Nanomedicine Journal

Nanomedicine Journal

From date seed to functional bread: zein nanoparticles boost antidiabetic properties in an animal model

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Abdolvahed Safarzaei 1, 2
Reza Farahmandfar 2
Reza Esmaeilzadeh Kenari 2
Hamed Fanaei 3
Ahmad Mehravaran 4
1 Pharmacology Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
2 Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran
3 Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
4 Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
10.22038/nmj.2026.95409.2416
Abstract
Objective (s): This study investigated the antioxidant properties of Rabbi date seed ethanolic extract, evaluated the physicochemical properties of extract-loaded zein nanoparticles, and examined the antidiabetic effects of dry lavash bread enriched with date seed powder (5%, 10%) or extract-loaded zein nanoparticles (5%, 10%) on fasting blood glucose in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
Materials and Methods: The ethanolic extract was prepared from date seed powder via ultrasound-assisted extraction and nanoencapsulated within a zein biopolymer matrix using an antisolvent precipitation technique. Fasting blood glucose levels in male rats were monitored and quantified using a standard glucometry assay.
Result: This study found that the encapsulation efficiency (EE), mean size, and Zeta potential of the zein nanoparticles loaded with the extract were equal to 95.42%, 188.35 nm, and +10.24 mV, respectively. The nanoparticles had semi-spherical morphology. The dietary intervention significantly reduced fasting blood glucose levels in both rat models. In normal control rats, the mean level decreased from 58.81 mg/dl to 35.06 mg/dl after 15 days. In diabetic rats, levels rose from a baseline of 70.47 mg/dl to 233.67 mg/dl after STZ induction, then declined to 159.67 mg/dl following 15 days of treatment with the enriched lavash bread.
Conclusion: Dry lavash bread enriched with zein nanoparticles exhibited a greater potential for reducing fasting blood glucose levels in both normal and diabetic rats compared to bread enriched directly with date seed powder.
Keywords
Diabetes Mellitus
Seeds
Bread
Nanoparticles
Zein
Subjects
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Nanomedicine Journal

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 18 August 2026