Formulation of vitamin C encapsulation in marine phospholipids nanoliposomes: Characterization and stability evaluation during long term storage

Abstract

Nanoliposomes are adequate technology for the encapsulation and controlled release of bioactive compounds as well as improving their stability and bioavailability. Despite the fact that liposomes are commonly prepared from egg or soybean phospholipids, recently, more focus has been directed towards marine phospholipids (MPL) due to their health benefits and better stability. In this study, marine phospholipids nanoliposomes containing vitamin C obtained by thin-film evaporation method were prepared and characterized as well as their physicochemical stability. The mean particle size and zeta potential (ZP) of all nanoliposomes gradually increased as the phospholipids concentrations increased. The results showed a polydispersity index (PDI) value lower than 0.3 for most of samples. The encapsulation efficiency of vitamin C did not show a correlation with phospholipids concentrations. The highest encapsulation efficiency recorded was 52.09%. The antioxidant activity of nanoliposomes assessed by DPPH and reducing power assays showed an enhancement as phospholipids concentration increased. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed a stable nanoliposomes up to 300 °C. Furthermore, the storage stability pointed to a relatively stable vitamin C in nanoliposomes when stored at 4 °C for 49 days. The present work demonstrated the potentiality of MPL nanoliposomes to protect vitamin C during long term storage.