Protein-based nanoformulations for α-tocopherol encapsulation

Fatemeh Shahmoradi Ghaheh; Akbar Khoddami; Farzaneh Alihosseini; Andreia Gomes; Artur Ribeiro; Artur Cavaco-Paulo; Carla Silva

doi:10.1002/elsc.201600188

Protein-based nanoformulations for α-tocopherol encapsulation

Eng Life Sci. 2016 Dec 16;17(5):523-527. doi: 10.1002/elsc.201600188. eCollection 2017 May.

Authors

Fatemeh Shahmoradi Ghaheh¹, Akbar Khoddami¹, Farzaneh Alihosseini¹, Andreia Gomes², Artur Ribeiro³, Artur Cavaco-Paulo³, Carla Silva³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Textile Engineering Isfahan University of Technology Isfahan Iran.
² CBMA (Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology), Department of Biology University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar Braga Portugal.
³ Centre of Biological Engineering University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar Braga Portugal.

Abstract

Nanoparticles of BSA and silk fibroin (SF) with entrapped α-tocopherol were produced via ultrasonic emulsification. Populations with particle size of 200-300 nm and highly negatively charged were obtained for all the tested formulations. Entrapment efficiencies of around 99% revealed the effective encapsulation of α-tocopherol into the produced nanoformulations. Generally, these nanodevices did not induce significant cytotoxicity to human skin keratinocytes for all the concentrations tested. The developed formulations showed free radical scavenging of ABTS.⁺ ability resulting from the synergistic effect between the proteins in formulation and the entrapped tocopherol. Overall, the results contribute for the establishment of BSA:VO and BSA:SF:VO as biodegradable and non-toxic nanoformulations for the functionalization of textile devices and controlled delivery of tocopherol into the skin.

Keywords: Anti‐oxidant activity; Protein‐based nanoparticles; Skin treatment; Ultrasounds; α‐Tocopherol.