Electrosprayed chitosan‐coated alginate–pectin beads as potential system for colon‐targeted delivery of ellagic acid

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Ellagic acid (EA), a potent dietary antioxidant, has limited bioavailability owing to its rapid absorption in the stomach and small intestine, and EA is transformed to more bioavailable compoundsurolithinsin the colon. An encapsulation system that sustains the release of EA in the gastrointestinal system and delivers more EA into the colon could improve the oral bioavailability of EA. Electrosprayed EA-loaded alginate-pectin beads were produced and coated with low-(LC) and highmolecular-weight chitosan (HC). The EA release from uncoated and coated beads under simulated gastrointestinal conditions was evaluated. The samples were characterized by particle size, gel strength, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis.RESULTS: The encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of EA ranged from 49.53% to 69.85% for uncoated beads, which was elevated up to 86.50% by coating, and LC coating provided higher EE%. Pectin addition to alginate and chitosan coating reduced the gel strength and changed the size depending on the molecular weight of chitosan. SEM images of pectin-added beads showed fewer cracks but more wrinkles, and chitosan coating presented more aggregated surfaces. The ionic interaction of alginatepectin-chitosan and the entrapment of EA were confirmed by FTIR. In the gastric medium, EA release was very low from uncoated beads (15.2-19.8%), and totally restricted by chitosan coating. In the intestinal stage, EA release from LC-coated alginate-pectin beads was only 18%, and it was between 55% and 65% for uncoated or HC-coated counterparts.CONCLUSION: The LC-coated alginate-pectin beads could be further explored as a potential system for colon-targeted delivery of EA.

Chitosan-based oral colon-specific delivery systems for polyphenols: recent advances and emerging trends

“…Not surprisingly, the physical interaction between chitosan and alginate can help the colon-targeted delivery of mangostin 223 and icariin 224 via microparticles/microspheres, and ellagic acid via hydrogel beads. 225 Although there have been limited reports on the chitosan-based hydrogel as the This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2022 carrier itself in the OCDS, the design of the hydrogel coating for other carriers is mature (discussed below). Besides, polysaccharidebased hydrogels are potential carriers for the colon-targeted delivery of polyphenols; 45,226 thus, considering the development of chitosan hydrogels for sustained drug delivery, 227 their wider application in OCDSs is just a matter of time.…”

Ionically Cross-linked Pectin-alginate Hydrogel Beads for Prolonged Release of Glibenclamide

“…The collected beads were kept in a petri dish and dried in a hot air oven incubator at 40°C. 10 Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR)…”

Encapsulation of Lactobacillus plantarumELB90 by electrospraying in a double emulsion (W1/O/W2) loaded alginate beads to improve the gastrointestinal survival and thermal stability

“…The conventional extrusion‐dripping method results in a relatively large size (2–3.2 mm) of alginate beads, 18 which can be challenging for food fortification and processing, or during their consumption. Extrusion of beads by electrospraying allows the formation of particles with a generally narrow size distribution on the collector side 19 and the use of highly viscous feeding solutions 20 compared to the conventional extrusion‐dripping technique. Alginate hydrogel beads also suffer from the large porous surfaces that make them susceptible to leak, higher diffusion rate and disintegration in harsh conditions.…”

“…Therefore, in previous studies, such beads have been covered with oppositely charged biopolymer (e.g. chitosan), and/or the feeding solution was formulated by mixing alginate with other polymers such as pectin, 19 gelatin, 21 carrageenan, 7 zein, 14 carboxymethyl cellulose, 22 collagen, 23 and inulin 17,24 . Another suggestion to enhance the properties of alginate beads could be the combination of emulsion and extrusion techniques, by incorporating a double emulsion (W1/O/W2) into the alginate hydrogel beads.…”