PURPLE CORN ANTHOCYANINS ON ZEIN NANOPARTICLES AS POTENTIAL DELIVERY SYSTEM

Introduction: Purple corn has shown preventive effects against several chronic diseases in preclinical and clinical studies. Its health effects have been attributed to the presence of anthocyanins (ACNs). In this work, ACNs extracted from purple corn cobs were encapsulated in zein nanoparticles (NPs) to enhance ACN stability. Afterwards, ACN-loaded and unloaded formulations were tested on Caco-2 intestinal cells to verify their cytotoxicity. Material & Methods: The extraction of ACNs from corn cobs was performed by maceration using hydroalcoholic solutions acidified using six different acids. Based on extraction efficiency and selectivity three extracts were selected to test their cytotoxicity through MTT on Caco-2 human intestinal cells. The best performing extracts were then employed for the preparation of zein NPs and their morphology and cytotoxicity were assessed. Results: Only formic and hydrochloric extracts showed no cytotoxicity at suitable ACN concentrations and were employed for NPs formulation. At the same concentrations, both formulations were not cytotoxic on Caco-2 cells. SEM and DLS analyses conformed their nanometric dimentions and spherical shape. Conclusion: Encapsulation of ACNs extracted from purple corn cobs in zein-based nanoformulations proved to be safe and not cytotoxic on human intestinal cells and deserve further studies as putative delivery system.