Bromelain encapsulation: stability, release profile, and cytotoxicity

Abstract

Bromelain is a collective name for proteolytic enzymes found in species of the Bromeliaceae family, mainly on the stem, fruit and leaves of pineapple (Ananas comosus). The use of this enzyme is highlighted in the food, cosmetic and mainly pharmaceutical industries due to its proteolytic activity. As an enzyme, bromelain use has limitations, since it is easily denatured and degraded, in addition to being unstable in some formulations. A possible alternative to better explore bromelain potential is its encapsulation in nanoparticles. These systems are capable of providing greater stability, efficacy and safety for the encapsulated active and have attracted the interest of the pharmaceutical industry. In this scenatio, chitosan emerges as a promising polymer, mainly due to the biocompatible, biodegradable and mucoadhesive characteristics. This project aims to characterize chitosan-bromelain nanoparticles, as well as to evaluate their release profile and their cytotoxicity in cell lines, with the ultimate goal of making bromelain use viable in formulations.