Purification and characterization of chicory polysaccharide and its application in stabling genistein for cancer therapy.

Genistein is an isoflavone with chemopreventive and therapeutic effects on types of various cancers. Apparently opposite to the advantage of multi-target therapy, the poor water solubility of this molecule is a major obstacle to clinical application. In this work, zein/chicory polysaccharide nanoparticles (G-zein-P NPs) were prepared by pH-induced antisolvent precipitation method for the encapsulation of genistein. Firstly, an acidic polysaccharide (CIP70-2) with a molecular weight of 66.7 kDa was identified from the root of chicory (Cichorium intybus). This natural macromolecule was considered as a plant pectin, for which the structure included RG-I (rhamnogalacturonan I) and HG (homogalacturonan) regions. Using this polysaccharide, G-zein-P NPs were prepared, in which the stability of genistein was significantly improved. The encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency of genistein by composite nanoparticles reached 99.0 % and 6.96 %, respectively. In vitro tumor inhibition experiments showed that the inhibitory effect of G-zein-P NPs on HepG2 cells was twice that of unencapsulated genistein. Moreover, the significant inhibition of tumor development and metastasis by G-zein-P NPs was observed in zebrafish xenograft models. The results suggested that zein/chicory polysaccharide nanoparticle may be a promising delivery strategy for genistein application in cancer prevention and therapy.