Lipid-Based Nanoparticles as Targeted Delivery System in Korat Chicken

Lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs) were used as a nanodelivery method to transfer an agent to the chicken gut in this study. To improve Korat chickens' (KRCs) productivity and meat quality, two LNP varieties were developed, one with (APG-LNP) and one without (LNP) glucose conjugated on the surface. Cy5, a fluorescent dye, was placed on both LNPs to form Cy5@APG-LNP and Cy5@LNP to track the NPs in the chicken. TEM images displayed that both Cy5@LNP and Cy5@APG-LNP were spherical with average diameters of 94.2 ± 10.9 and 69.2 ± 9.5 nm, respectively. Caco-2 cells were used as intestinal cells to investigate the absorption and uptake mechanisms. In Caco-2 cells, the glucose-modified NPs were absorbed quickly and in greater quantities (2.5 times) than the unmodified ones. Finally, the NPs were fed orally to KRCs to detect absorption in the chicken gastrointestinal tract. It was discovered that Cy5@APG-LNP was absorbed in the small intestine, and the Cy5 signal detected from the ileum was about 27 times higher than the control at the 6 h time point. As a result, we expect that these model studies will result in a more efficient targeted delivery system for improving chicken health and meat quality.