Controlled-Release Beads Could Enhance Delivery of Probiotics to the Gut
Researchers combined two organic materials to create strong beads that encapsulate bioactive compounds.
Controlled-release systems deliver medication and other bioactive compounds to the ideal spot inside a body and over a specific time. New research from the U of A and the U of A System Division of Agriculture could improve these systems used for probiotics that boost gut health, drugs that target cancer cells and other medications for human and animal health.
The researchers combined two organic materials, cellulose nanocrystals derived from wood pulp and alginate from brown algae, to create strong beads that encapsulate bioactive compounds. The micron-sized beads, 1/100th the size of the finest grain of beach sand, tighten in an acidic environment like the stomach, protecting the bioactive compound from both acid and the digestive enzymes. The beads swell in an alkaline, or basic, environment like the intestines, releasing the bioactive compound and then harmlessly dissolving.
The beads were created using electrohydrodynamic extrusion, which had not previously been used for a composite of cellulose nanocrystals and alginate. The electrohydrodynamic process provides more control over the size and shape of the beads, two issues with other approaches to producing controlled release systems.
The findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Carbohydrate Polymers. The senior author was Jin-Woo Kim, Distinguished Professor of biological and agricultural engineering for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture. He is also a professor of materials science and engineering in the College of Engineering at the U of A.
The new controlled-release system could be particularly effective at delivering probiotics to the gut, where they can aid digestion and boost the immune system.
“Probiotics are sensitive to acid. Most will die in the stomach,” Kim said.
Kim received a grant from the Arkansas Research Alliance to use the new controlled-release system to add probiotics into animal feed, reducing the need for antibiotics and lowering farming costs. Kim’s industry partner on the ARA grant is CelluDot, a startup headquartered at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park.
Reference: Batta-Mpouma J, Kandhola G, Kaur J, et al. Cellulose nanocrystal-based hydrogel microspheres prepared via electrohydrodynamic processes for controlled release of bioactive compounds. Carbohydr Polym. 2025;356:123355. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.123355
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