Title:Mutual Effects of Free and Nanoencapsulated Phenolic Compounds
on Human Microbiota
Volume: 29
Issue: 18
Author(s): Carina Cassini, Pedro Henrique Zatti, Valéria Weiss Angeli, Catia Santos Branco*Mirian Salvador
Affiliation:
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
Keywords:
Phenolic compounds, gut microbiota, nanotechnology, mutual effects, bioavailability, dysbiosis.
Abstract: Phenolic compounds (PC) have many health benefits such as antioxidant, anticarcinogenic,
neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities. All of these activities depend
on their chemical structures and their interaction with biological targets in the body.
PC occur naturally in polymerized form, linked to glycosides and require metabolic transformation
from their ingestion to their absorption. The gut microbiota can transform PC
into more easily absorbed metabolites. PC, in turn, have prebiotic and antimicrobial actions
on the microbiota. Despite this, their low oral bioavailability still compromises biological
performance. Therefore, the use of nanocarriers has been demonstrated to be a
useful strategy to improve PC absorption and, consequently, their health effects. Nanotechnology
is an excellent alternative able to overcome the limits of oral bioavailability of
PC, since it offers protection from degradation during their passage through the gastrointestinal
tract. Moreover, nanotechnology is also capable of promoting controlled PC release
and modulating the interaction between PC and the microbiota. However, little is
known about the impact of nanotechnology on PC effects on the gut microbiota. This review
highlights the use of nanotechnology for PC delivery on gut microbiota, focusing on
the ability of such formulations to enhance oral bioavailability by applying nanocarriers
(polymeric nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles). In addition,
the effects of free and nanocarried PC or nanocarriers per se on gut microbiota are
also described.
