A soft Pickering emulsifier made from chitosan and peptides endows stimuli-responsiveness, bioactivity and biocompatibility to emulsion

Carbohydr Polym. 2022 Feb 1:277:118768. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118768. Epub 2021 Oct 18.

Abstract

Polymeric Pickering emulsifiers may bring new insights to emulsion theory and practice due to their soft characters. Herein, a group of soft Pickering emulsifiers, chitosan-casein hydrophobic peptides nanoparticles (CS-CHP NPs) were prepared with a non-covalent anti-solvent procedure. The CS-CHP NPs provided the contact angles of 37.2°-87.4°, stabilizing O/W or W/O emulsions with enhanced thermal stability, endowing the emulsion with pH and CO2/N2 responsiveness. The emulsifying behavior and mechanism presented by CS-CHP NPs were different from that of ordinary hard Pickering emulsifiers, where the appropriate contact angle was 37.2° instead of 87.4° for stabilizing O/W emulsions. Moreover, the nanoparticles possess antioxidant, antibacterial activities and excellent biocompatibility. DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity of the CS-CHP NPs were >220% of that of CS NPs. The last, the emulsion provided high-efficient encapsulation of curcumin, making the soft Pickering emulsifiers a group candidate for drug delivery in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry.

Keywords: CO(2)/N(2) responsive; Chitosan; Curcumin; Hydrophobic peptide; Pickering emulsion; pH responsive.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antioxidants / chemical synthesis
  • Antioxidants / chemistry
  • Antioxidants / pharmacology*
  • Benzothiazoles / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Biocompatible Materials / chemical synthesis
  • Biocompatible Materials / chemistry
  • Biocompatible Materials / pharmacology*
  • Biphenyl Compounds / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Caseins / chemistry
  • Caseins / pharmacology
  • Cell Line
  • Chitosan / chemistry
  • Chitosan / pharmacology
  • Emulsions
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Particle Size
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Peptides / pharmacology
  • Picrates / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
  • Sulfonic Acids / antagonists & inhibitors

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antioxidants
  • Benzothiazoles
  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Biphenyl Compounds
  • Caseins
  • Emulsions
  • Peptides
  • Picrates
  • Sulfonic Acids
  • 2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid
  • Chitosan
  • 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl