Extraction and purification of phosphatidylcholine and its potential in nanoliposomal delivery of Eucalyptus citriodora oil

Abstract

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) possesses amphiphilic characteristics to form vesicles or liposome nanoparticles and can be utilized to deliver essential nutrients such as proteins, peptide antigens, and essential fatty acids. In this study, an attempt has been made to obtain purified PC and evaluate its potential in nanoliposome synthesis and its corresponding drug release profile. In this regard, four physical separation techniques comprising extraction, precipitation, static, and dynamic adsorption were assessed and applied to purify PC from soybean lecithin. Different solvents and the ratio of lecithin to solvent were used to achieve the highest PC percentage. The results of an HPLC test showed that the maximum rate of PC extracted was 69%, through combining all four stages. In the next step, the synthesis of nanoliposomes from purified PC was carried out by the sonication method. Eucalyptus citriodora oil was used to evaluate the potential of the resultant nanoliposomes to encapsulate hydrophobic antibacterial drugs. The morphology and size distribution of nanoliposomes were investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. The long-term stability of antibacterial-loaded nanoliposomes was confirmed by their release behaviour patterns. The data from DLS and AFM resulted in narrow size distribution, with an average diameter of 201.23 and 197.22 nm, respectively. Compared to non-loaded nanoparticles, the results showed a slight increase in the size of oil-loaded nanoliposomes. The release profile of the encapsulated drug resulted in sustained release behaviour during eight days of storage in phosphate saline buffer.