Feasibility of Brewer’s Spent Yeast Microcapsules as Targeted Oral Carriers
Sofia F. Reis,
Vitor J. Martins,
Rita Bastos,
Tânia Lima,
Viviana G. Correia,
Benedita A. Pinheiro,
Lisete M. Silva,
Angelina S. Palma,
Paula Ferreira,
Manuel Vilanova,
Manuel A. Coimbra,
Elisabete Coelho
Affiliations
Sofia F. Reis
REQUIMTE-LAQV, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Vitor J. Martins
REQUIMTE-LAQV, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Rita Bastos
REQUIMTE-LAQV, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Tânia Lima
I3S, Institute for Research in Innovation in Health, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Viviana G. Correia
UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
Benedita A. Pinheiro
UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
Lisete M. Silva
REQUIMTE-LAQV, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Angelina S. Palma
UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
Paula Ferreira
CICECO, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Manuel Vilanova
I3S, Institute for Research in Innovation in Health, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Manuel A. Coimbra
REQUIMTE-LAQV, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Elisabete Coelho
REQUIMTE-LAQV, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Brewer’s spent yeast (BSY) microcapsules have a complex network of cell-wall polysaccharides that are induced by brewing when compared to the baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) microcapsules. These are rich in (β1→3)-glucans and covalently linked to (α1→4)- and (β1→4)-glucans in addition to residual mannoproteins. S. cerevisiae is often used as a drug delivery system due to its immunostimulatory potential conferred by the presence of (β1→3)-glucans. Similarly, BSY microcapsules could also be used in the encapsulation of compounds or drug delivery systems with the advantage of resisting digestion conferred by (β1→4)-glucans and promoting a broader immunomodulatory response. This work aims to study the feasibility of BSY microcapsules that are the result of alkali and subcritical water extraction processes, as oral carriers for food and biomedical applications by (1) evaluating the resistance of BSY microcapsules to in vitro digestion (IVD), (2) their recognition by the human Dectin-1 immune receptor after IVD, and (3) the recognition of IVD-solubilized material by different mammalian immune receptors. IVD digested 44–63% of the material, depending on the extraction process. The non-digested material, despite some visible agglutination and deformation of the microcapsules, preserved their spherical shape and was enriched in (β1→3)-glucans. These microcapsules were all recognized by the human Dectin-1 immune receptor. The digested material was differentially recognized by a variety of lectins of the immune system related to (β1→3)-glucans, glycogen, and mannans. These results show the potential of BSY microcapsules to be used as oral carriers for food and biomedical applications.
