Dr Ken Ng and Dr Ian Larson from Monash University’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have designed a nanoparticle, that protects antioxidants from being destroyed in the gut and give’s them a better chance of them being absorbed in the human digestive tract.

Dr Larson said orally delivered antioxidants were easily destroyed by acids and enzymes in the human body, with only a small percentage of what is consumed actually being absorbed.

The solution is to design a tiny sponge-like chitosan biopolymeric nanoparticle as a protective vehicle for antioxidants. Chitosan is a natural substance found in crab shells.

“Antioxidants sit within this tiny trojan horse, protecting it from attack from digestive juices in the stomach,” Dr Larson said.

“Once in the small intestine the nanoparticle gets sticky and bonds to the intestinal wall. It then leaks its contents directly into the intestinal cells, which allows them to be absorbed directly into the blood stream.

“We hope that by mastering this technique, drugs and supplements also vulnerable to the digestive process can be better absorbed by the human body.”

The research project will start trials early in 2009.

Posted: 08|25|08 at 5:04 pm. Filed under: News.