Optimized preparation of gastric acid-response sulfhydryl functionalized chitosan/alginate/tilapia peptide hydrogel and its protective effects on alcohol-induced liver and brain injury

Long-term alcohol intake or drinking large quantities of alcohol at one time can cause organ damage, which in turn can lead to chronic diseases. It is of important clinical and social significance to find effective approaches for the prevention and treatment of alcohol-induced diseases. In this paper, sulfhydryl functionalized chitosan (chitosan-N-acetyl-l-cysteine, CS-NAC) and sodium alginate (SA) were used as the matrix materials to contain tilapia peptide (TP), and a gastric acid-response hydrogel (CS-NAC/SA/TP) was prepared. Taking the ethanol adsorption rate as the response index, based on the results of the single factor test, the preparation process of CS-NAC/SA/TP was optimized through the Box–Behnken design. The swelling and antioxidant properties of CS-NAC/SA/TP were tested in vitro, and the protective effects on alcohol-induced acute liver injury and chronic brain injury were assessed in vivo. Structural characterization showed that CS-NAC/SA/TP was successfully prepared. Under the optimal conditions (SA concentration of 1%, M(CS-NAC)/M(CaCO(3)) of 1 : 1, M(SA)/M(CS-NAC(CaCO(3))) of 15 : 1), the prepared CS-NAC/SA/TP had a porous structure, a swelling ratio of 2350%, an ethanol adsorption rate of 56.23% and strong antioxidant capacities in vitro. Animal experiment results demonstrated that CS-NAC/SA/TP effectively reduced liver and brain injuries in mice caused by alcoholism. Summarily, these findings indicate that CS-NAC/SA/TP has potential applications in preventing alcohol-induced liver and brain injuries.