title: Chitosan/dextran multilayer microcapsules for polyphenol co-delivery.
abstract: Polysaccharide-based nanostructured polymeric microcapsules were fabricated by the electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly technique and used to encapsulate mixtures of four different polyphenols in order to achieve their controlled release. The real-time fabrication of the dextran/chitosan multilayer was monitored by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, and the morphology of the nanostructured polymeric capsules was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The polyphenol encapsulation was obtained by reversible permeability variation of the capsule shell in ethanol:water mixtures. The loading efficiency in different water:ethanol mixtures and the release rate in acidic conditions were characterized by UV spectroscopy and HPLC. The higher loading efficiency was obtained with an ethanol:water 35:65 phenolic solution, equal to 42.0±0.6%, with a total release of 11.5±0.7 mg of total polyphenols per 11.3 μL of microcapsules after 240 min of incubation in acidic environment. The results suggest that polysaccharide-based capsules can be successfully used to encapsulate and release low water-soluble molecules, such as polyphenols.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genoa, Italy; Research Center for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Vascular Medicine and Longevity (BELONG), Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: marco.paini@unige.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paini
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genoa, Italy; Research Center for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Vascular Medicine and Longevity (BELONG), Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Bahar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aliakbarian
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genoa, Italy; Research Center for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Vascular Medicine and Longevity (BELONG), Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Casazza
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genoa, Italy; Research Center for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Vascular Medicine and Longevity (BELONG), Via Montallegro 1, 16145 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perego
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering, University of Genoa, Via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmelina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering, University of Genoa, Via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pastorino
mesh_terms: D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003911:Dextrans / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D059808:Polyphenols; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Acidic environment; Controlled release; Layer-by-layer; Nanostructured polymeric capsules; Polyphenols