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Aim: Cyperus rotundus L. (CR) is traditionally used in medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties. In particular, α-cyperone, which is isolated from the essential oil and found primarily in the n-hexane fraction of the ethanolic extract, is known to inhibit NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. However, high concentrations of α-cyperone are required for sufficient anti-inflammatory activity. Even, essential oil obtained from C. rotundus has the disadvantage of low solubility and stability in aqueous environment, which makes it difficult to be applied in various fields and easily loses its activity. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to increase the extraction yield of C. rotundus by microbubble extraction and prepare nanoparticles (NPs) that can preserve its activity in a stable and bioavailable manner by utilizing nanoprecipitation., Methods: C. rotundus rhizomes were extracted in 50% ethanol using microbubbles and then fractionated with n-hexane to obtain α-cyperone-rich C. rotundus n-hexane fraction (CRHF). The biodegradable plant extract, α-cyperone, was prepared as green nanoparticles (CR@NPs) by nanoprecipitation technique under mild reaction conditions. The physicochemical properties of CR@NPs, including size, polydispersity index, and surface charge, were determined using dynamic light scattering. The extraction yield and encapsulation efficiency of α-cyperone were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated by DPPH assay and in vitro ROS and NO assays, and biocompatibility was assessed by MTT assay., Results: C. rotundus loaded nanoparticles demonstrated overcoming the limitation of α-cyperone solubility and stability in CRHF and also the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties as evidenced by in vitro assays in cellular models., Conclusion: The versatility of green chemistry, such as α-cyperone, enables the production of nanoparticles with promising biomedical applications such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food products., Competing Interests: Daekyung Sung, Chaehyun Kim, Juntae Bae, Jun-Hwan Jang, and Ah-Reum Jung report a patent “Method for producing Cyperus Rotundus extract nanoparticles with improved antioxidant and uses of the Cyperus Rotundus extract nanoparticles” issued. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2024 Kim et al.)

Introduction: Deinoxanthin (DX), a carotenoid, has excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, owing to its lipophilicity, it is unfavorably dispersed in water and has low stability, limiting its application in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. Therefore, it is necessary to study nanoparticles to increase the loading capacity and stability of DX., Methods: In this study, DX-loaded nanocapsules (DX@NCs) were prepared by nanoprecipitation by loading DX into nanocapsules. The size, polydispersity index, surface charge, and morphology of DX@NCs were confirmed through dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The loading content and loading efficiency of DX in DX@NCs were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The antioxidant activity of DX@NCs was evaluated by DPPH assay and in vitro ROS. The biocompatibility of DX@NCs was evaluated using an in vitro MTT assay. In vitro NO analysis was performed to determine the effective anti-inflammatory efficacy of DX@NCs., Results: DX@NCs exhibited increased stability and antioxidant efficacy owing to the improved water solubility of DX. The in situ and in vitro antioxidant activity of DX@NCs was higher than that of unloaded DX. In addition, it showed a strong anti-inflammatory effect by regulating the NO level in an in vitro cell model., Conclusion: This study presents a nanocarrier to improve the water-soluble dispersion and stability of DX. These results demonstrate that DX@NC is a carrier with excellent stability and has a high potential for use in cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications owing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2023 Yu et al.)

The elevated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in wounded sites triggers a series of harmful effects, including cellular senescence, fibrotic scar formation, and inflammation. Therefore, alleviating oxidative stress in the microenvironment of wounded sites might promote regenerative wound healing. Generally, ROS-scavenging nanocapsules are effective for treating wounds owing to their anti-oxidative stress activity and targeted effects. In this study, a highly versatile ferrocene functional polymer was synthesized by one-pot radical polymerization, for formulating self-assembled ferrocene nanocapsules (FNCs), which could function as smart carriers of an antioxidant, α-tocopherol (TP), with high stability and loading efficiency. The FNCs showed ROS-sensitive properties, as demonstrated using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and the controlled release of a model drug in an ROS microenvironment. The antioxidant activity of TP-loaded FNCs, analyzed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, was significantly higher than that of unloaded TP. Furthermore, TP-loaded FNCs repressed oxidative damage to mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and reduced intracellular ROS production according to an in vitro antioxidant assay. Most importantly, TP-loaded FNCs showed good biocompatibility and greatly facilitated the healing of infected wounds, as demonstrated using a scratch assay. Therefore, TP-loaded FNCs have potential as an ROS-mediated drug delivery system to treat various oxidative stress-associated diseases., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Astaxanthin (ASTA), a carotenoid, is a strong antioxidant. However, its application in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics remains limited due to its low aqueous solubility and stability. Several different encapsulating materials have been used to improve the stability and bioavailability of ASTA; however, the currently investigated nano-carriers for ASTA require additional improvements with regard to their loading capacity and stability., Methods: In this study, we developed lecithin nano-liposol (Lec NS) as a novel carrier of ASTA using a simple emulsion evaporation method. The physicochemical characteristics including hydrodynamic diameter, polydispersity index, surface charge and morphology were analyzed by DLS and TEM. The antioxidant activity of the ASTA-loaded Lec NS (ASTA@Lec NS) was evaluated using a DPPH radical scavenging assay and in vitro antioxidant assay. The study of in vitro wound healing efficacy was carried out to observe the beneficial effect of antioxidant activity of ASTA@Lec NS on cell migration., Results: ASTA@Lec NS showed improved stability and efficacy owing to improved aqueous solubility of ASTA inside Lec NS. Both in situ and in vitro antioxidant activities of ASTA@Lec NS were higher than that of bare ASTA and Lec NS. It also exhibited strong wound healing efficacy by regulation of ROS level in in vitro cell model., Conclusion: This study revealed that the encapsulation of ASTA into Lec NS using a wet phase transfer enhanced its physiological stability and bioavailability for effective scavenging of reactive oxygen species., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2020 Oh et al.)

Aim: Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) have been reported as excellent antioxidant agents owing to their ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species. However, their poor stability in vivo limits their use in biomedical applications. Materials & methods: In this study, we developed chitosan-templated PB NPs using water-soluble chitosan samples with molecular weights ranging from 3 to 100 kDa, which stabilized the PB NPs and improved their antioxidant activity. Results & conclusion: The chitosan-templated PB NPs coordinated with the optimal chitosan molecular weight had uniform sphere-like particles, improved stability and effective scavenging activity of in vitro  reactive oxygen species generation in murine fibroblast cells stimulated by oxidative stress agents without any cytotoxicity, implying that they could be promising antioxidant agents.