About this Research Topic
Many important food bioactive compounds (nutrachemicals) have applications in health promotion and disease prevention. However, these compounds have low chemical stability and bioavailability. Recently there has been a major research effort to develop advanced delivery systems of natural bioactive molecules. Stimuli-responsive carriers have potential for improving delivery and release of intact bioactive phytochemicals to target sites in response to certain stimuli or combinations of them (e.g., pH, temperature, oxidant, enzyme, irradiation), thereby increasing therapeutic outcomes and reducing side effects. Hybrid formulations (e.g., organic-inorganic complexes) and multi-stimuli responsive formulations have been investigated for smart-delivery of food bioactive compounds such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol.
The main goal is 1) to promote health by delivery of food bioactive compounds using stimuli-responsive carriers and 2) to prevent/retard disease by delivery of food bioactive compounds using stimuli-responsive carriers. In the extracellular tissues of many solid tumors the pH is around 6.5 while in healthy tissues it is 7.4-7.5. The use of certain polymers whose conformation or solubility properties are altered under particular pH conditions would result in fast nutrachemical release at a specific site. In these carriers, the pH-sensitive polymers with functional groups (e.g., carboxylic acids, amines) can act as proton donors or acceptors in response to changes in environmental pH. Protonation of polymers in acidic conditions causes structural deformation and alteration in hydrophobicity of the polymers, thereby enhancing the release of the encapsulated compounds. Other approaches involve the application of acid-labile linkages of polymers, ionizable chemical groups, and gas-generating precursors. A possible application could be to deliver pH-sensitive polymers to the stomach to treat gastric disease. Stimuli-responsive nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles have application in cancer therapy, delivery of antiviral drugs, delivery of vaccines, and treatment of diabetes. Such systems recognize either internal physiological cues (e.g., pH, temperature, redox e.g., glutathione) or respond to externally applied stimuli (e.g., temperature, magnetic fields, photons, ultrasound waves).
Specific themes for authors to address are
1. To develop pH-sensitive polymers with functional groups that can act as proton donors or acceptors in response to changes in environmental pH. They could be tested in in vitro studies for release of encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol.
2. To test pH-responsive nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol in animal models for effect on gastric acid secretion. Quercetin has been shown to inhibit gastric acid secretion, oxidation of gastric cells, and Helicobacter pylori, leading to a gastroprotective effect.
3. To test nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol in obese animal models for effect on body weight, body fat, and metabolic markers. Clinical trials have suggested positive effects of curcumin on body weight, body fat, and metabolic markers in overweight/obese individuals as well as in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
4. To test pH-responsive nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol in animal models for effect on regulating the gut microbiome. Resveratrol has beneficial effects in various experimental settings, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and immunoregulatory. Accumulating evidence suggests these health benefits might be, at least partially, attributed to resveratrol's role in protecting the intestinal barrier, regulating the gut microbiome, and inhibiting intestinal inflammation.
Types of manuscripts that will be considered are
a. those that have quantitative measurements on the extent of release of bioactive nutrachemicals from pH-sensitive polymers in in vitro studies and in vivo studies with experimental animals.
b. those that perform testing of nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated bioactive nutrachemicals in animal models for effect on gastric acid secretion.
c. those that perform testing of nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated bioactive nutrachemicals in obese animal models for effect on body weight, body fat, and metabolic markers.
d. those that perform testing of nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated bioactive nutrachemicals in animal models for effect on regulating the gut microbiome.
The main goal is 1) to promote health by delivery of food bioactive compounds using stimuli-responsive carriers and 2) to prevent/retard disease by delivery of food bioactive compounds using stimuli-responsive carriers. In the extracellular tissues of many solid tumors the pH is around 6.5 while in healthy tissues it is 7.4-7.5. The use of certain polymers whose conformation or solubility properties are altered under particular pH conditions would result in fast nutrachemical release at a specific site. In these carriers, the pH-sensitive polymers with functional groups (e.g., carboxylic acids, amines) can act as proton donors or acceptors in response to changes in environmental pH. Protonation of polymers in acidic conditions causes structural deformation and alteration in hydrophobicity of the polymers, thereby enhancing the release of the encapsulated compounds. Other approaches involve the application of acid-labile linkages of polymers, ionizable chemical groups, and gas-generating precursors. A possible application could be to deliver pH-sensitive polymers to the stomach to treat gastric disease. Stimuli-responsive nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles have application in cancer therapy, delivery of antiviral drugs, delivery of vaccines, and treatment of diabetes. Such systems recognize either internal physiological cues (e.g., pH, temperature, redox e.g., glutathione) or respond to externally applied stimuli (e.g., temperature, magnetic fields, photons, ultrasound waves).
Specific themes for authors to address are
1. To develop pH-sensitive polymers with functional groups that can act as proton donors or acceptors in response to changes in environmental pH. They could be tested in in vitro studies for release of encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol.
2. To test pH-responsive nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol in animal models for effect on gastric acid secretion. Quercetin has been shown to inhibit gastric acid secretion, oxidation of gastric cells, and Helicobacter pylori, leading to a gastroprotective effect.
3. To test nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol in obese animal models for effect on body weight, body fat, and metabolic markers. Clinical trials have suggested positive effects of curcumin on body weight, body fat, and metabolic markers in overweight/obese individuals as well as in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
4. To test pH-responsive nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated biomolecules such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol in animal models for effect on regulating the gut microbiome. Resveratrol has beneficial effects in various experimental settings, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and immunoregulatory. Accumulating evidence suggests these health benefits might be, at least partially, attributed to resveratrol's role in protecting the intestinal barrier, regulating the gut microbiome, and inhibiting intestinal inflammation.
Types of manuscripts that will be considered are
a. those that have quantitative measurements on the extent of release of bioactive nutrachemicals from pH-sensitive polymers in in vitro studies and in vivo studies with experimental animals.
b. those that perform testing of nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated bioactive nutrachemicals in animal models for effect on gastric acid secretion.
c. those that perform testing of nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated bioactive nutrachemicals in obese animal models for effect on body weight, body fat, and metabolic markers.
d. those that perform testing of nanogels or hydrogel nanoparticles with encapsulated bioactive nutrachemicals in animal models for effect on regulating the gut microbiome.
Keywords: food bioactive compounds; health promotion; disease prevention; stimuli-responsive carriers; target sites
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