Design and formulation of Eudragit-coated zein/pectin nanoparticles for the colon delivery of resveratrol
EUROPEAN FOOD RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Contado, Catia; Caselotto, Laura; Mello, Paola; Maietti, Annalisa; Marvelli, Lorenza; Marchetti, Nicola; Dalpiaz, Alessandro
Abstract
Resveratrol (RSV) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic phytoalexin with beneficial effects on human health, including the treatment and prevention of ulcerative colitis and cancer. This work proposes the formulation and characterization of new nanoparticles (NPs) for the specific colon delivery of RSV. RSV was encapsulated in zein (Z) NPs, coated by a hydrophilic pectin (P) shell to significantly increase the dissolution rate of RSV in aqueous environments. Since the dissolved drug was strongly degraded in a simulated gastrointestinal tract, the ZP-NPs were coated with Eudragit S 100. The coated particles, even if aggregated, had a spherical morphology with diameters in the 100-200 nm range. Release studies of RSV from the ZP coated NPs evidenced their potential ability to induce a specific colon delivery of this drug so that this formulation can be proposed to enrich natural food products to enhance their preventive and therapeutic effects in the lower GI tract.
Genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of CCDC141 variants in a Chinese cohort with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY
Authors: Hou, Qiao; Wu, Jiayu; Zhao, Yaguang; Wang, Xinying; Jiang, Fang; Chen, Dan-Na; Zheng, Ruizhi; Men, Meichao; Li, Jia-Da
Abstract
Objective: To identify CCDC141 variants in a large Chinese cohort with congenital hypogonadot ropic hypogonadism (CHH) and to assess the contribution of CCDC141 to CHH. Design: Detailed phenotyping was conducted in CHH patients with CCDC141 variants and co-segregation analysis was performed, when possible. Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was performed in 177 CHH patients and 4 50 unrelated, ethnically matched controls from China. Results: Seven novel CCDC141 rare sequencing variants (RSVs) were identified in 12 CHH pedigrees. Four of the variants were private mutations; however, p.Q409X, p.Q871X and p.G1488S were identified in more than one patient. Up to 75% (9/12) of patients had mutations in other CHH-associated genes, which is significantly higher than CHH patients without CCDC141 RSVs. The co-segregation analysis for eight CHH families showed that 75% (6/8) CCDC141 RSVs were inherited from their fertile parents. Over half (58.3%, 8/ 18) of the patients exhibited other clinical deformities in addition to hypogonadism. One patient harbouring a CCDC141 RSV showed a reversal of CHH after sex-steroid replacement. Conclusions: Our results broaden the genotypic spectrum of CCDC141 in CHH, as CCDC141 RSVs alone do not appear sufficient to cause CHH. The phenotypic spectrum in patients with CCDC141 RSVs is much wider than originally believed.