An official website of the United States government.
Goal: Develop effective delivery systems for model flavonoid compounds from food, to enable testing these compounds for their beneficial biological activity, and ultimately to facilitate their delivery as dietary supplements and/or functional food ingredients. <P>
Supporting Objectives: <UL> <LI> Identify, design, and synthesize biocompatible cellulose derivatives for enhanced and reproducible delivery of poorly soluble phytochemicals through disruption of molecular assembly (crystallization) processes. <LI>Develop and implement methods to test the ability of polymers to inhibit crystallization of phytochemicals both during storage of the molecular level dispersion and on contact with aqueous media during dissolution. <LI>Probe the mechanism by which the molecular assembly of the phytochemical is disrupted by the cellulose polymer both in a solid matrix and from solution. <LI>Test the chemical and physical stability of the solid dispersions following storage and exposure to processing conditions. <LI>Demonstrate the superior dissolution and release profiles of the engineered polymer-phytochemical systems.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Flavonoid compounds are extremely interesting components of food, with known benefits to human health. A well-known example is resveratrol, a component of red wine which has been shown to provide benefits to moderate red wine consumers, in particular by preventing heart disease. These flavonoids would probably be much more effective, both in the food and as dietary supplements, except for the fact that they are not absorbed well into the bloodstream after eating. We will examine a wide variety of derivatives of cellulose, which is a safe polymer that is present in all plant life, and is a part of all of our diets. These cellulose derivatives will be combined with the flavonoid compounds in such a way so as to make the flavonoids more soluble, and more easily absorbed from food. We expect this study to lead to better flavonoid formulations that can enhance human health to a much higher degree and in far more predictable fashion.
<P>
APPROACH: We will use the phytochemicals ellagic acid, quercetin, curcumin, naringenin, and resveratrol for this study. We will combine these important flavonoids with commercial (HPMCAS, C-A-P, CMCAB) and novel (synthesized by us; to include cellulose adipate esters and CMC long chain esters) polysaccharide derivatives in matrix formulations. These matrices will be prepared by appropriate techniques including coprecipitation, film casting, spray drying, rotary evaporation, and lyophilization. We will also spin coat matrices. We will develop screening analyses to determine the degree of crystallinity of flavonoid in polysaccharide matrix, including modulated DSC, polarized light microscopy, and fiber optic UV to follow dissolution. Matrices will also be analyzed by characterization techniques such as IR and NMR spectroscopy, as well as DSC, stability testing, and dissolution rate testing.