Enrichment of zein nanofibre assemblies for therapeutic delivery of Barije (Ferula gummosa Boiss) essential oil

Abstract The present study intended to produce electrospun zein nano-fibres containing concentrations varying from 1 to 4% w/w of Barije essential oil (BEO): BEO is said to have anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties. The BEO loaded nano-fibres were characterised for chemical composition, morphology, chemical structure, thermal behaviour, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory action. Moreover, the kinetic release of BEO in simulated gastric and intestinal media was investigated. SEM and FT-IR results indicated that BEO was successfully entrapped in the ribbon-like zein fibres and that the nano-fibres showed an encapsulation efficiency close to 95%. The encapsulated fibre BEO also maintained its antioxidant property nano-fibre, although it had been exposed to high strength electric fields during manufacture. BEO-loaded zein nano-fibres showed α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition activity with an IC50 value ranging of 0.78 ± 0.01 to 1.25 ± 0.03 and 1.09 ± 0.02 to 1.64 ± 0.01 mg/ml, respectively. Model fitting results showed that a first order model is effective for describing the release of BEO into simulated stomach media, a Hixon-Crowell model relates BEO release to intestinal conditions and the Rigter-Peppas model describes time of release. The study indicates that combining BEO within zein fibres is a promising route for a novel BEO delivery vehicle for diabetes control.