In the last few decades, several natural and synthetic polymers have been used as starting material for the development of innovative polymeric nanoparticles able to encapsulate biologically active substances and to modulate their biopharmaceutical features and/or therapeutic efficacy. This investigation focused on the comparison of the physico-chemical properties of nanosystems made up of two of the most successfully used biodegradable biomaterials, namely poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and zein, belonging to the synthetic and natural family of polymers, respectively. Rutin, a polyphenolic bioflavonoid characterized by peculiar antioxidant properties, was chosen as the model drug to be encapsulated in the polymeric systems. The results demonstrated a greater ability of zein-based nanosystems to effectively retain the active compound with respect to the PLGA particles. The integration of rutin in the protein matrix favored a controlled drug leakage, and was influenced by the surfactant used to stabilize the formulation. Moreover, rutin-loaded zein nanoparticles showed significant in vitro antioxidant activity, evidencing a synergistic action between the intrinsic antioxidant activity of the protein and the pharmacological properties of the active compound. Finally, the intracellular localization of the zein nanosystems was demonstrated through confocal laser scanning microscopy.

在过去的几十年中，几种天然和合成聚合物已用作开发能够封装生物活性物质并调节其生物药物特性和/或治疗功效的创新聚合物纳米粒子的原料。这项研究的重点是比较由两种最成功使用的可生物降解的生物材料，即聚乳酸-乙醇酸（PLGA）和玉米蛋白组成的纳米系统的理化性质，玉米属于玉米的合成和天然家族。聚合物。芦丁是一种具有独特抗氧化特性的多酚类生物类黄酮，被选作要封装在聚合物系统中的模型药物。结果表明，基于玉米醇溶蛋白的纳米系统具有相对于PLGA颗粒有效保留活性化合物的更大能力。芦丁在蛋白质基质中的整合有利于控制药物的泄漏，并受到用于稳定制剂的表面活性剂的影响。此外，芦丁负载的玉米醇溶蛋白纳米颗粒显示出显着的体外抗氧化活性，证明蛋白质的固有抗氧化活性与活性化合物的药理特性之间具有协同作用。最后，通过共聚焦激光扫描显微镜证实了玉米醇溶蛋白纳米系统的细胞内定位。