Desenvolvimento de nutracêutico contendo extrato de própolis vermelha e nanopartículas/nanocompósitos obtidos por gelificação iônica

Abstract

Nutraceuticals are foods or parts of foods that have health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of diseases. Red propolis is an efficient nutraceutical, widely used in the form of extract in human therapy due to its pharmacological properties and has shown promise in nanostructured systems, significantly increasing its therapeutic efficacy. However, it is quite unstable to extrinsic factors, compromising its functional activity, requiring technological alternatives to improve its conservation, such as encapsulation methods, which can be used to improve this stability. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a nutraceutical in the form of microcapsules incorporating red propolis extract, together with ZnO and ZnOAg nanoparticles. Six formulations (F1 to F6) were prepared by the ionic gelation method, and then the encapsulation efficiency for total flavonoids, dissolution and release of flavonoids were evaluated and characterized by SEM, TGA and FTIRATR. The biological activities were evaluated through antioxidant (DPPH, FRAP, ORAC) and antimicrobial (Trichoderma afroharzianum, Fusarium oxysporum, Diaporthe caulivora, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) activity. The encapsulation efficiency was high, in which F4, F5 and F6 presented efficiencies of 92.51, 94.12 and 95.92%, respectively. The photomicrographs (SEM) showed surfaces without cracks and different characteristics according to each formulation. The encapsulation technique ensured the preservation of the chemical characteristics of the compounds, as observed in the FTIR-ATR analysis, as well as good thermal stability for F4 and F5. In the antioxidant activity, all formulations presented statistical differences, however, F4 and F5 obtained the best results. All formulations exhibited antimicrobial activity against the tested strains. Notably, formulation F3 demonstrated superior activity against S. aureus, however, formulations F4, F5 and F6 exhibited significant inhibitory effects on the overall growth of the pathogen. Thus, it is concluded that the results are promising and offer a basis for expanding the scope of the research.