Preparation and biochemical evaluation of daily-thiosulfinate/polyoxyethylene conjugated pH-responsive micelle with enhanced stability, hydrosolubility and antibacterial properties

Diallyl thiosulfinate (DT), a major organosulfur chemical with several notable therapeutic characteristics, is highly unstable and easily degradable which restricts its extensive use in biopharmaceutical commodities. Therefore, utilizing the self-assembly nature of polyoxyethylene (Brij S20 and Brij 58), appropriate pH-responsive micelle carrier systems have been designed to entrap and improve DT’s stability at an ambient temperature (25 °C) while preserving its quantity and biological activity. Comparing with the Brij S20 with the Brij 58 micelle carrier system, the latter demonstrated superior stability and entrapment of DT. In addition, it was found that DT’s stability in micellized condition is significantly influenced by both pH and temperature (p < 0.05). The micelle system was capable enough to reduce degradation significantly. Additionally, the liberation of DT from micelle is greatly aided by acidic pH 1.5. Around 77% DT was released from Brij 58 system. Various biochemical analyses were done. The liberation of DT from the micelle in a controlled manner using lower pH as stimuli may facilitate its biological action at an individual’s gastrointestinal lumen or near cancer cell environment having lower pH. Additionally, it was made sure that the micellization method did not impair DT’s bioactivity or reduce appropriate biocompatibility. The current study increases the likelihood of creating a commercially available DT-loaded, micelle-based formulation for application in biopharma and food-related industries.

Graphical Abstract