Self-assembled poloxamer-legumin/vicilin nanoparticles for the nanoencapsulation and controlled release of folic acid

Changhao Fang; Karen Kanemaru; Wildemar S P Carvalho; Krista R Fruehauf; Sunshine Zhang; Prem P Das; Caishuang Xu; Yuping Lu; Nandhakishore Rajagopalan; Marianna Kulka; Darren A Makeiff; Michael J Serpe

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131646

Self-assembled poloxamer-legumin/vicilin nanoparticles for the nanoencapsulation and controlled release of folic acid

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Apr 16;268(Pt 2):131646. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131646. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada.
² Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 110 Gymnasium Pl, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W9, Canada.
³ Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 110 Gymnasium Pl, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W9, Canada; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada.
⁴ Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 11421 Saskatchewan Dr NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada.
⁵ Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 11421 Saskatchewan Dr NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada. Electronic address: Darren.Makeiff@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada. Electronic address: serpe@ualberta.ca.

PMID: 38636765
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131646

Abstract

Plant-based food proteins are a promising choice for the preparation of nanoparticles (NPs) due to their high digestibility, low cost, and ability to interact with various compounds and nutrients. Moreover, nanoencapsulation offers a potential solution for protecting nutrients during processing and enhancing their bioavailability. This study aimed to develop and evaluate nanoparticles (NPs) based on legumin/vicilin (LV) proteins extracted from fava beans, with the goal of encapsulating and delivering a model nutraceutical compound, folic acid (FA). Specifically, NPs were self-assembled from LV proteins extracted from commercially available frozen fava beans using a pH-coacervation method with poloxamer 188 (P188) and chemically cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. Microscopy and spectroscopy studies were carried out on the empty and FA-loaded NPs in order to evaluate the particle morphology, size, size distribution, composition, mechanism of formation, impact of FA loading and release behavior. In vitro studies with Caco-2 cells also confirmed that the empty and FA-loaded nanoparticles were non-toxic. Thus, the LV-NPs are good candidates as food additives for the delivery and stabilization of nutrients as well as in drug delivery for the controlled release of therapeutics.

Keywords: Drug delivery; Fava beans; Folic acid; Legumin and vicilin; Nanoencapsulation; Self-assembly.