Sporopollenin Exine Microcapsules as Potential Intestinal Delivery System of Probiotics

Abstract

Despite several decades of research into encapsulation of bacteria, most of the proposed technologies are in the form of immobilized cultures. In this work, sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) opened, using silica particles which act as pressing micro‐probes, and loaded with Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) cells, are described for the first time. The proposed encapsulation provided ≈30× higher encapsulation yield (30.87%), compared to direct compression of SECs (0.99%). Encapsulated L. casei cells show 1.21‐ and 2.25‐folds higher viability compared to free cells, in in vitro simulated fasted and fed media representing the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, respectively. Encapsulated L. casei can proliferate inside the SECs, generating enough pressure to cause the SECs to burst and release the viable and metabolically active cells. The noticeable difference with the application of the SECs as a means of encapsulation is that the SECs may act as a bioreactor and provide time for the encapsulated cells to multiply thousands of times before being released, following the SEC's burst. The unique advantages of SECs alongside the proposed encapsulation method, demonstrates the potential application of SECs as delivery system of probiotics to the distal part of the human GI tract.

Lactobacillus reuteri Biofilms Inhibit Pathogens and Regulate Microbiota in In Vitro Fecal Fermentation

“…However, probiotic biofilms acting as “good” biofilms have only been studied within the last years. Probiotics including Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Saccharomyces boulardii in biofilm phenotype showed greater tolerances than the cells in planktonic phenotype under harsh environments, including heat, acids, antibiotics, and gastrointestinal fluids. − Presently, the probiotic biofilm is considered the most promising fourth-generation probiotic L.…”

Biopolymer‐Based Multilayer Microparticles for Probiotic Delivery to Colon

“…The combination of these strategies could potentially yield a system with superior storage viability and gastrointestinal protection, as well as targeted delivery to the colon. In addition, several reports highlighted the utilization of composite approach to fabricate multilayer structures that contained more resistant shell materials, such as silica [130] and sporopollenin (extracted from natural pollen), [131,132] to create more effective multilayer particles for probiotic encapsulation.…”

Dual-Driven Hemostats Featured with Puncturing Erythrocytes for Severe Bleeding in Complex Wounds

“…Recently, natural plant pollen has become one of the most widely used encapsulants, making it an ideal hemostatic platform because of various health benefits, such as safety following consumption, reproducibility, physicochemical robustness, and uniform structure [ 26 , 27 ]. Specifically, meteor hammer-like sunflower pollen with ordered nanospikes has been attractive because it can drill into cells [ 28 ].…”