Strategies to utilize naturally occurring protein architectures as nanovehicles for hydrophobic nutraceuticals

• Published in: Food hydrocolloids Vol. 112; p. 106344
• Main Author: Tang, Chuan-he
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2021
• Subjects: bioavailability; casein; Casein micelles; dietary supplements; dissociation; drugs; Ferritin; hydrocolloids; hydrophobicity; legumes; micelles; Nanoencapsulation; Nutraceuticals; Reassembled nanoparticles; Soy β-conglycinin; water solubility; Casein micelles; Nanoencapsulation; Ferritin; Nutraceuticals; Soy β-conglycinin; Reassembled nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0268-005X; 1873-7137
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2020.106344

The development of protein-based nanovehicles to improve water solubility, stability and bioavailability of hydrophobic or poorly soluble nutraceuticals has become a subject of fast increasing interest in the field. This review mainly presents the state-of-art knowledge about the utilization of naturally occurring nanostructured protein architectures (casein micelles, ferritin and legume oligomeric globulins) as nanovehicles for hydrophobic nutraceuticals or drugs, through a disassembly and reassembly strategy. First, the composition and structural features of these three naturally occurring architectures are briefly summarized. Then, many strategies and techniques to mediate the disassembly and reassembly of these naturally occurring architectures are comprehensively reviewed, including pH-, urea-, alcohol-, high pressure -, and heat-mediated disassembly and reassembly (or dissociation and reassociation). Last, reassembled casein micelles, ferritin (or apoferritin) and legume oligomeric protein nanoparticles are demonstrated to perform as outstanding nanovehicles for improving water dispersion, stability and bioactivities of many nutraceuticals or drugs. Due to the rapidly increasing consumer interests for health-benefiting foods, this review is of importance for the development of a kind of outstanding nanovehicles for nutraceuticals with a great potential to be applied in functional foods or drug formulations. [Display omitted] •Many naturally occurring protein architectures can act as nanovehicles for nutraceuticals or drugs.•Strategies for disassembly and reassembly of protein architectures are critically reviewed.•Reassembled protein architectures or nanoparticles as nanovehicles for nutraceuticals are reviewed.•Casein micelles are the widely investigated protein architectures to act as nanovehicles.•Reassembled legume globulin nanoparticles show a promising potential to act as nanovehicles.