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Extracts from plants have been one of the main sources of antioxidants, namely polyphenols. The associated drawbacks, such as instability against environmental factors, low bioavailability, and loss of activity, must be considered during microencapsulation for a better application. Electrohydrodynamic processes have been investigated as promising tools to fabricate crucial vectors to minimize these limitations. The developed microstructures present high potential to encapsulate active compounds and for controlling their release. The fabricated electrospun/electrosprayed structures present different benefits when compared with structures developed by other techniques; they present a high surface-area-to-volume ratio as well as porosity, great materials handling, and scalable production—among other advantages—which make them able to be widely applied in different fields, namely in the food industry. This review presents a summary of the electrohydrodynamic processes, main studies, and their application.

The food industry has been expanding, and new vectors to entrap vitamins have been constantly investigated, aiming at versatile systems with good physico-chemical characteristics, low-cost production, high stability and the efficient release of active ingredients. The vitamin B9 (folic acid or folate) is essential for the healthy functioning of a variety of physiological processes in humans and is beneficial in preventing a range of disorders. In this study, two approaches were developed to encapsulate vitamin B9. Zein and the combination of modified starch with two plasticizers were the selected encapsulating agents to produce microstructures via the electrospinning technique. The objective was to improve the stability and the B9 antioxidant capacity in the final formulations. The work strategy was to avoid limitations such as low bioavailability, stability and thermosensitivity. The microstructures were fabricated and the morphology and shape were assessed by scanning electron microscopy. The B9 release profiles of modified starch and zein microstructures were analyzed in simulated gastric fluid at 37 °C, and in deionized water and ethanol at room temperature. The B9 encapsulation efficiency and the stability of the systems were also studied. The ABTS assay was assessed and the antioxidant activity of the produced microstructures was evaluated. The physico-chemical characterization of loaded B9 in the microstructures was achieved. High encapsulation efficiency values were achieved for the 1% B9 loaded in 12% w/w modified starch film; 5% B9 vitamin encapsulated by the 15% w/w modified starch with 4% w/w tween 80; and 4% w/w glycerol film with heterogeneous microstructures, 5% w/w zein compact film and 10% w/w zein film. In conclusion, the combinations of 7 wt.% of modified starch with 4 wt.% tween 80 and 4 wt.% glycerol; 15 wt.% of modified starch with 4 wt.% tween 80 and 4 wt.% glycerol; and 12 wt.% modified starch and 5 wt.% zein can be used as delivery structures in order to enhance the vitamin B9 antioxidant activity in the food and nutraceutical fields.

Water-soluble vitamins are essential micronutrients in diets and crucial to biochemical functions in human body physiology. These vitamins are essential for healthy diets and have a preventive role against diseases. However, their limitations associated with high sensitivity against external conditions (temperature, light, pH, moisture, oxygen) can lead to degradation during processing and storage. In this context, microencapsulation may overcome these conditions, protecting a biomolecule’s bioavailability, stability, and effectiveness of delivery. This technique has been used to produce delivery systems based on polymeric agents that surround the active compounds. The present review focuses on the most relevant topics of water-soluble vitamin encapsulation using promising methods to produce delivery vehicles—electrohydrodynamic (electrospinning and electrospraying) and spray-drying techniques. An overview of the suitable structures produced by these processes is provided. The review introduces the general principles of the methods, advantages, disadvantages, and involved parameters. A brief list of the used physicochemical techniques for the systems’ characterization is discussed in this review. Electrospinning and spray-drying techniques are the focus of this investigation in order to guarantee vitamins’ bioaccessibility and bioavailability. Recent studies and the main encapsulating agents used for these micronutrients in both processes applied to functional food and nutraceutical areas are highlighted in this review.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are inorganic and biocompatible nanovehicles capable of conjugating biomolecules to enhance their efficacy in cancer treatment. The high and reactive surface area provides good advantages for conjugating active compounds. Two approaches were developed in this work to improve the Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) antioxidant efficacy. AuNPs were synthesized by reducing gold salt with chitosan. One other nanosystem was developed by functionalizing AuNPs with cysteamine using the Turkevitch method. The physico-chemical characterization of EGCG conjugated in the two nanosystems-based gold nanoparticles was achieved. The in vitro toxic effect induced by the nanoconjugates was evaluated in pancreatic cancer cells, showing that encapsulated EGCG keeps its antioxidant activity and decreasing the BxPC3 cell growth. A significant cell growth inhibition was observed in 50% with EGCG concentrations in the range of 2.2 and 3.7 μM in EGCG-ChAuNPs and EGCG-Cyst-AuNPs nanoconjugates, respectively. The EGCG alone had to be present at 23 μM to induce the same cytotoxicity response. Caspase-3 activity assay demonstrated that the conjugation of EGCG induces an enhancement of BxPC3 apoptosis compared with EGCG alone. In conclusion, AuNPs complexes can be used as delivery carriers to increase EGCG antioxidant activity in cancer tissues.

The aim of this study was to develop drug delivery nanosystems based on pegylated gold nanoparticles (PEGAuNPs) for a combination against pancreatic cancer cells. Doxorubicin and varlitinib, an anthracycline and a tyrosine kinase inhibitor respectively, were conjugated with gold nanoparticles. The systems were characterized, after synthesis, regarding their size, stability and morphology. An efficient conjugation of doxorubicin and varlitinib with PEGAuNPs was revealed. The cytotoxicity effect induced by the combination of the nanoconjugates was investigated in pancreatic cancer cell lines. Doxorubicin and varlitinib conjugated with PEGAuNPs revealed a combined effect to decrease the cell survival of the cancer line S2-013s, while reducing the drugs’ toxicity for the healthy pancreatic cells hTERT-HPNE. This study highlights the promising potential of PEGAuNPs for targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs into human cells, enhancing the antitumor growth-inhibition effect on cancer cells, and decreasing the toxicity against normal cells. In cancer therapy, the present approach based on PEGAuNP functionalization can be further explored to increase drug targeting efficiency and to reduce side effects.

