Compartmentalized chitooligosaccharide/ferritin particles for controlled co-encapsulation of curcumin and rutin

Compartmentalized carriers, containing multiple compartments, are receiving growing attention and are envisioned to be efficient vehicles for simultaneous encapsulation of different bioactive compounds or drugs. Herein, a two-step fabrication of chitooligosaccharide/ferritin (COS/Fn) particles containing compartmentalized cavities was reported by self-assembly of ferritin nanocages and COS. The COS/Fn particles exhibit a sphere-like morphology with nano-scale diameters depending on the COS/Fn ratio. Electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonds are responsible for the generation of COS/Fn particles. By taking advantage of the multiple compartments of COS/Fn particles, curcumin and rutin molecules can be simultaneously encapsulated within COS/Fn particles in a compartmentalized manner. More importantly, the loading ratio of curcumin and rutin within COS/Fn particles can be easily controlled. Besides, the COS/Fn particles exhibit great protective capability against thermal treatment for internalized cargos. Overall, this work may promote future efforts to apply ferritin nanocages for the compartmentalized encapsulation of different bioactive compounds or drugs.