Natural product nobiletin-loaded Pickering emulsion stabilized by bovine serum albumin/carboxymethyl inulin complexes: preparation and digestive characteristics

Guiying Huang; Man Zhang; Konglong Feng; Jie Xiao; Qingrong Huang; Chi-Tang Ho; Jun Liu

doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1375779

Natural product nobiletin-loaded Pickering emulsion stabilized by bovine serum albumin/carboxymethyl inulin complexes: preparation and digestive characteristics

Front Pharmacol. 2024 May 1:15:1375779. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1375779. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Guiying Huang¹, Man Zhang², Konglong Feng³, Jie Xiao³, Qingrong Huang², Chi-Tang Ho², Jun Liu⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Light Industry and Food Science, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
² Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.
³ College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
⁴ College of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China.

Abstract

To expand the application of nobiletin (NOB) in semi-solid functional foods, bovine serum albumin (BSA)/carboxymethyl inulin (CMI) complexes-stabilized Pickering emulsion (BCPE) (φ_oil = 60%, v/v) was fabricated, and the swallowing index and bioavailability of the NOB-loaded Pickering emulsion was evaluated. Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) images revealed that BSA/CMI complexes attached to the oil-water interface. NOB-loaded BCPE exhibited a viscoelastic and shear-thinning behavior. Fork drip test results suggested that the textural value of unloaded and NOB-loaded emulsions was International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative Level 4, which could be swallowed directly without chewing. The in vitro lipolysis model suggested that NOB had a faster digestive profile and a higher bioaccessibility in the BCPE than in the oil suspension. The in vivo rat model revealed that the oral bioavailability of NOB was increased by 2.07 folds in BCPE compared to its bioavailability in unformulated oil. Moreover, BCPE led to a higher plasma concentration of the major demethylated metabolite of NOB (4'-demethylnobiletin) than the unformulated oil. Accordingly, BCPE enhanced the oral bioavailability of NOB by improving bioaccessibility, absorption, and biotransformation.

Keywords: 4-demethylnobiletin; Pickering emulsion; bioavailability; complexes; nobiletin.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article from the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Lingnan Specialty Food Science and Technology (2021B1212040013), the Jiangmen Program for Innovative Research Team (2018630100180019806), and the Program for Guangdong Introducing Innovative and Entrepreneurial Teams (2019ZT08N291).