Design, Fabrication, Characterization, and In Vitro Digestion of Alkaloid-, Catechin-, and Cocoa Extract-Loaded Liposomes

Abstract

Liposomes containing theobromine, caffeine, catechin, epicatechin, and a cocoa extract were fabricated using microfluidization and sonication. A high encapsulation efficiency and good physicochemical stability were obtained by sonication (75% amplitude, 7 min). Liposomes produced at pH 5.0 had mean particle diameter ranging from 73.9 to 84.3 nm. The structural and physicochemical properties of the liposomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, confocal fluorescence microscopy and antioxidant activity assays. The release profile was measured by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to diode array detection. The bioaccessibility of the bioactive compounds encapsulated in liposomes was determined after exposure to a simulated in vitro digestion model. Higher bioaccessibilities were measured for all catechins-loaded liposome formulations compared to non-encapsulated counterparts. These results demonstrated that liposomes are capable of increasing the bioaccessibility of flavan-3-ols, which may be important for the development of nutraceuticalenriched functional foods.

Novel Delivery Systems of Polyphenols and Their Potential Health Benefits

“…Liposomes are specially designed to be multifunctional, and they have different components that can control specific characteristics, such as half-life, permeability, biodistribution, and specificity [35]. Due to their low toxicity, and their ability to protect the encapsulated substances from the environmental factors of the target location, they are preferred to incorporate various compounds, including antibiotics, peptides, and polyphenols, as reviewed in [36].…”

In Vitro Evaluation of a Fluorescent Microemulsion as an Oral Delivery Carrier and its Potential Application in Tracking Bioactive Compounds Label-Free

“…A large number of explanations have been developed based on the experiments. Among these explanations, the following theories are the most popular: (a) the ABTS radical scavenging activity is affected by pH on the radical and (b) the presence of new products as a result of epimerization and oxidation of bioactive compounds is detected under intestinal conditions . Overall, on the basis of these results, it was observed that all factors favored the application of the fluorescent microemulsion as a delivery carrier.…”

“…Owing to the characteristics of noninvasiveness, less pain, and lower crossinfection risk, oral administration is the most acceptable administration route in humans. , However, many bioactive compounds could not be efficiently delivered orally due to poor stability and low release under the harsh physiological conditions of the digestive tract. − In other cases, even if a bioactive compound can be delivered by oral administration, , controlling and monitoring the release of bioactive compounds during the whole digestive process is still challenging . Hence, novel carrier systems that can protect bioactive compounds against digestive degradation, supervise delivery process, control the release rate, and enhance the oral bioavailability of easily oxidative bioactive compounds have drawn increasing attention of researchers …”

Plant-Based Colloidal Delivery Systems for Bioactives

“…Furthermore, chemical or enzymatic methods can be used to increase the hydrophilicity of phospholipids by removing a fatty acid chain to produce lysolecithin, which can improve their emulsifying ability [11]. Phospholipids are also widely used to form nanoliposomes, which are colloidal particles assembled from one or more phospholipid bilayers [12]. Other lipophilic materials can also be used to form plant-based nanoparticles.…”