Regulation of antioxidant stability and bioactivity of Epicatechin-Fe³⁺ nanoparticles by protein-polysaccharide Co-assembly strategy.
- 1Guizhou Key Laboratory of New Quality Processing and Storage of Ecological Specialty Food, College of Liquor and Food Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550025, PR China.
- 2Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550025, PR China.
Abstract
Epicatechin (EC), a potent antioxidant polyphenol abundant in functional foods, suffers from rapid oxidative inactivation and poor solubility, limiting its bioactivity and industrial applications. Here, we developed uniform ternary nanoparticles (EFOC) via polyphenol-protein-polysaccharide co-assembly, using EC-Fe³⁺ coordination networks (EF) as the core and synergistically crosslinking with ovalbumin (OVA) and chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (CQAS). The EFOC nanoparticles feature an embedded hydrophobic core formed by OVA encapsulation and an outer shell stabilized by CQAS via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, constituting a dual-layer protective structure that preserves an amorphous architecture (468.1 nm, ζ-potential 21.26 mV). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed effective protection of surface C-O groups, yielding DPPH• and ABTS•⁺ radical scavenging retention rates exceeding 88.51% and 94.30% after 30 days, markedly outperforming binary assemblies (EFO and EFC). In vitro, stored EFOC reduced LPS-induced reactive oxygen species by 96.16%, restored antioxidant enzyme activities, suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines, and upregulated IL-10. Colonic fermentation showed selective enrichment of SCFA-producing bacteria (Bifidobacterium, Phascolarctobacterium), correlating with radical scavenging retention and enhanced acetate and propionate production. This study demonstrates that EFOC provides long-lasting antioxidant activity, cellular protection, and microbiota modulation through a dual-layer protective mechanism integrating hydrophobic embedding and electrostatic-hydrogen bonding shell, offering a promising strategy for high-stability polyphenol-based nutritional interventions.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026regulation,
title = {{Regulation of antioxidant stability and bioactivity of Epicatechin-Fe³⁺ nanoparticles by protein-polysaccharide Co-assembly strategy.}},
author = {Chunping Wang and Zhongyuan Wang and Xiaotan Jiang and Jiao Wu and Yuxin Cheng and Tingting Zhu and Yuanyuan Liu},
journal = {Current research in food science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.crfs.2026.101604},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960296},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Regulation of antioxidant stability and bioactivity of Epicatechin-Fe³⁺ nanoparticles by protein-polysaccharide Co-assembly strategy.
AU - Chunping Wang
AU - Zhongyuan Wang
AU - Xiaotan Jiang
AU - Jiao Wu
AU - Yuxin Cheng
AU - Tingting Zhu
AU - Yuanyuan Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Current research in food science
DO - 10.1016/j.crfs.2026.101604
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960296
AB - Epicatechin (EC), a potent antioxidant polyphenol abundant in functional foods, suffers from rapid oxidative inactivation and poor solubility, limiting its bioactivity and industrial applications. Here, we developed uniform ternary nanoparticles (EFOC) via polyphenol-protein-polysaccharide co-assembly, using EC-Fe³⁺ coordination networks (EF) as the core and synergistically crosslinking with ovalbumin (OVA) and chitosan quaternary ammonium salt (CQAS). The EFOC nanoparticles feature an embedded hydrophobic core formed by OVA encapsulation and an outer shell stabilized by CQAS via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, constituting a dual-layer protective structure that preserves an amorphous architecture (468.1 nm, ζ-potential 21.26 mV). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed effective protection of surface C-O groups, yielding DPPH• and ABTS•⁺ radical scavenging retention rates exceeding 88.51% and 94.30% after 30 days, markedly outperforming binary assemblies (EFO and EFC). In vitro, stored EFOC reduced LPS-induced reactive oxygen species by 96.16%, restored antioxidant enzyme activities, suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines, and upregulated IL-10. Colonic fermentation showed selective enrichment of SCFA-producing bacteria (Bifidobacterium, Phascolarctobacterium), correlating with radical scavenging retention and enhanced acetate and propionate production. This study demonstrates that EFOC provides long-lasting antioxidant activity, cellular protection, and microbiota modulation through a dual-layer protective mechanism integrating hydrophobic embedding and electrostatic-hydrogen bonding shell, offering a promising strategy for high-stability polyphenol-based nutritional interventions.
SN - 2665-9271
ER -