investigate the recovery rate of clinical symptoms, including fever, dry cough, and fatigue, as well as preclinical features, including complete blood count (CBC), the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) profiles within two weeks of randomization. RANDOMISATION: Patients are randomized into four equal groups in a parallel design (allocation ratio 1:1). A randomized block procedure is used to divide subjects into one of four treatment blocks (A, B, C, and D) by a computer-generated allocation schedule. BLINDING (MASKING): The participants and investigators (enrolling, assessing, and analyzing) are blinded to the intervention assignments until the end of the study and data analysis. NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMISED (SAMPLE SIZE): The calculated total sample size is 40 patients, with 10 patients in each group. TRIAL STATUS: The protocol is Version 1.0, May 17, 2020. Recruitment began May 19, 2020, and is anticipated to be completed by October 19, 2020. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This clinical trial has been registered by the title of "Assessment of boron-containing compounds and oleoylethanolamide supplementation on the recovery trend in Patients with COVID-19: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial" in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT). The registration number is " IRCT20090609002017N35 ", https://www.irct.ir/trial/48058 . The registration date is 17 May 2020. FULL PROTOCOL: The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol.

Probiotics and Nigella sativa extract supplementation improved behavioral and electrophysiological effects of PTZ-induced chemical kindling in rats.

INTRODUCTION: Epilepsy is a most common neurological disorder that has negative effects on cognition. In the present study, we investigated the protective effect of Nigella sativa (NS) and probiotics on seizure activity, cognitive performance, and synaptic plasticity in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling model of epilepsy. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four rats were divided into 2 experiments: In experiment 1, animals were grouped and treated as follows: 1) control (PTZ + saline), 2) NS treatment, 3) probiotic treatment, and 4) NS and probiotic treatment. Six weeks after the treatment, PTZ kindling were performed, and 48 h after kindling, spatial learning and memory were measured in Morris water maze (MWM) test. Animals in experiment 2 received the same treatment as experiment 1: in control nonkindled groups, control animals were treated with probiotics, NS, and probiotics + NS. Six weeks after the treatment, PTZ kindling were performed, and 48 h after kindling, field potentials were recorded from the dentate gyrus area of the hippocampus; synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) was measured. RESULTS: The results showed that the probiotic and NS supplementation significantly reduces kindling development so that animals in PTZ + NS + probiotic did not show full kindling. In MWM test, the escape latency and traveled path in the kindled group were significantly higher than the control group. In PTZ + NS + probiotics, these parameters were significantly lower than those in the PTZ + saline group. Adding probiotic and NS supplementation significantly reduced population spike (PS)-LTP as compared with the PTZ + saline group. CONCLUSION: Probiotic and NS supplementation have some protection against seizure, seizure-induced cognitive impairment, and hippocampal LTP in kindled rats.

Photothermal inactivation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: anti-biofilm mediated by a polypyrrole-carbon nanocomposite.

Widespread resistance to antibiotics amongst pathogens has become a tremendous challenge of high morbidity and mortality rates which increases the needs to exploring novel methods of treatment. An efficient antimicrobial procedure to root out pathogenic bacteria is photothermal therapy. In this study, antimicrobial effects of a polypyrrole-carbon nanocomposite (PPy-C) upon laser irradiation in order to destroy the pathogenic gram-positive bacterium, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were assessed. The bacterial cells were incubated with 500, 750 and 1000 µg ml-1 concentrations of PPy-C and irradiated with an 808-nm laser at a power density of 1.0 W cm-2. To indicate the biocompatibility and toxic effect of the nanocomposite without and with laser irradiation, the authors counted the number of CFUs and compared it to an untreated sample. Antibacterial mechanisms of PPy-C were assessed through temperature increment, reactive oxygen species production, and protein and DNA leakages. Photothermal heating assay showed that 26°C temperature increases in the presence of 1000 µg ml-1 PPy-C led to >98% killing of MRSA. Furthermore, 20 min radiation of near-infrared light to PPy-C in different concentrations indicated destruction and reduction in the MRSA biofilm formation. Therefore, PPy-C was introduced as a photothermal absorber with a bactericidal effect in MRSA.