Microencapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG for Oral Delivery of Bovine Lactoferrin: Study of Encapsulation Stability, Cell Viability, and Drug Release

Abstract

Probiotics are delivered orally for treating gastrointestinal tract (GIT) infections; thus, they should be protected from the harsh environment of the GIT, such as through microencapsulation. Here, we microencapsulated cells of the probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG via the liquid-droplet-forming method and evaluated them for oral delivery of bovine lactoferrin (bLf). Briefly, sodium alginate capsules (G-capsules) were first prepared, crosslinked with calcium chloride (C-capsules), and then modified with disodium hydrogen phosphate (M-capsules). All capsules showed good swelling behavior in the order of G-capsules > C-capsules > M-capsules in simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 2) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 7.2). FE-SEM observations showed the formation of porous surfaces and successful microencapsulation of L. rhamnosus GG cells. The microencapsulated probiotics showed 85% and 77% viability in SGF and SIF, respectively, after 300 min. Compared to the 65% and 70% viability of gelation-encapsulated and crosslinking-encapsulated L. rhamnosus GG cells, respectively, the mineralization-encapsulated cells showed up to 85% viability after 300 min in SIF. The entrapment of bLf in the mineralization-encapsulated L. rhamnosus GG cells did not show any toxicity to the cells. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the successful surface modification of L. rhamnosus GG cells via gelation, crosslinking, and mineralization, along with the entrapment of bLf on the surface of microencapsulated cells. The findings of these studies show that the microencapsulated L. rhamnosus GG cells with natural polyelectrolytes could be used as stable carriers for the oral and sustainable delivery of beneficial biotherapeutics without compromising their viability and the activity of probiotics.

Characterization of white chocolate enriched with co‐encapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus (La‐5) and rose hip shell fruit extract: Characterization, probiotic viability during storage, and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

“…According to the SEM image, the production of microcapsules was affirmed. These outcomes are close to the previous reports where various cells were encapsulated in various polyelectrolytes and polymers that indicated cellular morphologies and functionalities (Anwar et al., 2022 ).…”

Combinedly increased viability of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum grx16 by co‐encapsulation of cryoprotectants and porous starch within calcium alginate capsules

“…For example, calcium alginate double mesh gel was used to embedding Bifidobacterium longum , which increased its intestinal tolerance by more than 15% (Liu et al ., 2021). The intestinal tolerance of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG embedded in calcium alginate composite capsules improved by 15%–20% (Anwar et al ., 2022).…”