Chrysin-loaded bovine serum albumin particles as bioactive nanosupplements

FERRADO, JOANA B.; PEREZ, ADRIÁN A.; RUIZ, MARIA C.; LEÓN, IGNACIO E.; SANTIAGO, LILIANA G.

Food & Function

RSC

Año: 2020

2042-6496

Development of nanosupplements based on bioactive compounds encapsulation and itsincorporation in the diet constitutes a field in exponential growth. Among flavonoids,chrysin (Chrys) shows great antitumor activity but its poor water solubility limits theirapplications. Bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSAnp) with sizes between 13-28 nmwere previously prepared by applying a heat-induced self-assembly process, and theywere able to load Chrys. Hence, the aim of this study is to provide information aboutelaboration of Chrys nanosupplements considering the incidence of a freeze-dryingprocess of Chrys-loaded and unloaded BSAnp systems on aqueous redispersibility, andon the preservation of their physicochemical properties examined by DSC, turbidity andDLS measurements. In general, physicochemical properties of Chrys-loaded BSAnp werepreserved after freeze-drying application. Cytotoxic activity of the reconstituted powderswas assayed on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines (as models of cancer cell lines) bymeans of MTT assay. Furthermore, the mechanism of cell death was researched byAnnexin V-FITC flow cytometry. Apoptosis-mediated cytotoxicity was higher for ChrysloadedBSAnp in comparison with BSAnp system. The greatest in vitro cytotoxic effect wasobserved for the smallest sized Chrys-loaded BSAnp, which was obtained at pH 11.0 and70ºC. Finally, this system was subjected to a static in vitro gastrointestinal digestionprotocol, and ~14% Chrys was released from BSAnp after digestion. Results wouldprovide a procedure to obtain bioactive nanosupplements in a soluble form, and theywould suggest that smaller sized Chrys-loaded BSAnp could be a promising oral deliverysystem for potential cancer therapies.