Suberin / trans-cinnamaldehyde oil nanoparticles with antimicrobial activity and anticancer properties when loaded with paclitaxel

Suberin is a biopolyester that can be extracted from bioresources such as cork trees and may find many applications in food packaging, sealing, and biomedical fields. In this work, we describe for the first time the preparation of suberin nanoparticles using the solvent/antisolvent method. Three different suberin extraction methods from cork trees were used to reveal any differences in the production and properties of the nanoparticles. trans-Cinnamaldehyde, a component of cinnamon essential oil, was added to suberin nanoparticles due to its antimicrobial and/or anticancer properties, and its synergistic effect was studied with the inherent biological properties of suberin. Interestingly, both suberin and suberin/trans-cinnamaldehyde nanoparticles showed very good antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, and also against Candida albicans (yeast). Suberin nanoparticles containing trans-cinnamaldehyde loaded with 0.1% w/w paclitaxel provided significant ant...