Chronic inflammation of the intestinal mucosa and impaired intestinal epithelial barrier integrity are two hallmarks of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Given the limitations and side effects of conventional biological therapies, the isolation of plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PDEN) from agri-food byproducts represents a sustainable and biocompatible therapeutic option for the development of novel bioactive platforms. In this study, we successfully extracted nanovesicles from industrial onion (Allium cepa) waste peels (OP-EVs) using a protocol combining enzymatic digestion, differential centrifugation, and ultracentrifugation. Their stable nanoscale size (94.1 ± 1.7 nm mode; 63.0 nm), negative surface charge (-16.3 mV), plant-specific markers (Hsp70, TET8, PEN1), and high encapsulation of bioactive flavonoids and polyphenols were confirmed by NTA, DLS, Western blot and LC-MS/MS analysis. In human colonic epithelial cells (HCECs), OP-EVs were non-cytotoxic and efficiently internalized. OP-EVs significantly reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production (IL-8, IL-6, and TNF-α) under LPS-induced acute inflammatory stress by reducing MAPK/ERK activation and NF-κB (p65). Additionally, OP-EVs restored E-cadherin expression, suppressed N-cadherin overexpression, and markedly accelerated scratch wound closure to protect mucosal barrier integrity in chronic inflammatory conditions. Collectively, these findings suggest that OP-EVs may represent a potential zero-waste nutraceutical platform capable of sustaining epithelial barrier integrity while lowering mucosal inflammation.
Most bioactive nutraceuticals and many oral pharmaceuticals share a common translational bottleneck: poor aqueous solubility, gastrointestinal instability, and low systemic bioavailability that blunt their clinical and nutritional benefit. Nanoencapsulation — the entrapment of a bioactive within a nanoscale lipid, polymeric, or hybrid carrier — has become the dominant engineering strategy to overcome this bottleneck, and the literature on individual carrier types (liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, polymeric and chitosan-based nanoparticles, nanoemulsions) or individual bioactives (curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, probiotics and postbiotics, micronutrients) has grown rapidly and largely in isolation. This review synthesises that fragmented evidence base into a single analytical frame. First, it summarises carrier chemistry, fabrication technologies (spray drying, electrospinning/ electrospraying, coacervation, ionic gelation, nanoprecipitation), and encapsulation-efficiency and bioavailability outcomes across five major bioactive classes, drawing on 50 verifiable primary and secondary sources published mainly between 2020 and 2026. Second, and as its principal novelty, the review proposes the Precision Nutraceutical Delivery Continuum (PNDC), a conceptual framework that cross-maps four generations of nanocarrier sophistication (conventional carriers, first-generation lipid/polymeric systems, stimuli-responsive smart carriers, and microbiome-/genotype-adaptive carriers) against four layers of inter-individual physiological variability (gastric pH-motility phenotype, gut-microbiome enterotype, pharmacogenomic and nutrigenomic polymorphism, and disease-specific metabolic state). The PNDC is offered as a hypothesis-generating design heuristic — not an empirically validated algorithm — intended to guide the next generation of "nanocarrier-phenotype matching" studies at the interface of pharmacy and nutrition science. Third, the review evaluates the regulatory and safety landscape governing nano-enabled nutraceuticals under the European Food Safety Authority, the United States Food and Drug Administration, and Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority (BPOM), including halal-assurance considerations relevant to Southeast Asian markets. We conclude that nanoencapsulation has matured from a bioavailability-enhancement tool into a platform technology with the potential to individualise nutritional therapeutics, but that its clinical translation is constrained by heterogeneous in vitro-in vivo correlation, insufficient long-term nanotoxicological data, and regulatory frameworks that have not yet caught up with stimuli-responsive and precision-oriented carrier designs.
Anxiety disorders are conditions characterized by heightened responses to perceived threats, resulting in symptoms that negatively affect everyday life. This study investigates the anxiolytic effect of a natural chalcone isolated from Croton anisodontus Müll.Arg. focusing on its modulation of anxiolytic activity in modulating anxiolytic activity via GABAergic and serotonergic neurotransmission in an adult zebrafish model. The acute toxicity of the chalcone was assessed during a 96-hour period, and the anxiolytic behavior of fish treated with chalcone was evaluated using light/dark tests and open field tests (n=6 animals per group). Chalcone showed no signs of toxicity for up to 96 hours of analysis. The results demonstrated a significant anxiolytic effect of the synthesized chalcone, suggesting its therapeutic potential in treating anxiety. Furthermore, the findings indicate that this anxiolytic effect is mediated by serotonergic and non-GABAergic neurotransmitter systems. From molecular docking simulations, it was possible to estimate that the 5-HT3A receptor (5-HT3AR) pathway is the most likely target way for the chalcone to act. MPO-based ADME predictions indicate that the chalcone exhibits high cellular permeability suggest that chalcone has a high cellular permeability and can distribute better in biological tissues than in blood plasma, supporting its potential to act in the CNS by crossing the blood-brain barrier. These findings enhance the understanding of contribute to understanding of chalcone's mechanisms of action and provide a solid basis for future studies aimed at developing new therapeutic strategies to develop new therapeutic approaches for anxiety disorders.
Purpose: This study assesses the quality of β-Carotene from a natural source, Azolla, in comparison with synthetic β-Carotene, and looks at seasonal variation in composition. Methods: Azolla collected from summer and winter was extracted using organic solvents. The synthetic β-Carotene used as a control was obtained from a pharmacy. All treatments were stored for one year at 5 oC. The samples were analyzed to measure purity and concentration, and then used for colorimetric and vitamin A analysis. Main findings: Our results showed significant differences (p< 0.05) between experimental and control treatments. The winter Azolla samples contained larger amounts of the β-Carotene (p <0.05) than the β-Carotene samples from summer Azolla which contain β-Carotene but in lesser amounts than winter samples. Tetrahydrofuran provided the best β-Carotene solubility, and methanol and acetonitrile the lowest. Cyclohexanone provided the most degradation. After one year of storage, the experimental treatments did, however, retain a reasonable acceptable chemical quality. Conclusion: Considering the health benefits of natural β-Carotene over synthetic β-Carotene, this study indicated β-Carotene extracted from Azolla could be a viable alternative to synthetic β-Carotene in the food industry.
Benzodiazepines are drugs used to treat anxiety disorders and epilepsy due to their hypnotic, anxiolytic and anticonvulsant functions. But due to existing adverse effects such as decreased psychomotor activity and impaired memory, new and safer drugs are sought. Therefore, this study seeks to evaluate the anxiolytic and anticonvulsant action of chalcone (E)-3-(furan-2-yl)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one against wildadult zebrafish, and the mechanisms of action involved in such effects.The acute toxicity of chalcone was analyzed during 96 hours, and the anxiolytic behavior of fish treated with chalcone was evaluated in light/dark tests and open field tests (n=6 animals/group). In the test to evaluate the anticonvulsant effect of the sample, Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) was used to induce seizures by immersion. Next, we investigated the mechanism of action with the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonist and performed a molecular coupling study. The results showed that chalcone at doses of 4, 20, and 40 mg/kg was non-toxic and altered fish locomotion (****p<0.0001 vs. control). All analyzed doses exhibited possible anxiolytic effects (* p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001 vs. control) in the light/dark test. This effect was blocked by the antagonist flumazenil (FMZ) at a dose of 40 mg/kg (# p < 0.05 vs. Fmz+Chalcone). In addition to exhibiting anxiolytic effects, chalcone demonstrated anticonvulsant effects via GABA, as confirmed by a binding/activity study (### p < 0.01, #### p < 0.0001 vs. Fmz+Chalcone).
