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. 2022 Jan 20;11(3):271.
doi: 10.3390/foods11030271.

Study of Stability, Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Activity of Chios Mastic Gum Fractions (Neutral, Acidic) after Encapsulation in Liposomes

Olga Gortzi  1 , Magdalini Rovoli  2 , Konstantinos Katsoulis  2 , Konstantia Graikou  3 , Despoina-Aikaterini Karagkini  4 , Dimitrios Stagos  4 , Dimitrios Kouretas  4 , John Tsaknis  5 , Ioanna Chinou  3
Affiliations

Study of Stability, Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Activity of Chios Mastic Gum Fractions (Neutral, Acidic) after Encapsulation in Liposomes

Olga Gortzi et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Mastic gum is a resinous sap produced by Pistacia lentiscus growing in the island of Chios (Greece) and has been recognized since Antiquity for its distinctive aroma as well as medical properties (antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory ones). The oral absorption of Chios Mastic gum (an insoluble polymer of poly-β-myrcene is among the most abundant contents) is poor due to its low water-solubility. We report in this study, two different Chios mastic gum extracts, the acidic mastic gum extract-AMGE-and the neutral one-NMGE, both prepared after removal of the contained polymer in order to ameliorate solubility and enhance in vivo activity. Liposomes are presented as a promising delivery system due to their physicochemical and biophysical properties to increase stability and absorption efficiency of the mastic gum extracts within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability in GI simulated conditions together with cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of the two extracts (AMGE and NMGE) after encapsulation in a well characterized liposome formulation. Liposomes-AMGE complex showed an improved stability behavior in GI simulated conditions. Both assayed extracts showed significant dose dependent inhibition against the growth of liver cancer HepG2 cells and an interesting antimicrobial activity against several microorganisms. Conclusively, encapsulation could be evaluated as a beneficial procedure for further applications of mastic resin.

Keywords: antimicrobial activity; chios mastic gum; cytotoxic activity; encapsulation; liposomes; stability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Stability of liposomes encapsulated mastic gum extracts in SGJ (simulated gastric juices). AMGE: acidic mastic gum extract; NMGE: neutral mastic gum extract.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stability of liposomes encapsulated mastic gum extracts in BS (bile solution). AMGE: acidic mastic gum extract; NMGE: neutral mastic gum extract.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Dose–effect survival plots for mastic extracts against a human liver cancer HepG2 cell growth. (A) E1 MN: Liposomes contained NMGE, (B) E1 MT: Liposomes contained total mastic gum, (C) E1 MA: Liposomes contained AMGE, and (D) E1 Lip: Empty liposomes. Cell viability was estimated via XTT assay (each point represents mean ± sd of at least six replicate wells). * p < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Dose–effect survival plots for liposomes containing NMGE against human breast cancer MCF-7 cell growth. Cell viability was estimated via XTT assay (each point represents mean ± sd of at least six replicate wells). * p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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