Micronutrient Delivery Systems: Potential Health-Promoting Applications
A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 2593
Special Issue Editors
Interests: microencapsulation; food fortification; food engineering
Interests: flavour processing; functional foods; microencapsulation; emulsification; food fortification; bioactive ingredients
Interests: sustainable food systems engineering; upcycling food loss/waste to recover micronutrients; encapsulation (nano, micro, and macro); food fortification
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Micronutrients are key components that play an important role in human body functioning, energy metabolism, and cell differentiation. They are considered vital ingredients contributing to the functionality of body organs, tissues, and the immune system. These components include trace minerals (e.g., iron, iodine, or zinc), macrominerals (e.g., calcium or phosphate), and vitamins (aqueous or fat-soluble). The deficiency of micronutrients in the human body due to their low intake and bioavailability can have a profound impact on human health and cause diseases including, but not limited to, anaemia, cancer, scurvy, and rickets. The uptake and bioavailability of micronutrients can be enhanced through encapsulation techniques and engineered delivery systems.
Delivery systems such as microspheres or micro/nanoparticles constructed from biodegradable polymers have been applied for the delivery of micronutrients. Colloidal systems including micelles, micro/nanoemulsions, Pickering emulsions, self-micro/nano-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS/SNEDDS), liposomes, hydrogels, and solid-lipid micro/nanoparticles (SLMs/SLNs) have emerged recently as the potential delivery systems of micronutrients in drugs, vaccines, and fortified foods, and have proved to be effective in enhancing the intake and, simultaneously, the in vitro bioaccessibility or in vivo bioavailability of micronutrients. Moreover, inclusion complexes of micronutrients with natural or modified-type cyclodextrins are potential delivery systems that have been receiving specific attention in the food and pharmaceutical industries. These formulated delivery systems can enhance the targeted delivery and permeation of micronutrients administered through different routes (e.g., oral, intravenous/intramuscular, transdermal, intranasal, or ocular delivery) while enhancing their therapeutic effect through controlled release.
In light of the above, this Special Issue aims to focus on research or review articles to highlight recent advancements in the development of micronutrient delivery systems, emphasizing their applications in the development of drugs, vaccines, or fortified foods with enhanced health properties for ameliorating a patient’s health condition or treating diseases caused by micronutrient deficiency.
Prof. Dr. Levente L. Diosady
Dr. Shima Saffarionpour
Dr. Kiruba Krishnaswamy
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- micronutrients
- delivery systems
- colloids
- cyclodextrin inclusion complexes
- in vitro bioaccessibility
- in vivo bioavailability
- targeted delivery
- controlled release
- fortified foods
- drug development
- therapeutic applications
