Over the previous years, the design, development, and potential application of nanocarriers in the medical field have been intensively studied for their ability to preserve drug properties, especially their pharmacological activity, and to improve their bioavailability. This work is a comparative study between two different types of nanocarriers, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)-based nanoparticles and phosphatidylcholine-based nanoliposomes, both prepared for the encapsulation of bovine serum albumin as a model protein. Polymeric nanoparticles were produced using the double emulsion water-oil-water evaporation method, whereas nanoliposomes were obtained by the thin-film hydration method. Both nanocarriers were characterized by morphological analysis, particle mean size, particle size distribution, and protein entrapment efficiency. Invitro release studies were performed for 12 days at 37 °C. In order to explore a possible application of these nanocarriers for a targeted therapy in the cardiovascular field, hemolytic activity and biocompatibility, in terms of cell viability, were performed by using human red blood cells and EA.hy926 human endothelial cell line, respectively.

Considering the global increase in fish consumption, the growing side-streams coming from the fish supply chain (e.g., skin, fins, tail, heads…), also including undersized or “unwanted catches”, have been recently proposed as source of high-value bioactive compounds (e.g., peptides and fatty acids). In this case study, hydrolyzed collagen peptides (HCPs) were extracted from different parts of Mugil cephalus L. using environmentally friendly techniques such as ultrasounds and enzymatic treatments. Both a mixed biomass derived from the skin, fins, and tail, and a whole fish, were considered as starting biomass, simulating the unsorted processing side-streams and an undersized/unwanted catch, respectively. The extracted HCPs were purified in fractions (3 KDa) whose yields (about 5% and 0.04–0.3%, respectively) demonstrated the efficiency of the hydrolysis process. The extraction protocol proposed allowed us to also isolate the intermediate products, namely the lipids (about 8–10%) and the non-collagenous proteins (NCs, 16–23%), whose exploitation could be considered. Each sample was characterized using Sircol, UltraViolet-Spectra, and hydroxyproline assay, and the viability of their collagen fractions was tested on human endothelial cells. Significant effects were obtained at a fraction of <3 KDa, in particular at a concentration of 0.13 µg/mL. The T-scratch test was also performed, with positive results in all fractions tested.

This study presents for the first time a scalable process for the extraction of valuable proteins starting from samples of unsorted mixed tuna scraps which were previously dehydrated by an industrial patented process. The aims of this work were both to avoid the onerous sorting step of tuna leftovers, which generally consists of isolating skin and bones for collagen/gelatin extraction, and to improve the logistic of managing highly perishable biomass thanks to the reduction in its volume and to its microbiological stabilization. In view of a zero-waste economy, all the protein fractions (namely, non-collagenous proteins NCs and ALKs, gelatin, and hydrolyzed gelatin peptides, HGPs) isolated in the proposed single cascade flowchart were stabilized and preliminarily characterized. The extraction flowchart proposed allows one to obtain the following most promising compounds: 1.7 g of gelatin, 3.2 g of HGPs, and 14.6 g of NCs per 100 g of dehydrated starting material. A focus on oven-dried gelatin was reported in terms of proximate analysis, amino acid composition, color parameters, FT-IR spectrum, pH, and viscoelastic properties (5 mPa·s of viscosity and 14.3 °C of gelling temperature). All the obtained extracts are intended to be exploited in food supplements, feed, fertilizers/plant bio-stimulants, packaging, and the cosmetic industry.

This work is a comparative study among three different biocompatible and biodegradable polymers, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), poly(ε-caprolactone), and poly(lactic acid), used to produce microparticles for the encapsulation of bevacizumab for drug delivery purposes. All the formulations were produced using the double emulsion water-oil-water evaporation method and characterized in terms of particle mean diameter, particle size distribution, and bevacizumab entrapment efficiency. Bevacizumab cumulative release was taken into consideration to study the dissolution kinetics from the three different polymeric delivery platforms for a period of 50 days at 37 °C in phosphate buffered saline and mathematical models of the drug release kinetic were attempted in order to describe the release phenomena from the different types of the studied microparticles. Finally, cell viability on human endothelial cell line EA.hy926 was studied to define the maximum cytocompatible concentration for each microsystem, registering the mitochondrial functionality through MTS assay.

Encapsulation of antibodies represents a significant advance to protect and deliver these therapeutics in a controlled manner, increasing the stability requested to cover the temporal gap between particle production and their administration. Furthermore, using encapsulation, extracellular, cell surface, and intracellular targets can be reached. This work examines the feasibility of encapsulating mouse IgG isotype control antibodies within phosphatidylcholine-based liposomes using a supercritical fluid-based process called SuperLip (Supercritical-assisted Liposome formation). This process allows a continuous production of both nano- and micrometric liposomes with high encapsulation efficiency working under mild operative conditions. The effect of some operative parameters has been studied on liposome mean diameter, particle size distribution, and antibody entrapment efficiency, comparing these data with those collected working with liposomes obtained by the thin-layer hydration technique. In particular, the effect of water flow rate and of the antibody loading were studied. Antibody-loaded liposomes with mean diameters in the range between 205 and 501 nm have been obtained by using a supercritical fluid-assisted process. High entrapment efficiencies up to 94% have been calculated.

Aluminum is an element found in nature and in cosmetic products. It can interfere with the metabolism of other cations, thus inducing gastrointestinal disorder. In cosmetics, aluminum is used in antiperspirants, lipsticks, and toothpastes. The aim of this work is to investigate aluminum bioavailability after accidental oral ingestion derived from the use of a toothpaste containing a greater amount of aluminum hydroxide than advised by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). To simulate in vitro toothpaste accidental ingestion, the INFOGEST model was employed, and the amount of aluminum was measured through the ICP-AES analysis. Tissue barrier integrity was analyzed by measuring transepithelial electric resistance, and the tissue architecture was checked through light microscopy. The margin of safety was also calculated. Overall, our results indicate that the acute exposure to aluminum accidentally ingested from toothpastes is safe for the final user, even in amounts higher than SCCS indications.