ROS-responsive nanocarrier for oral delivery of monascin and enhanced alleviation of oxidative stress

Xueyi Chen; Wenli Dai; Wanqi Liang; Dong Li; Wo-Qi Cai; Chan Zhang; Wenlin Hu; Bo-Bo Zhang; Qiongqiong Yang

doi:10.1016/j.jbiosc.2025.01.003

ROS-responsive nanocarrier for oral delivery of monascin and enhanced alleviation of oxidative stress

J Biosci Bioeng. 2025 Jan 25:S1389-1723(25)00003-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2025.01.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xueyi Chen¹, Wenli Dai¹, Wanqi Liang¹, Dong Li², Wo-Qi Cai¹, Chan Zhang³, Wenlin Hu⁴, Bo-Bo Zhang⁵, Qiongqiong Yang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China; Shantou Key Laboratory of Marine Microbial Resources and Interactions with Environment, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
² Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Shantou 515031, China.
³ School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology & Business University (BTBU), Beijing 100048, China.
⁴ Guangdong Tianyi Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Zhanjiang 524000, China.
⁵ Department of Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China; Shantou Key Laboratory of Marine Microbial Resources and Interactions with Environment, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China. Electronic address: bbzhang@stu.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Biology, College of Science, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China; Shantou Key Laboratory of Marine Microbial Resources and Interactions with Environment, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China. Electronic address: qiongqiongyang@stu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39864970
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2025.01.003

Abstract

Oxidative stress, caused by excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of various diseases. Monascin can scavenge ROS and alleviate oxidative stress but with a low fermentation rate and bioavailability. Here, we optimized the fermentation process to increase the production of monascin (508.6 U/mL), and then systematically characterized its structure via HPLC, HPLC-MS, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR. Additionally, we innovatively modified carboxymethylcellulose sodium with selenium (CMC-Se) to encapsulate monascin (monascin@CMC-Se), which can sensitively respond to ROS and release monascin to effectively scavenge excessive ROS. Besides, the monascin@CMC-Se can significantly increase the bioaccessibility of monascin and alleviate cellular oxidative stress by enhancing its cellular uptake rate. Collectively, our work provides proof-of-principle evidence that the CMC-Se can precise delivery of monascin to an oxidatively stressed environment with high resistance to gastric fluids, laying a foundation to overcome inflammation-related diseases in the colon.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Monascin; Oxidative stress; Reactive oxygen species; Responsive nanocarrier.