From process effluents to intestinal health promotion: developing biopolymer-whey liposomes loaded with gingerol to heal intestinal wounds and neutralize oxidative stress

As a sustainable strategy to valorize the main effluent of the cheese industry and potent environmental pollutant, whey, several biopolymer-whey vesicles loaded with gingerol were tailored for counteracting intestinal oxidative stress and boosting wound healing. An eco-friendly method was used to combine whey with four different water-dispersible biopolymers (xanthan gum, tragacanth, Arabic gum and sodium alginate), phospholipid and a natural antioxidant (gingerol). The results of cryogenic transmission microscopy and dynamic light scattering indicated that the vesicles were mostly unilamellar and small in size (∼100 nm) with low polydispersity index, high negative zeta potential and ability to entrap a high amount of gingerol (up to 94%). The vesicles could maintain their structures in acidic and neutral media and Turbiscan® technology confirmed their stability during the storage. Vesicles prepared with whey and tragacanth exhibited the highest capability to protect intestinal cells from damages induced by hydrogen peroxide. When Arabic and tragacanth gums were added to the whey vesicles, the closure rate of the scratched area was fast and no trace of the wound was observed after 72 h of treatment. These promising findings could open a new horizon in the application of whey in nanomedicine for the treatment of intestinal damages.