curcumin and quercetagetin

The utilization of layer-by-layer composite nanoparticles fabricated from zein and hyaluronic acid (HA) for the codelivery of curcumin and quercetagetin was investigated. A combination of hydrophobic effects and hydrogen bonding was responsible for the interaction of zein with both curcumin and quercetagetin inside the nanoparticles. Electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding were mainly responsible for the layer-by-layer deposition of hyaluronic acid on the surfaces of the nanoparticles. The secondary structure of zein was altered by the presence of the two nutraceuticals and HA. The optimized nanoparticle formulation contained relatively small particles ( d = 231.2 nm) that were anionic (ζ = -30.5 mV). The entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were 69.8 and 2.5% for curcumin and 90.3 and 3.5% for quercetagetin, respectively. Interestingly, the morphology of the nanoparticles depended on their composition. In particular, they changed from coated nanoparticles to nanoparticle-filled microgels as the level of HA increased. The nanoparticles were effective at reducing light and thermal degradation of the two encapsulated nutraceuticals and remained physically stable throughout 6 months of long-term storage. In addition, the nanoparticles were shown to slowly release the nutraceuticals under simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions, which may help improve their oral bioavailability. In summary, we have shown that layer-by-layer composite nanoparticles based on zein and HA are an effective codelivery system for two bioactive compounds.

Topics: Anions; Biological Availability; Circular Dichroism; Curcumin; Flavones; Humans; Hyaluronic Acid; Hydrogen Bonding; Kinetics; Molecular Structure; Nanoparticles; Optical Imaging; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Zein

Tagetes lucida Cav. is an ancient medicinal plant used to treat different ailments involving neurological diseases and pain. However, scientific studies to validate their medicinal properties as analgesic have not been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the T. lucida antinociceptive response using pain models. Bioactive compounds and a possible mechanism of action were also explored. Dose-response effects of an ethanol crude extract were investigated in the writhing and formalin tests in mice and rats, respectively. The extract was fractionated to isolate active fractions and bioactive compounds (quercetagetin 7‑O‑β‑d‑glucoside and 6,7‑dimethoxycoumarin) using the formalin test. The antinociceptive effects were compared to the reference drugs (tramadol 10 mg/kg, diclofenac 50 mg/kg, and/or ketorolac 1 mg/kg, i.p.). The ethanol extract was explored in the presence of naloxone (3 mg/kg, i.p. a non-selective opioid receptor antagonist) and WAY100635 (0.5 mg/kg, s.c., a selective 5-HT

Topics: Analgesics; Animals; Curcumin; Female; Flavones; Male; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Mice; Models, Animal; Naloxone; Narcotic Antagonists; Pain; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A; Tagetes