Caesalpinia sappan is a well-distributed plant that is cultivated in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas. C. sappan has been used in Asian folk medicine and its extract has been shown to have pharmacological effects. Two homoisoflavonoids, sappanol and brazilin, were isolated from C. sappan by using centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC), and tested for protective effects against retinal cell death. The isolated homoisoflavonoids produced approximately 20-fold inhibition of N-retinylidene-N-retinyl-ethanolamine (A2E) photooxidation in a dose-dependent manner. Of the 2 compounds, brazilin showed better inhibition (197.93 ± 1.59 μM of IC50). Cell viability tests and PI/Hoechst 33342 double staining method indicated that compared to the negative control, sappanol significantly attenuated H2O2-induced retinal death. The compounds significantly blunted the up-regulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and sappanol inhibited lipid peroxidation in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, both compounds represent potential antioxidant treatments for retinal diseases. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(5): 289-294]
A probiotic powder of poor flowability with high dust content, prepared by spray drying reconstituted skim milk fermented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), was granulated by fluidized-bed granulation (FBG). The effects of the addition of skim milk powder (SMP) as a fluidizing aid, and of simple moisture-activation with or without dehydration, were investigated with respect to the performance of the FBG process. A fine, poorly fluidizable LGG powder (Geldart Group C) could be fluidized and granulated, with a 4- to 5-fold increase in particle size (d4,3 = 96–141 μm), by mixing with SMP (30–50%), which has larger, fluidizable particles belonging to Geldart Group A. Moisture-activation after the mixing, followed by fluidized-bed dehydration with hot air to remove excess moisture, further improved the FBG; the yield of the granules increased from 42% to 61% and the particle size distribution became much narrower, although the average particle size remained almost the same (d4,3 = 142 μm). These granules showed a popcorn-type structure in scanning electron microscopy images and encapsulated a sufficient level of viable LGG cells (1.6 × 108 CFU g−1). These granules also exhibited much better flowability and dispersibility than the spray-dried LGG powder.
Summary This study investigated the microencapsulation of peppermint oil in alginate ( A )–pectin ( P ) matrix using an electrospray system where the microcapsules were characterised by determining their compositions and properties. The minimum size (1.58 μm) was obtained with A 80 P 20, while the maximum (3.24 μm) was obtained with A0P100. The zeta potential ranged from −53.1 to −21.7 mV with all combinations. The polydispersity index ( PDI ) tended to increase with the pectin content. There was a gradual increase in microparticles in terms of the loss modulus ( G ′ ) and the storage modulus ( G ″ ) with increasing frequency. The δ value (loss tangent) increased with the pectin content, indicating more unstable. The encapsulation efficiency increased relative to the alginate content. The maximum encapsulation efficiency (85.15%) was obtained with A 80 P 20. This study showed that an electrospray system can be used to make an alginate–pectin microcapsule containing peppermint oil, which has an adequate composition in terms of rheological properties and encapsulation efficiency.
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