Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals

Despite increasing interest in nutraceuticals and their potential health benefit, not much is known about bioavailability of most of these nutraceutical compounds. Although they are considered dietary supplement and are subjected to a limited form of regulation, there is, however, a need to improve...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ismail, Maznah, Loh, Su Peng, M. H., Waffaa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia 2005
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41118/1/Bioavailability%20studies%20of%20nutraceuticals.pdf
_version_ 1796973871919792128
author Ismail, Maznah
Loh, Su Peng
M. H., Waffaa
author_facet Ismail, Maznah
Loh, Su Peng
M. H., Waffaa
author_sort Ismail, Maznah
collection UPM
description Despite increasing interest in nutraceuticals and their potential health benefit, not much is known about bioavailability of most of these nutraceutical compounds. Although they are considered dietary supplement and are subjected to a limited form of regulation, there is, however, a need to improve the efficacy and safety of these nutraceuticals. Additional research which defines the pharmacology, stability and bioavailability of these products is expected to gain strength and may offer a better understanding of their applicability in the prevention of disease conditions. This article reviews some aspects of nutraceutical bioavailability with examples from our work on the absorption studies of minerals from spirulina (Arthrospira plantensis) and gamma-oryzanol from rice bran (Oriza sativa) extract which employed human colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cell line and in vivo bioassays using animal models. Bioavailability of iron from spirulina was compared with its common source FeSo4. Using the in vitro digestion protocol in combination with Caco-2 cell culture system, spirulina showed a high iron bioavailability compared to FeSO4. The presence of other dietary factors (calcium, ascorbic acid, zinc, tannin and caffeine) was found to be not as significant as ferrous sulphate in affecting the iron uptake from spirulina. In vivo study showed that the efficacy of iron repletion in anaemic rats was enhanced in groups fed either commercial or cultured spirulina with improved haematological parameters of iron status. Further work on the behaviour and distribution of radiolabelled iron from spirulina has sown that iron 59 retained in the GIT of mice was lower in spirulina group compared to FeSO4. Bioavailability study of gamma oryzanol was similarly conducted using Caco-2 cell as in vitro system and rabbit as in vivo model with the application of different formulations of gamma oryzanol in comparison with the natural form. Both systems showed that gamma oryzanol in its natural oil was poorly absorbed. However, when converted to other formulations, gamma oryxanol bioavailability was greatly increased by as much 200 and 33 times more from the emulsion and microspheres respectively. These findings suggest that the efficacy of nutraceuticals in particular plant derived products which contain many ohytochemicals should be assessed in terms of not only their potential health benefits such as antioxidant action but also their bioavailability in order to provide a more wholesome picture of their potential.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T08:48:58Z
format Article
id upm.eprints-41118
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T08:48:58Z
publishDate 2005
publisher Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia
record_format dspace
spelling upm.eprints-411182015-12-03T00:56:38Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41118/ Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals Ismail, Maznah Loh, Su Peng M. H., Waffaa Despite increasing interest in nutraceuticals and their potential health benefit, not much is known about bioavailability of most of these nutraceutical compounds. Although they are considered dietary supplement and are subjected to a limited form of regulation, there is, however, a need to improve the efficacy and safety of these nutraceuticals. Additional research which defines the pharmacology, stability and bioavailability of these products is expected to gain strength and may offer a better understanding of their applicability in the prevention of disease conditions. This article reviews some aspects of nutraceutical bioavailability with examples from our work on the absorption studies of minerals from spirulina (Arthrospira plantensis) and gamma-oryzanol from rice bran (Oriza sativa) extract which employed human colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cell line and in vivo bioassays using animal models. Bioavailability of iron from spirulina was compared with its common source FeSo4. Using the in vitro digestion protocol in combination with Caco-2 cell culture system, spirulina showed a high iron bioavailability compared to FeSO4. The presence of other dietary factors (calcium, ascorbic acid, zinc, tannin and caffeine) was found to be not as significant as ferrous sulphate in affecting the iron uptake from spirulina. In vivo study showed that the efficacy of iron repletion in anaemic rats was enhanced in groups fed either commercial or cultured spirulina with improved haematological parameters of iron status. Further work on the behaviour and distribution of radiolabelled iron from spirulina has sown that iron 59 retained in the GIT of mice was lower in spirulina group compared to FeSO4. Bioavailability study of gamma oryzanol was similarly conducted using Caco-2 cell as in vitro system and rabbit as in vivo model with the application of different formulations of gamma oryzanol in comparison with the natural form. Both systems showed that gamma oryzanol in its natural oil was poorly absorbed. However, when converted to other formulations, gamma oryxanol bioavailability was greatly increased by as much 200 and 33 times more from the emulsion and microspheres respectively. These findings suggest that the efficacy of nutraceuticals in particular plant derived products which contain many ohytochemicals should be assessed in terms of not only their potential health benefits such as antioxidant action but also their bioavailability in order to provide a more wholesome picture of their potential. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia 2005-01 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41118/1/Bioavailability%20studies%20of%20nutraceuticals.pdf Ismail, Maznah and Loh, Su Peng and M. H., Waffaa (2005) Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 1 (1). pp. 1-12. ISSN 1675-8544 http://www.medic.upm.edu.my/dokumen/FKUSK1_MJMHS_2005V01N1_IR01.pdf
spellingShingle Ismail, Maznah
Loh, Su Peng
M. H., Waffaa
Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals
title Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals
title_full Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals
title_fullStr Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals
title_full_unstemmed Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals
title_short Bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals
title_sort bioavailability studies of nutraceuticals
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41118/1/Bioavailability%20studies%20of%20nutraceuticals.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT ismailmaznah bioavailabilitystudiesofnutraceuticals
AT lohsupeng bioavailabilitystudiesofnutraceuticals
AT mhwaffaa bioavailabilitystudiesofnutraceuticals