The effect of octenyl succinic anhydride-modified chitosan coating on DHA-loaded nanoemulsions: Physichemical stability and in vitro digestibility.

Octenyl succinic anhydride-modified chitosan (OSA-CS) was synthesized and applied as a coating material to enhance the stability of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-loaded nanoemulsion. Due to the presence of the positively charged OSA-CS coating, the nanoemulsion exhibited a high positive zeta potential and two different layers. Compared with natural CS-coated nanoemulsion, OSA-CS-coated nanoemulsion showed improved storage stability (physical and chemical stability) and stability against environmental stresses (ionic strengths, temperatures and pH). Besides, OSA-CS-coated nanoemulsion protected encapsulated DHA from simulated gastric fluid damage better than that of natural CS-coated nanoemulsion, suggesting that OSA-CS-coated nanoemulsion had the potential to deliver more DHA into the small intestine. In conclusion, based on the comparison of two coating materials, natural chitosan and OSA-CS, it was found that the encapsulated nutrient was better protected by the OSA-CS coating. Such a finding will provide insights to broaden the application of modified chitosan in food delivery systems.

Bacteriostatic Pickering emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate-vanillin nanoparticles: Fabrication, characterization and stability in vitro.

The purpose of this work was to prepare Pickering emulsion stabilized by bacteriostatic whey protein isolate-vanillin (WPI-Van) nanoparticles as a carrier for encapsulating vitamin E. The particle size, ζ potential, PDI were used to study the optimal preparation conditions of nanoparticles. The results showed that the optimal preparation condition was achieved at WPI/Van mass ratio of 3:1. FTIR spectra demonstrated the complexation of WPI and Van. SEM image showed spherical and slightly rough surface of nanoparticles. Inhibitory effects of nanoparticles on E. coli and S. aureus were also observed. After storage of 21 days at 4 °C, the retention rate of vitamin E in the emulsions remained 43% higher than that of unencapsulated vitamin E. Moreover, the release rate of vitamin E encapsulated in emulsions in the small intestine was 81%, indicating excellent bioaccessibility. The research can provide a new insight for production and application of antibacterial Pickering emulsions.

Rice Bran Phenolic Extract Confers Protective Effects against Alcoholic Liver Disease in Mice by Alleviating Mitochondrial Dysfunction via the PGC-1α-TFAM Pathway Mediated by microRNA-494-3p.

The initiation and development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is mediated, at least partly, by mitochondria dysfunction, which is regulated by PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) via mitochondria transcription factor A (TFAM). Then, PGC-1α expression was regulated by several microRNAs. This research investigated the hepatoprotective effects of the rice bran phenolic extract (RBPE) on mice fed with an ethanol-containing diet via the microRNAs-PGC-1α-TFAM signal pathway. RBPE treatment protected against alcoholic liver injury, as indicated by decreased serum aminotransferase activities and hepatic triglyceride accumulation, together with alleviated oxidative stress in serum and the liver. RBPE treatment alleviated ethanol-induced mitochondrial dysfunction through altering the membrane potential, mtDNA content, and respiratory chain complex enzyme activities in mitochondria, resulting in increased hepatic ATP production. Decreased cytoplasmic cytochrome c contents, caspase-3 activity, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were detected in the liver of RBPE-treated mice, indicating that the RBPE might inhibit ethanol-induced hepatocellular apoptosis. Furthermore, ethanol-induced decreases in the mRNA and protein expression of PGC-1α and TFAM were remarkably alleviated in RBPE-treated mice. RBPE treatment to ethanol-fed mice could also downregulate the expression of microRNA-494-3p, which regulates PGC-1α expression directly. Therefore, the RBPE might exert protection against ALD by alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction and the resulting hepatocyte apoptosis via the PGC-1α-TFAM signal pathway mediated by microRNA-494-3p.