Enhanced biocompatibility of silk sericin/caffeic acid nanoparticles by red blood cell membranes cloaking

Caffeic acid (CA) is an antioxidant phenolic compound that enriched in coffee beans, however, its administration often restrains by the instability and low solubility. Nanoparticle encapsulation is an effective approach to improve the therapeutic activity of CA. For example, silk sericin (SS), a natural biomaterial finds applications in food, cosmetics and biomedical fields, is proved here to be an appropriate encapsulation agent for CA, and a SS/ CA composite nanoparticle has been fabricated. To further improve the biocompatibility of SS/CA, a red blood cell membranes (RM) cloaking strategy is adopted. The as-formed SS/CA/RM preserves the antioxidant activity of CA, and shows satisfactory biocompatibility especially under high concentration. Hope this can provide a potential appropriative strategy to adjust the chemical stability of insoluble drugs and to improve their biocompatibility.

Automated summary

Caffeic acid, an antioxidant compound found in coffee beans, has limited administration due to its instability and low solubility. Nanoparticle encapsulation, particularly with silk sericin, has been used to enhance its therapeutic activity. To further improve its biocompatibility, a red blood cell membranes cloaking strategy was employed. The resulting silk sericin/caffeic acid/red blood cell membrane composite preserved the antioxidant activity and demonstrated satisfactory biocompatibility, especially at high concentrations. This approach may offer a potential strategy for adjusting chemical stability and improving biocompatibility of insoluble drugs.