Preparation and physicochemical properties of coenzyme Q10 loaded niosomal hydrogels based on carbomer and scleroglucan

Abstract

In this study, the blank hydrogels and the niosomal hydrogels loading coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) were prepared by carbomer (CBM) and scleroglucan (SCL), and their physicochemical properties were characterized in terms of rheological and texture measurement, FTIR, SEM, DSC, and DLS. First, the blank hydrogels CBM‐SCL‐Gel were prepared. With the increase of SCL concentration, the viscosity and modulus increased, displaying better shear thinning behavior of pseudoplastic fluid. A dense network structure was formed in CBM‐SCL‐Gel, especially for CBM/SCL at 5/4 and 5/5, due to hydrogen bonding between CBM and SCL. The swelling behaviors of the composite gels conformed to pseudo‐second‐order kinetics, and CBM/SCL at 5/1 exhibited the highest swelling capability. The addition of SCL made the water absorption mechanism tend to a non‐Fickian diffusion mode. Then, the niosomal hydrogel was prepared by the optimized gel formulation with the CoQ10‐loaded niosome. It was found that the gel properties were insignificantly affected by the CoQ10 niosomes. The particle sizes of the niosomes in the gel were a little larger than that in aqueous suspension. After storage for 30 days, the CoQ10 retention rate in the niosomal gel remained at 92% (4°C, N‐Gel), representing high stability of CoQ10.