TY - JOUR TI - Encapsulation of naringenin using zein nanoparticles DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T31N835G PY - 2016 AB - Naringenin (4’,5,7-­‐‑trihydroxyflavanone) is a flavanone known to have many health benefits including antitumor, antioxidant, anti-­‐‑inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties. It is naturally found in citrus fruits, predominantly in grapefruits. However, when naringenin is orally ingested, the health benefits are limited due to its low solubility in water, which causes low bioavailability. In an effort to improve the bioavailability of naringenin, various nanoparticle systems were investigated and optimized to counter this problem. Zein, a corn based protein, was chosen as the primary encapsulation material due to its capability of forming self-­‐‑assembled nanoparticles and sustained release. To minimize the immunogenicity effects of zein, the nanoparticles were further treated with a polysaccharide to produce a more hydrophilic surface coating. Three polysaccharides, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCH), and carboxymethyl dextran (CMD), were individually explored with the naringenin filled zein nanoparticles. ii Optimized ratios with the highest load and the smallest particle size were identified for each nanoparticle system. The optimized ratios for each polysaccharide were as follows: 0.1N: 5Z: 15CMC, 3N: 5Z: 15CMCH, 3N: 5Z: 15CMD. MTT testing identified cytotoxicity thresholds for each formulation. Pure naringenin was found to be not cytotoxic at <50 μg/mL. The 0.1N: 5Z: 15CMC formulation was not cytotoxic at 10 fold dilution. For 3N: 5Z: 15CMCH and 3N: 5Z: 15CMD, each formulation was not cytotoxic at 20 fold dilution. Across the polysaccharide sets, carboxymethyl chitosan was found to be smallest in particle size. Further investigation was done on this polysaccharide to see whether further reductions of particle size could be achieved. The addition of a calcium chloride coating reduced the particle size further compared to the original carboxymethyl chitosan ratio. This research showed that the combination of carboxymethyl chitosan with calcium chloride resulted in the most promising system of encapsulating naringenin with zein nanoparticles. KW - Food Science KW - Nanoparticles KW - Flavonoids LA - eng ER -