Pancreatic cancer is the eighth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. For this reason, the development of more effective therapies is a major concern for the scientific community. Accordingly, plants belonging to Plectranthus genus and their isolated compounds, such as Parvifloron D, were found to have cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities. However, Parvifloron D is a very low water-soluble compound. Thus, nanotechnology can be a promising delivery system to enhance drug solubility and targeted delivery. The extraction of Parvifloron D from P. ecklonii was optimized through an acetone ultrasound-assisted method and isolated by Flash-Dry Column Chromatography. Then, its antiproliferative effect was selectivity evaluated against different cell lines (IC50 of 0.15 ± 0.05 μM, 11.9 ± 0.7 μM, 21.6 ± 0.5, 34.3 ± 4.1 μM, 35.1 ± 2.2 μM and 32.1 ± 4.3 μM for BxPC3, PANC-1, Ins1-E, MCF-7, HaCat and Caco-2, respectively). To obtain an optimized stable Parvifloron D pharmaceutical dosage form, albumin nanoparticles were produced through a desolvation method (yield of encapsulation of 91.2%) and characterized in terms of size (165 nm; PI 0.11), zeta potential (−7.88 mV) and morphology. In conclusion, Parvifloron D can be efficiently obtained from P. ecklonii and it has shown selective cytotoxicity to pancreatic cell lines. Parvifloron D nanoencapsulation can be considered as a possible efficient alternative approach in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Colloidal gold nanoparticles are targeting probes to improve varlitinib delivery into cancer cells. The nanoconjugates were designed by the bioconjugation of pegylated gold nanoparticles with varlitinib via carbodiimide-mediated cross-linking and characterized by infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The drug release response shows an initial delay and a complete drug release after 72 h is detected. In vitro experiments with MIA PaCa-2 cells corroborate that PEGAuNPsVarl conjugates increase the varlitinib toxic effect at very low concentrations (IC50 = 80 nM) if compared with varlitinib alone (IC50 = 259 nM). Our results acknowledge a decrease of drug side effects in normal cells and an enhancement of drug efficacy against to the pancreatic cancer cells reported.

Organic–inorganic hybrid nanoparticles are potential effective systems for drug delivery in cancer therapy and diagnosis. Chitosan–gum arabic with entrapped gold nanoparticles were developed as a carrier for an anticancer drug bortezomib. The nanosystem was designed to enhance the proteasome inhibitor activity in pancreatic cell lines, S2-013 and hTERT-HPNE. The hydrodynamic diameter of chitosan–gum arabic–gold nanoparticles loaded with bortezomib is around 330 nm. Laser scanning confocal microscopy images show the uptake of the gold nanoparticle/bortezomib encapsulated in chitosan–gum arabic matrix and the fast internalization of these nano combinations into pancreatic cells. Cytotoxic assays assessed that positively charged nanosystems reduce the cell growth and cell proliferation of S2-013s, but the same effect was not observed in cytotoxic response in hTERT-HPNE cells. The outcomes of this study demonstrate the capacity of chitosan–gum arabic nanocarriers to deliver gold nanoparticles/anticancer drug and to increase the permeation and retention effect in S2-013 cells and minimize drug side effects in HPNE cells.

Histological remission is being increasingly acknowledged as a therapeutic endpoint in patients with UC. The work hereafter described aimed to evaluate the concordance between three histological classification systems-Geboes Score (GS), Nancy Index (NI) and RobartsHistopathologyIndex (RHI), as well as to evaluate their association with the endoscopic outcomes and the faecal calprotectin (FC) levels. Biopsy samples from 377 patients with UC were blindly evaluated using GS, NI and RHI. The results were compared with the patients' Mayo Endoscopic Score and FC levels. GS, NI and RHI have a good concordance concerning the distinction between patients in histological remission or activity. RHI was particularly close to NI, with 100% of all patients classified as being in remission with NI being identified as such with RHI and 100% of all patients classified as having activity with RHI being identified as such with NI. These scores could also predict the Mayo Endoscopic Score and the FC levels, with their sensitivity and specificity levels depending on the chosen cut-offs. Moreover, higher FC levels were statistically associated with the presence of neutrophils in the epithelium, as well as with ulceration or erosion of the intestinal mucosa. GS, NI and RHI histopathological scoring systems are comparable in what concerns patients' stratification into histological remission/activity. Additionally, FC levels are increased when neutrophils are present in the epithelium and the intestinal mucosa has erosions or ulcers. The presence of neutrophils in the epithelium is, indeed, the main marker of histological activity.

This study aims to identify risk factors for cardiovascular disorders in schoolchildren living in Ouro Preto City, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a population-based sampling of schoolchildren (6–14 years old), randomly selected and stratified by the proportion of students according to age and gender in each schools of the city. Biochemical, clinical and anthropometric variables as well as physical activity and family history were used in a logistic regression model for obesity or arterial hypertension. Out of 780 schoolchildren sampled, the risk of obesity was greater in subjects presenting high triglyceride and low high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, and those whose parents were obese, whilst the risk of hypertension was high in obese subjects and those who presented low birth weight. It was observed that 44.4% of the schoolchildren were exposed to two or three cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and 8.2% were exposed to four or six factors. These findings should be considered in preventive measures to reduce the future risk for CVD among schoolchildren in Brazil.