Abstract
Essential oil components (EOCs) such as eugenol play a significant role in plant antimicrobial defense. Due to the volatility and general reactivity of these molecules, plants have evolved smart systems for their storage and release, which are key prerequisites for their efficient use. In this study, biomimetic systems for the controlled release of eugenol, inspired by natural plant defense mechanisms, were prepared and their antifungal activity is described. Delivery and antifungal studies of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) loaded with eugenol and capped with different saccharide gates—starch, maltodextrin, maltose and glucose—against fungus Aspergillus niger—were performed. The maltodextrin- and maltose-capped systems show very low eugenol release in the absence of the fungus Aspergillus niger but high cargo delivery in its presence. The anchored saccharides are degraded by exogenous enzymes, resulting in eugenol release and efficient inhibition of fungal growth.
Highlights
Botanical systems have developed the intriguing ability to respond to various stimuli due to long-term survival competition [1]
The delivery system presented in this work is based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) functionalized with saccharide “molecular gates” and loaded with the Essential oil components (EOCs) eugenol
The gatelike functional hybrid systems presented in this work consist of MCM-41 type-based nanoparticles functionalized with different “saccharide” derivatives on the pore outlets aim of this study was to design biocompatible, easy-to-prepare and low-cost molecular- gated capping systems to synthesize simple gated systems to be used efficiently in controlled release applications
Summary
Botanical systems have developed the intriguing ability to respond to various stimuli due to long-term survival competition [1]. Volatile compounds produced by plants are one of the simplest but most effective and ubiquitous constituents of plant defense systems. Thanks to these compounds, many plants possess insecticidal, antifungal, antibacterial, acaricidal and cytotoxic activities [2,3,4] and are intentionally used by animals to protect themselves, as documented in the case of elephants, pigs and apes [5]. Plant volatiles have been extracted in the form of essential oils and used as antimicrobial agents in health care, food production, or cosmetics for thousands of years [6]. Extraction compromises one of the most important determinants of the effectiveness of plant volatiles, i.e., their release
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