A modified self-micro emulsifying liposome for bioavailability enhancement of quercetin and its biological effects

Abstract

Quercetin (QT) is a chief dietary flavonoid with a myriad of health benefits, however, its poor solubility and low bioavailability restrict its food application. Thus, the present study aimed at enhancing its solubility using a modified self-micro emulsifying system (QT-TPGS-QS). The stability of liposome was assessed via monitoring of its particle indexes (size, zeta potential, PDI, stability towards in-vitro digestion, drug release, and encapsulation efficiency). Further, antibacterial and cellular antioxidant potential of liposomes were determined. QT-TPGS-QS exhibited good optical clarity with a loading ratio of 2.1%. The liposome showed uniform spherical and regular shape (<100 nm) with a QT release rate of 85.61% ± 0.32% in simulated in-vitro digestion. QT-TPGS-QS demonstrated superior antibacterial activity compared to QT alone against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella. In-vitro antioxidant evaluation confirmed that the QT-TPGS-QS exhibited a significantly higher free radical scavenging ability than QT alone. Cellular assay confirmed that QT-TPGS-QS (15 μg/mL) exhibited a good protection effect on oxidative stress induced by H2O2. Catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels were significantly upregulated, concurrent with a reduction of malondialdehyde (MDA) suggesting that QT-TPGS-QS might be effective in inhibiting the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and to be considered as food additive or in nutraceuticals.