Zein-polysaccharide nanoparticles as matrices for antioxidant compounds: A strategy for prevention of chronic degenerative diseases

Oxidative Stress (OS) produces the formation of free radicals and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that are intimately involved in many diseases, especially Chronic Degenerative Diseases (CDD) such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity, among others. Thus, reactive compounds need to be quenched by antioxidants. The problems of these compounds include that they are susceptible to degradation, have low bioavailability, and can lose their bioactivity in the gastroIntestinal tract. Therefore, an alternative is encapsulation. Zein is a protein used in nanotechnology as a polymer matrix because it can encapsulate different compounds such as antioxidants to provide stability and control of the release. The disadvantage of zein as a delivery vehicle is that it is limited by the low stability of aggregation when suspended in water, in addition to the conditions of acid pH or that higher ionic strength tends to destabilize. To reduce these limitations, the incorporation of polysaccharides as a second polymer matrix can provide stability in zein nanoparticles. In this review, we discuss OS as a source of CDD, the role of antioxidants in the prevention of these diseases, and the preparation, characterization, and application of antioxidant-zein-polysaccharide particles as delivery systems as well as possible mechanisms to control CDD.